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Vučić heading to Moscow! Full conversation between Porfirije, Kirill, and Putin: “The Color Revolution in Serbia must be defeated”
https://informer.rs/politika/vesti/1011383/porfirije-putin-kiril-razgovor
At the end of April, the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, visited Moscow. During his visit to the Russian Federation, the Patriarch met with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, and other Russian church officials.
However, the most widely covered part of the visit was the meeting between Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, Archbishop Irinej, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, held at the headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church on April 23, with Patriarch Kirill also in attendance. Parts of the conversation surfaced in Serbian media that same evening and sparked significant public interest, including numerous strong reactions from opposition-leaning circles.
Controversial remarks made by Patriarch Porfirije about recent events in Serbia—currently experiencing its largest social protests in decades—closely echoed the narrative promoted by the Serbian government and were at the center of public criticism. On the other hand, pro-government media portrayed the Patriarch’s visit to Moscow and his statements during the meeting with Putin in a highly positive light. A telling example is the article from Informer, the most circulated pro-government tabloid, which published a transcript of the conversation and highlighted in its headline the supposed joint message that “the color revolution in Serbia must be defeated.”
The Informer article was infused with anti-Western and broadly anti-opposition narratives, reflecting the main messages delivered by Serbian church leaders and Russian officials during the talks. The tabloid emphasized that the meeting took place “in the spirit of… historical friendship and shared views on contemporary moral challenges facing Orthodox peoples, especially in relation to the West.”
Patriarch Porfirije stated that “the Serbian people see the Russian people as their own… sometimes it seems that the hope Serbs place in Russia and Russian politics is greater than in their own.” Informer also quoted the Patriarch expressing his “wish, as well as the wish of most within our Church, that in the future—should a new geopolitical regrouping occur—we remain close to the Russian sphere, within the Orthodox world.” This statement aligns with the often-unspoken aspirations of nationalist and clerical circles in Serbian politics, yet contradicts the country’s current and officially declared foreign policy orientation.
Similar rhetoric was used by Moscow Patriarch Kirill, who hosted the meeting with President Putin. Kirill said, in an overtly anti-Western tone, that “some Slavic peoples, under the influence of powerful militaristic Western forces, temporarily changed their orientation… but the Serbs never did.”
The most controversial part of the conversation, however, was Patriarch Porfirije’s statement that a “color revolution” is taking place in Serbia. Speaking before a foreign head of state, the Serbian Patriarch addressed internal political matters and openly entered the political sphere—despite having previously stated that, as the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, he does not wish to be involved in politics. He claimed that a “color revolution” is underway in Serbia and added that he “hopes we will overcome this ordeal… we know and feel that centers of power in the West do not want the identity and culture of the Serbian people to thrive.”
For months, the Serbian government has been promoting a narrative—unsupported by evidence—that the widespread student and civic protests are part of an alleged “color revolution” backed by “certain foreign actors.” The government has used this spin strategy to deflect pressure, but the public has strongly criticized the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church—an institution with high trust levels in Serbia—for repeating such unfounded claims during a meeting with a foreign leader. Moreover, it is unclear whether the Patriarch was expressing the official position of the Serbian Orthodox Church, considering that many church dignitaries have vocally supported the students’ demands.
Author: Igor Mirosavljević
