Former deacon Bojan Jovanović talked with the representatives of the European Parliament (EP) yesterday about organized pedophilia in the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) and the denial of protection and support to the victims, Danas has learned.
It should be reminded that Jovanović has been pointing out pedophilia and other malversations in the church for years, and in 2015 he went public with claims that Bishop Kačavenda sexually harassed him and asked him to bring him boys. He was also one of six prosecutors before the High Court in London against the Serbian Orthodox Church for pedophilia and sexual abuse that took place in Serbia, BiH and Croatia. The lawsuit, meanwhile, has not been upheld. He recently published the book “Confession of How We Betrayed God”, which, among other things, talks about how the church intimidates and kills victims of pedophilia with the help of the state.
Jovanovic points out for Danas that due to the COVID19 pandemic, he had a conversation with the representatives of the European Parliament who are in charge of human rights via video conference.
“We submitted evidence to the representatives of the EP about all cases of pedophilia in the church, which have been deserving of the public's attention for years, and which the competent institutions are persistently silent about. They expressed interest in including the issue of prosecution of organized pedophilia and protection of victims by the system in the Serbia's progress report when it comes to human rights, rights to freedom of religion, judicial reform and the fight against organized crime,” Jovanovic told Danas.
According to him, the EP was informed that there is a well-organized pedophile group within the Serbian Orthodox Church, “but that the synergy between the church and the government led by President Aleksandar Vučić has gone so far that the state asks the church more than the laws rule this organization.”
Jovanovic also pointed out to European parliamentarians that the Serbian Orthodox Church has a strong influence in the entire region.
“By abusing the divine mandate, the Serbian Orthodox Church is trying to abolish itself from individual crimes, but also from participating in events that are marked by many bloody crimes in this area. Throughout the region, the Serbian Orthodox Church has become a monstrous construct whose work, far from its divine mission, has already been reduced to a desire for power and wealth, gambling mythomania and psychotic dogmatism. The power of Aleksandar Vučić gives that destructive cult a wind in its back. The victims must be saved from oblivion, they must be empowered to speak as much as possible, all the crimes of the Serbian Orthodox Church must be investigated in detail, which must be adequately punished because of them”, states Jovanović.