The Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) today relieved Metropolitan Justin of Žič from his duties as head of the Eparchy of Žič due to, as they allege, violations in the management of the eparchy and initiated proceedings to determine his canonical responsibility.
As announced by the Serbian Orthodox Church, the decision to dismiss Metropolitan Justin of Žica from his duties was made at today's session, and Metropolitan Arsenije of Niš was appointed administrator of the Diocese of Žica until the upcoming session of the Assembly. The Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church also initiated proceedings to determine the canonical responsibility of Metropolitan Justin.
"During the regular procedure of reviewing the material and financial operations of the dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church, carried out based on the decision of the Patriarchal Administrative Board of October 24, 2023, the Commission of the Patriarchal Administrative Board, and then the Commission of the Holy Synod of Bishops, collected material evidence, based on which it was determined that His Eminence Archbishop and Metropolitan of Žič G. Justin committed numerous canonical and other ecclesiastical offenses in the management of the Diocese of Žič entrusted to him," the SPC statement states.
In the previous period, it was established, as they point out, that Metropolitan Justin of Žička had illegally founded three companies - "Trifora doo", "JEŽ doo" and "Vinarija manastira Studenice doo", concealed their operations, registered himself as the actual owner of the three companies, and then carried out the unauthorized sale of 34 church properties (apartments, business premises, etc.) in Kraljevo and Čačak, reports N1.
As it is added, Metropolitan Justin "unauthorized and contrary to current church regulations, concluded damaging contracts worth millions with legal entities and individuals, unauthorizedly made loans in the millions to various companies in Serbia, and committed financial abuses in the Serbian Orthodox Church, which entail criminal liability before state authorities."
The Synod noted, as they state, with regret that Metropolitan Justin, with the aim of avoiding church and canonical responsibility, and his associates, have persistently deceived the public that he is "politically persecuted" due to the current social and political situation in Serbia, a claim that the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church resolutely denies.
"In this, as in other similar cases of determining the canonical responsibility of the Serbian Orthodox Church hierarchs, it is exclusively about internal canonical and ecclesiastical issues for which only the Synod and the Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church are competent," the statement said.
Justin has been relieved of his duties as head of the Žiča diocese until the conclusion of the initiated proceedings, that is, until the session of the Holy Bishops' Assembly in 2026. He will, as stated, reside in the episcopal residence in Kraljevo until the session of the Assembly, and may conduct services exclusively in the Žiča monastery. He will be paid half of his bishop's allowances until the conclusion of the initiated proceedings, reports N1.
In early February, believers gathered at the episcopal residence in Kraljevo to support Metropolitan Justin when SPC officials visited to re-control the operations of the Eparchy of Žička.
In August last year, the media reported that the Serbian Orthodox Church, among other things, resented Metropolitan Justin of Žička for allowing students from Novi Pazar, who were walking to protest in Novi Sad on November 1, to sleep overnight in the Studenica Monastery.
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