Analysts say Milić was unfit to host church celebration, accusing Serbian Orthodox Church of serving Vučić regime

A church celebration hosted by former Belgrade police chief Veselin Milić has prompted sharp criticism of the Serbian Orthodox Church from two religious analysts.

Theologian Vukašin Milićević told the Beta news agency that the church leadership had become an “agitprop department” of Aleksandar Vučić’s regime. He pointed to Milić’s role as host despite criminal proceedings related to the killing of Aleksandar Nešović Baja.

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Milić should have guaranteed security and protected Serbia’s citizens, but it turned out that he was involved in one way or another in a very serious crime. By allowing Milić to host the church celebration, the Serbian Orthodox Church sent the message that it had reduced itself to an agitprop department of Vučić’s regime.

Milićević said senior church figures had increasingly appeared alongside people suspected or convicted of serious crimes, convicted criminals and war criminals. He also criticized the church for awarding honors to people he said did not live according to Christian principles.

Religious analyst Vladimir Veljković said the church’s relationship with the political and economic elite around Vučić had become especially close. He said the question was no longer whether someone such as Milić was worthy of hosting a celebration, but whether powerful figures were being presented as important members of the current regime.

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The Serbian Orthodox Church has trampled on its tradition, of which we can all be proud, especially when it comes to the struggle for freedom. It has also trampled on the basic Christian principles on which it should rest.

Posts on social media showed Milić taking part in the cutting of the ceremonial bread and a procession around the church. A local priest thanked him for his work for the church and wished blessings on him and his family.

Milić faces criminal proceedings for allegedly failing to report a crime and its perpetrator. Prosecutors dropped a separate allegation that he helped the perpetrator after the crime, saying there were no grounds to suspect that offense. Prosecutors continue to investigate whether Milić knew about the event but failed to notify authorities. Nešović’s body was found on May 21 in Jarkovci near Inđija, sealed inside a concrete-filled barrel.

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The question is no longer whether someone like Veselin Milić is worthy of hosting the celebration, but such people are imposed as important factors and prominent figures of the current regime.