The conflict between theologian Blagoje Pantelić, priest Vukašin Milićević, and the senior hierarchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church has reached its peak.

In August 2025, the cleric and theologian, who was oppositional toward the pro Russian authorities, was prohibited from receiving communion, a measure that a number of publications described as virtually equivalent to excommunication. On January 31, 2026, the outlet Vreme reported that Pantelić and Milićević had been excluded from the Serbian Orthodox Church, with Milićević also stripped of his priestly rank.

Their case is linked to support for student led anti government and anti corruption protests, including after the tragedy in Novi Sad, as well as to demands for political accountability and the holding of elections.

Although many media outlets wrote that Serbia was following the path of the Moscow Patriarchate by persecuting critics of the authorities, the key grievances that journalists and the figures themselves cite as the reason for the repression are primarily related to criticism of the politicization of the church, its support for the authorities, the reaction of the Serbian Orthodox Church to civic protests, and the use of rhetoric about a so called color revolution.

The Serbian Patriarch Porfirije previously visited Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also consistently supports the pro Russian President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, who in 2024 to 2026 faced large scale protests triggered by environmental issues, including lithium mining, and the tragedy in Novi Sad, responding to them with harsh rhetoric and police measures.