Metropolitan Joanikije meets Dejan Bodiroga in Germany

Metropolitan Joanikije of the Montenegrin-Primorski Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) met with Dejan Bodiroga and Bishop Grigorije in Himmelsturm, Germany. Bodiroga, the president of the EuroLeague and a former professional basketball player, is a candidate for parliament on the ‘Studentska lista – Studenti pobjeduju’ list for the upcoming extraordinary elections in Serbia.

The meeting has drawn attention on social media due to the timing of the Serbian elections and the political affiliations of the participants. Joanikije previously signed a letter condemning labels that described protesting Serbian students as ‘Serbian Ustaše’, a move that faced criticism from the Belgrade administration and certain media outlets within the SPC hierarchy.

This follows recent internal tensions within the SPC, including the removal of former Metropolitan Justin from his position in February after he also signed the letter regarding the student protests.