ABSTRACT
This chapter tackles the public appeal of twelve theologians, professors on the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade, in defense of the autonomy of academic research. Their public statement, issued in May 2017, was soon after criticized by the hierarchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), while these theologians were reprimanded and sanctioned by the Holy Council of Bishops and the Patriarch of Serbia. In the forthcoming appraisal, this event will serve as a case study regarding the possible emergence of liberal currents within the SOC, which is otherwise largely considered a conservative, nationalist religious institution whose authority is rarely disputed not only by its own clergy, but also by the secular Serbian authorities.
