On October 8, the government organized a meeting with newly established churches and religious communities, which the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, although invited, did not attend because, as they said in the CPC, it had no place at that meeting.
– Following the example of Serbia, in whose name it exercises power in the country, the Government has divided churches and religious communities into traditional and newly established. The traditional ones include the occupation organization, the Serbian Orthodox Church, which came to the country with Serbian bayonets 103 years ago, the Catholic Church, the Jewish community and the Islamic religious community, and the newly established Montenegrin church and other churches and religious communities operating on Montenegrin territory. It therefore organized a meeting with other newly established churches and religious communities. As a domicile church that was traditional until 1918, when it was ruled by the Serbian sword, and renovated in 1993, also as a traditional church, we did not consider ourselves invited to attend that meeting – explained the vice president of the CPC Metropolitan Council Stevo Vucinic.
He said that such an attitude towards the Montenegrin Church is expected from the Government, which, as he points out, occupied the country in favor of Serbia and harmonizes the policy with its interests, and even with the interests of the Republika Srpska.
– For three decades now, that has been the traditional attitude of every government towards the Montenegrin Church. In the opinion of the Venice Commission No. 953/2019 of June 24, 2019, on the Draft Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities, which it adopted at the 119th plenary session held from 22 to 24 June 2019, in the introduction, on page 5, under B (historical background) reads: “12. The following presentation of the historical background is primarily based on information provided by the Montenegrin authorities.” In 2019, the Montenegrin authorities gave the following opinion on the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, written under item 15: “The Montenegrin Orthodox Church was founded on October 31, 1993 by Antonije Abramović, who was later appointed Metropolitan of Montenegro and leader of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church.” So that even then, for the account of Serbia and its benefit, the authorities called and held the Montenegrin church a newly founded church in October 1993, and its ruler called the leader – Vucinic states.
Unhappy because of the new Montenegrin Orthodox Church, for three decades, the united Montenegrin authorities and the Serbian Church have been waging, says Vucinic, and today they are waging an undeclared war against our Church and its head, Bishop Mihailo, by all means.
– Of course, therefore, all our requests to be allocated plots in Bar and Podgorica for the construction of cathedrals ended ad acta – adds Vučinić.
According to him, the new government has radicalized the attitude towards the CPC and the Montenegrin people, denying them all rights in this country, “as if we were a hostile people.”
– In favor of Serbia, it forcibly enthroned the occupying spiritual governor Joanikije on the usurped chair of St. Peter of Cetinje. On that occasion, in Cetinje, it baptized with tear gas and rubber bullets, bringing the country to a state that tended to chaos. However, we hope in the great God who gives us momentum, so today we have four bishops and 23 priests, deacons and subdeacons and the support of more than 30 percent of the public, that we will return the domicile status to the Montenegrin church with all the consequences that result from it. The Montenegrin church is destined to carry the cross and will carry it, perform its mission and always be with the Montenegrin people and spiritually found Montenegro – concluded Vučinić.