The Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement strongly opposes the ban on public appearances of assistant professor Vukašin Milićević issued on March 30, 2020 by His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, after his guest appearance on the "Impression of the Week" show.
Although docent Vukašin Milićević is a cleric of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovica, he is also a teacher at the University of Belgrade and a doctor of theological sciences. It is unthinkable that a member of the academic community is banned from public speaking and criticized for thinking critically about current social issues.
As members of the academic community, we do not want to interfere in the internal affairs of the church, just as the church should not interfere in the internal affairs of the university, but since assistant professor Milićević is also a member of the academic community, we must react to the aforementioned prohibition, which simultaneously deny basic human freedoms and collapse the autonomy of universities. All the more so since the Patriarch bases his decision on an earlier letter which, not only to him, but to all employees of the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade, prohibits any appearance in public without his prior approval.
At the same time, since many of us are members of the Serbian Orthodox Church, we want to express our concern about this kind of sanctioning of freedom of speech within the church and emphasize our firm belief that with his public actions Milićević only contributed to raising the reputation of the church in the public, and never harmed it.
We ask His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, the Holy Synod of Bishops and the Church Court of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovica to consider our appeal and to take into account the decision regarding assistant professor Vukašin Milićević, as well as all future decisions regarding the teachers of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at the University of Belgrade. taking into account the fact that they are simultaneously members of both the church and the academic community. Therefore, we appeal that when making this and similar decisions, it is mandatory to take into account the circumstance that members of the academic community, as well as all conscientious citizens of our society, are expected to speak publicly and take critical positions, which the mentioned ban directly opposes.
We understand that the position of teachers and associates of the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade is specific, but that is precisely why we believe that this specificity must be respected, both on the part of the university and on the part of the church. In situations such as this one, which point to a divergence in the way the two communities, ecclesiastical and academic, behave, we can only find a common language by finding compromise solutions while taking into account the specifics of the position of teachers and associates who are members of both communities. Also, we believe that the teachers and associates of the Orthodox Theological Faculty are an important link between the two communities and that we must not lose that link.
