Patriarch: Montenegrin authorities behave worse than the Ottomans
Orthodox Christians in Montenegro will be able to achieve the repeal of the discriminatory law “on freedom of religion.”
Serbian Patriarch Irinej expressed this confidence when speaking to believers in Belgrade, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“We pray to the Lord to illuminate the minds and hearts of those who make decisions in Montenegro, so as not to attack the shrines of God and the people. Because church property serves not only the representatives of the church, but also the entire nation. And the people in brotherly and holy Montenegro will not rest as long as those in power remain with these evil intentions. Because evil does not defeat good,” said Irenaeus.
The Patriarch called on those gathered to pray for the next one to become better, especially in “brotherly and holy Montenegro.”
“The Lord says that the prayer of many has great power, so let us pray to the Lord to bless the year we are entering and our brothers in Montenegro who are experiencing tragic events. For the wicked have lifted up their hand to the property of the Lord, which they seek to take and swallow up as their inheritance. Even the Turks did not do what they want to do,” the patriarch said, recalling the five centuries of Ottoman rule in Serbia.
He stressed that the events related to the controversial law in Montenegro were condemned by the entire Christian Orthodox world, but those who accepted it behave “as if they had no ears or eyes.”
“People are ready to defend their shrines not only with words, but also with their lives. But this evil in Montenegro has one good side, because it also awakened the faith of those who did not know that they had it,” concluded Irinej.
On the night of December 27, the Parliament of Montenegro by a majority vote adopted the law “On freedom of religion and belief and the legal status of religious communities,” which provides for the confiscation of 650 Orthodox shrines. This sparked mass protests across the country.
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