Earlier in the day, thousands of people took to the streets of Belgrade for the second time in protest against the LGBT festival EuroPride that was supposed to take place in the capital of Serbia in mid-September. The procession ended with a rally near St. Sava Temple.
"Serbia was Europe even before Europe. And if [it] joins Europe either it [Serbia] will not exist or Europe the way it is now [will not exist] because Serbia will bring its values," the bishop, who is the leader of the most conservative of Serbian Christians, said at the rally.
The rally concluded without any incidents.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Saturday that Serbian authorities have canceled the EuroPride 2022 parade scheduled for September 12-18 in Belgrade amid the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija and other issues. In response, the EuroPride organizers said that the event will still take place only without a parade.