{"id":176231,"date":"2025-04-26T09:16:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T07:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=176231"},"modified":"2025-04-26T09:16:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T07:16:19","slug":"like-judas-betrayed-christ-you-betrayed-the-people-nis-students-send-open-letter-to-patriarch-porfirije","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/like-judas-betrayed-christ-you-betrayed-the-people-nis-students-send-open-letter-to-patriarch-porfirije\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cLIKE JUDAS BETRAYED CHRIST, YOU BETRAYED THE PEOPLE\u201d: Ni\u0161 students send open letter to Patriarch Porfirije"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amid ongoing student-led protests and university blockades across Serbia, students of the <strong>University of Ni\u0161<\/strong> have issued a strongly worded <strong>open letter<\/strong> to <strong>Patriarch Porfirije<\/strong>, following his recent <strong>meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/strong> and controversial remarks referencing a \u201ccolor revolution\u201d in Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The students, currently engaged in protest, did not hold back. Their full statement, now widely circulated, condemns the Patriarch\u2019s comments and questions the alignment of the Serbian Orthodox Church with state power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe express deep disappointment, sorrow, and outrage over Patriarch Porfirije\u2019s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the statements he made on that occasion,\u201d the letter begins. \u201cBy saying that a \u2018color revolution\u2019 is being prevented in Serbia, the Patriarch has stood side by side with those who call our struggle\u2014a fight by young people for dignity, justice, and freedom\u2014a coup d\u2019\u00e9tat.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Calling the remarks a betrayal, the students continue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"zxx\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Va1gg07aDq\">pic.twitter.com\/Va1gg07aDq<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Neformalna grupa studenata Ni\u0161a (@ngs_nis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ngs_nis\/status\/1915459106829185033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 24, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter continues with criticism of the Church&#8217;s perceived <strong>proximity to the regime<\/strong>, asserting that such ties have undermined its moral authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cInstead of standing with your people in defense of their dignity, you chose to sit with an autocrat who has plunged his own nation into war and who spreads fear, division, and repression across others.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students accused the Church leadership of becoming a <strong>\u201ctool of political propaganda\u201d<\/strong>, abandoning its role as a refuge for the vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey have devalued everything that gives life meaning\u2014knowledge, labor, law, and now, in order to cling to power, they have devalued the Church as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are not attacking Orthodoxy\u2014we are defending its core values: truth, justice, love, and solidarity. We are not attacking faith\u2014we are calling for its genuine witness. We didn\u2019t condemn the Church for its silence. But you condemned our 16 minutes of silence.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">FIND OUT MORE IN ENGLISH:<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fserbiantimes%2Fposts%2Fpfbid03Uj3hsvy9gog99Ao6QD9S4j8PFDunHoJypGULAC1wjk8YuNUkEQLEMEmbzCMLcFtl&#038;show_text=true&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"250\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a powerful closing, the students ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhere were you, Patriarch, when children were hungry, when women suffered violence, when the youth fled this country? Why are you not with the people?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Church does not fall when it is attacked. It falls when it is led by the unworthy. Everyone must choose their side\u2014we have chosen truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">MORE TOPICS:<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/column-kovacevic-not-my-patriarch-because-my-patriarch-would-never-slander-his-people-in-moscow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">COLUMN, KOVA\u010cEVI\u0106: Not My Patriarch! Because my Patriarch would never slander his people in Moscow\u2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/student-of-the-belgrade-faculty-of-law-banned-from-entering-serbia-helena-stopped-at-the-border-with-montenegro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">STUDENT OF THE BELGRADE FACULTY OF LAW BANNED FROM ENTERING SERBIA: Helena stopped at the border with Montenegro!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/milan-je-proslavio-srpski-folklor-u-americi-dosao-u-cikago-zbog-ljubavi-pa-postao-ambasador-kulture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">MILAN CELEBRATED SERBIAN FOLKLORE IN AMERICA: Came to Chicago for love, became a cultural ambassador<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/vucic-the-blockade-of-rts-is-an-unprecedented-crime-the-state-will-choose-the-moment-when-the-violence-will-end\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">VU\u010cI\u0106: The blockade of RTS is an unprecedented crime, the state will choose the moment when the violence will end!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/humanitarian-feat-of-young-marek-13-baked-and-sold-pastries-to-raise-nearly-100000-dinars-for-his-neighbor-in-need\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">HUMANITARIAN FEAT OF YOUNG MAREK (13): Baked and sold pastries to raise nearly 100,000 dinars for his neighbor in need!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source<\/strong>: Nova.rs, <strong>Foto<\/strong>: ATA Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amid ongoing student-led protests and university blockades across Serbia, students of the University of Ni\u0161 have issued a strongly worded open letter to Patriarch Porfirije, following his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and controversial remarks referencing a \u201ccolor revolution\u201d in Serbia. The students, currently engaged in protest, did not hold back. Their full [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":176232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[399,240,401,113,2243,2490,4837,3791],"class_list":["post-176231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-serbia","tag-patrijarh-porfirije","tag-pravoslavlje","tag-spc","tag-srbija","tag-srpska-pravoslavna-crkva","tag-studenti","tag-studenti-u-blokadi","tag-studentski-protesti","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Serbiantimes.info EN","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176231"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176272,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176231\/revisions\/176272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}