The Ljubljana District Court has imposed a suspended four-month prison sentence on the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), Patriarch Porfiri, and a suspended fine of 10,000 euros for the church community in the Slovenian capital as a legal entity.
The case is the epilogue of a long-standing dispute that began when Porfiri was the Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana. The lawsuit was filed by former Ljubljana Orthodox priest Željko Lubarda, who claims he was subjected to prolonged and systematic mobbing (harassment at the workplace). According to Lubarda, the pressure against him began after he refused to cover up financial abuses in the church treasury.
The Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church reacted sharply to the decision of the Slovenian magistrates, describing it as “scandalous“ and the result of “absurd lawsuits“. Belgrade emphasizes that the appointments and transfers of priests are an exclusive canonical right of the competent bishop. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has also publicly challenged the legitimacy of the court decision.
Sources: „Danas“, „Nova.rs“ and TANYUG agency