In the crypt of the Church of Saint Sava, where the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church was elected in 2021, according to CIN's research, there were allegedly hidden cameras and parallel surveillance systems that raise the question of who all had insight into the course of the electoral parliament
Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN) published a study in which it is claimed that the choice is Serbian Patriarch Porphyry In 2021 in Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade was accompanied by circumstances that go beyond the strictly ecclesiastical framework, with allegations of secret video-surveillance, the roles of security structures and connections with persons from the criminal milieu.
In the introductory part of the text, the election of the Assembly of Bishops is described in a symbolic and dramatic tone: "Blessed under the auspices of the saints and angels from the frescoes in the crypt of the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade, the Serbian bishops elected a new patriarch, not realizing that the unholy had sneaked into that underground hall and were peeking into their ballots."
According to CIN, hidden cameras were installed in the crypt, although filming the Assembly was expressly forbidden. "Disguised in the hidden places of the crypt, directed towards the tables where the bishops were sitting, the secret cameras recorded the electoral assembly", it is stated in the text, with the claim that the equipment was ordered by a former official of the state security services connected to criminal structures.
CIN further claims that the video material recorded during the Parliament was delivered to Ljuban Ećim, a former member of the security structures of the Republika Srpska, shortly after the election of the patriarch. The text also states that Ećim managed the operation of installing cameras, using the encrypted application Sky, through which he communicated with a person who presented himself as the owner of a Belgrade video surveillance company.
Photo: SOCPatriarch Porphyry
"Can we peek into every corner"?
In one of the described segments of communication, the interlocutors consider the method of hiding cameras in the equipment in the Temple.
"This is a speaker that is on almost every pole. We can pack everything into it," one message said, while another asked: "Can we peek into every corner"?
According to the research, it was the speakers in the crypt that were considered as a potential place to install monitoring equipment, which would be connected to a separate system with its own memory units.
CIN additionally states that certain church dignitaries and persons connected to state structures, according to the Sky correspondence, "helped to get jobs in the Temple", thus providing access to the premises where the equipment was installed.
Special attention was paid to the affairs between the company "Sion Company" and the Serbian Orthodox Church. According to the documents referred to by CIN, in June 2020, that company was awarded the job of installing video surveillance in the Temple, and later contracts for system maintenance and monitoring.
The text states that on the eve of the Parliament, a contract was concluded, which included a monthly fee of around 13.260 euros, while the total value of business with the Church in the following years reached several million euros. According to CIN, the contracts were signed by church representatives, including the then bishop Porfirio.
photo: Zoran Zestić / TanjugIN THE MONASTERY OF THE PATRIARCHY: Patriarch and believers
"What do you care who signs when you get the money"
In one part of the research, the interlocutors point to the informal nature of decisions and business arrangements. The owner of the company, according to Sky communication, claims that "the Synod did not approve these transactions", while Ljuban Ećim replies: "What do you care who signs when you get the money".
CIN also states that before the Parliament, technical preparations for the conference system were installed in the crypt, although, according to the documentation, this equipment was not formally included in the initial contracts.
The text also describes the procedure for electing the patriarch: "In the crypt of the Church of Saint Sava on February 18, 2021, the election fell on: Metropolitan Porphyry, Bishop Irinej and Bishop Yefrem", after which their names were placed in envelopes and inserted into the Gospel, as part of the so-called of the "apostolic lot".
CIN interlocutors from the academic and theological community estimate that, if the allegations are true, it would represent a serious precedent. Theologian Vukašin Milićević states that "the election of the patriarch was preceded by a campaign in which some members of the Government of Serbia played a decisive role", while Blagoje Pantelić points out that "it is terrible, humiliating that the election of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church appears in Sky correspondence".
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