Vol.2, No 6, 1999 pp. 15 - 22
UDC: 316:642:281.96
THE ROLE OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE PROTECTION OF MINORITIES
AND 'MINOR' RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN THE FR YUGOSLAVIA
Milan Vukomanović
The Institute of Social Sciences, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Abstract. In this paper the author stresses the importance of more prominent social and political-symbolical roles that churches and religious communities in the FR of Yugoslavia (FRY) may and, in this view, should  assume, especially in the most recent period after the cessation of armed conflicts in the Balkans. Two major ways have been suggested in which this might be initiated: 1) the significance of serious, in depth,  inter-religious and interconfessional dialogues; 2) the need for a more active participation of the churches not only on the behalf of their own believers, but also on the behalf of other  (e.g. the so-called "minor(ity)" religious communities). In other words, will religious organizations be able to participate in concrete programs and actions whose goals are the protection of human rights, minorities, democracy and religious pluralism? Unfortunately, this is exactly what is missing today on the public agenda of religious communities in most of the former Yugoslav republics, including the FRY. The author contends that the reasons for such passivity and restrain are political , rather than religious, in their nature. Because of the political reasons, the churches are mainly silent today (with respect of the aformentioned issues) or, at best, they are too formal in their proclamations to be taken seriously enough.
In the FRY this applies, in particular, to the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), because it is the most influental religious organization in this country. Considering the significant delay in the process of the political and economic development of the FRY during the nineties, one may expect that the process of modernization and democratization of the country will represent a new challenge for this institution. For many decades after the WW II it has sought to find a modus vivendi  between the two ideological alternatives, i.e. communism vs. Serbian nationalism. As a rule, its pendulum gravitated towards the second pole of this dichotomy. However, gradual changes in the Yugoslav political culture, economy, family, education, information systems, etc., will inevitably be reflected upon the life of both non-believers and believers, and thus on the SOC as a whole. As a majority religious organization in the FRY and a proponent of the highest ethical principles and standards, it has an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the ecumenical movement of this region by going (at least in its ecclesiastical politics) beyond its traditional, ethnic horizon. This, of course, means that genuine, civic patriotism  may prove to be a more fruitful alternative than persistent nationalism: protection of universal human  rights in a more general, Christian sense – an alternative to protecting just the rights of the Serbian nation.
ULOGA SRPSKE PRAVOSLAVNE CRKVE U ZAŠTITI MANJINA I "MALIH" RELIGIJSKIH ZAJEDNICA U SR JUGOSLAVIJI
U ovom radu više pažnje posvećeno je društvenom i političko-simboličkom zna-čaju koji crkve i druge religijske zajednice u SR Jugoslaviji (SRJ) mogu i treba da ima-ju, naročito u najnovijem periodu, nakon svršetka oružanih sukoba na Balkanu. Tu je posebno ukazano na dva načina na koje bi se to moglo podstaći: 1) putem ozbiljnih, pro-dubljenih međureligijskih, interkonfesionalnih dijaloga; 2) kroz aktivniju podršku ne samo svojim vernicima, nego i pripadnicima drugih, npr. tzv. "malih" ("manjinskih") religijskih zajed-nica. Drugim rečima, postavlja se pitanje da li će religijske organizacije biti u mogućnosti da učestvuju u konkretnim programima i akcijama čiji su ciljevi zaštita ljudskih prava, manjina, demokratije i religijskog pluralizma. Na žalost, takav angažman danas upravo nedostaje u javnoj delatnosti religijskih zajednica u većini bivših jugoslovenskih republika, pa i SRJ. Autor smatra da su razlozi za tu pasivnost i uzdržanost, pre svega, politički, a ne religijski po svom karakteru. Upravo iz tih političkih razloga crkve se danas uglavnom ne čuju oko spomenutih pitanja, ili, u najboljem slučaju, one su suviše zvanične, formalne u svojim proklamacijama da bi bile ozbiljnije shvaćene.
U SRJ to se naročito odnosi na ulogu Srpske pravoslavne crkve (SPC), jer ona je, svakako, najuticajnija religijska organizacija u ovoj zemlji. S obzirom na ozbiljan zastoj u procesu političkog i ekonomskog razvoja u SRJ tokom devedesetih godina, može se očekivati da bi proces modernizacije i demokratizacije zemlje predstavljao i nov izazov za ovu instituciju. Više decenija nakon II svetskog rata Crkva je, naime, nastojala da pronađe nekakav modus vivendi između dve ideološke alternative - komunizma i srpskog nacionalizma. Njeno ideološko klatno je, po pravilu, naginjalo ka tom drugom polu. Međutim, postepene promene u jugoslovenskoj političkoj kulturi, ekonomiji, porodici, obrazovanju, infor-ma-ci-onim sistemima i sl., neminovno će se odraziti na život njenih građana (kako vernika, tako i onih što ne veruju), pa stoga i na SPC u celini. Kao najveća religijska organizacija u SRJ i zastupnik visokih etičkih principa i standarda, ona ima priliku da se istakne u ekumenskim procesima u ovom regionu Evrope ukoliko (bar u eklezijastičko-političkom smislu) bude u stanju da iskorači van usko shvaćenih međa vlastitog etniciteta i tradicije. To, naravno, znači da bi se izvorni građanski patriotizam mogao pokazati i kao bolje rešenje od istrajnog nacionalizma, a zaštita univerzalnih ljudskih prava u jednom širem, pan-hriš-ćanskom smislu ? kao alternativa zaštiti isključivo nacionalnih prava srpskog naroda.