AT THE ORDER OF BISHOP, SERBIAN PRIEST’S HOUSE IN CLEVELAND BROKEN INTO: Rebellious parishioners accuse Irinej of kicking the dismissed priest and his four children out onto the street! (VIDEO)

The conflict between the parishioners of the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sava in Cleveland (Parma), Ohio, and Bishop Irinej of Eastern America is not abating. On the contrary, the situation has escalated further in recent days.

Namely, on Friday, December 5, at the bishop’s order, three people, accompanied by American police, broke in through the basement into the parish house, where priest Dragoslav Kosić lives with his wife and four children, and changed the locks on the doors.

On that occasion, there was an argument with the household members, the priest’s family, and his wife became ill, which is why she was urgently transported to the hospital by ambulance.

BREAK-IN AT THE PARISH HOUSE: Locks on the priest’s home replaced with police support

Parishioners who contacted Serbian Times (names known to the editorial office) believe that this represents brutal pressure on Father Dragoslav Kosić to force him to move out of the parish house as soon as possible.

“The break-in to the parish house is an act of vandalism!”

According to available information, Bishop Irinej dismissed Kosić from his parish duties on October 29, but since he became ill in the meantime and has been on sick leave since October 31, his stay in the parish was extended for another three months according to church laws.

-The break-in to the house where our protopresbyter lives with four children is a vandalistic, violent act, no matter how much the parish home is the property of the church. One cannot force someone who has been in the parish for so long and who has given so much to the parish and parishioners to move out in such a way, says one of the rebellious believers to our portal, adding that they have never witnessed so many police on church property.

BREAK-IN THROUGH THE BASEMENT: Protopresbyter’s wife became ill and was taken to the hospital

The rebellious parishioners believe that the bishop is trying to move the new priest Dragan Vuković, whom he appointed to succeed Kosić, into the parish house and onto the property as soon as possible.

We remind you that in previous weeks, the parishioners protested in front of the temple, not allowing the new priest to perform the service, but he eventually entered the church with police support.

The rebellious parishioners also emphasize that they constitute a large majority of the believers who visit the church, adding that the problems for Father Dragoslav are being caused by a minority, gathered in a few families.

-The bishop has now appointed members of those families to the Church-School Board, and has removed people from it who have been in the church for decades as donors and trusted people, notes our source.

The bishop wrote to the “rebels”

In the meantime, the bishop addressed the parishioners, explaining the dismissal of the parish priest Kosić.

In his letter, he stated, among other things, that:

-The Cathedral in Cleveland is mostly empty during holy services, even on major holidays like the Nativity of Christ, unlike neighboring Serbian and Orthodox parishes, which are full of believers who left the Cathedral in Cleveland;
-Believers from mixed marriages left the parish because they felt unwelcome;
-The church school has been brought almost to non-existence;
-The church choir “Njegoš” left the Cathedral
-People who are not members of the Church-School Municipality were elected to the church board

In that letter, the bishop also claims that their rebellion is based on misinformation and that a large number of people who are not parishioners of the church are participating in it, and that their address to the Holy Synod is not in accordance with church canons.

Finally, he called the demonstrations in front of the church “the prohibition of Christ!” and called on the rebellious believers to warmly welcome the new priest and spiritual father Dragan Vuković and his family.

Parishioners’ response

The parishioners, in the meantime, responded to the bishop with a letter in which they denied all his allegations, from the fact that the Cathedral temple is empty during services, to the fact that the Church School has been brought almost to non-existence, but they expressed regret that the bishop “is bothered that besides the church school, there is also a Serbian school that regularly operates every Friday evening.”

In their address, they pointed out that “all persons elected to the church board are members of the Church-School Municipality,” unlike the individuals the bishop placed on the new board or so-called trusteeship, who, as they claim, “were not elected by any of the parishioners.”

THEY RESPONDED TO THE BISHOP AND DEMANDED A REACTION FROM THE SYNOD: Rebellious parishioners do not give up

-Certain people are not members, nor do they attend services, nor are they active in any way in our Church-School Municipality, the parishioners emphasize and finally add that they will continue to ask the Holy Synod to investigate the events in the Parish of Saint Sava.

For today (Sunday), the parishioners announced a gathering at 8 o’clock in front of the cathedral temple, while the first liturgy to be served by the new priest Dragan Vuković is scheduled and announced for 10 o’clock.

WILL HE ENTER THE CHURCH THIS TIME WITHOUT POLICE ASSISTANCE: Priest Dragan Vuković should hold the first liturgy today in the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Cleveland (Parma)

Serbian Times will continue to inform the public about the development of the situation and events in the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Cleveland throughout the day and in the future.