The Serbian Church decided to carry out the enthronement of the Metropolitan of Montenegro without the laity - in order to avoid provocations of nationalists

The Montenegrin-Primorsky Metropolis of the Serbian Orthodox Church has not abandoned its intentions to hold the enthronement ceremony of the new metropolitan in the monastery of the city of Cetinje.

At the same time, the metropolis decided this time not to organize a national meeting of the laity near the monastery on this occasion, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

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Considering hysteria, fanned by nationalists around the enthronement of the new Metropolitan of Montenegro and Littoral Ioannikios, on September 5 at the Monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cetinje, the SOC decided to hold a ceremony without a public meeting of parishioners.

In turn, the Montenegrin-Primorsky Metropolis declared the inadmissibility of giving this event a political nature, issuing the corresponding appeal:

“In 1614, the Venetian travel writer Marjan Bolica published “Description of the Skadar Sanjak.” In this authentic document and important historical source, Bolica, among other things, describes Cetinje at the beginning of the 17th century, and there he talks about the Metropolitan of Cetinje, how he sits in the Cetinje monastery and, being the spiritual shepherd of the Montenegrins, recognizes the authority only of Patriarch Peć (Serbian Patriarch - ed.).

As for Patriarch Pec himself, the same Bolica says that “all of Serbia, then Podgorica, Montenegro and Župa submit to his spiritual authority,” the address says. – We do not understand, but we do not dispute the right of some citizens of Montenegro to perceive the continuation of this centuries-old and well-founded Montenegrin tradition as an “attack” on Montenegro, its freedom and the like.

But it is clear that in the announced and planned Cetinje ceremony there are no new details that would contradict the hitherto sanctified church practice in Montenegro, therefore it is unacceptable and unjustified to attribute any political character to this religious act, as some party activists do.

These people are increasing tensions between brothers and leading public protests against the enthronement, attempting to jeopardize and challenge fundamental human rights and freedom of religion, the Church and its faithful people."

Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro, Albanian Dritan Abazović, welcomed the decision of the Montenegrin-Littoral Metropolis:

“Of course, this decision contributes to peace and stability. I believe that this is in the spirit of Orthodoxy, without wanting to teach anyone, to spread love and solidarity among people. We often have no desire to electrify society and make an apocalypse out of everything. Enthronement should be a solemn event, and the decision of the metropolis works in this direction,” concluded the Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister.

At the same time, a group of pro-Western and leftist human rights activists from Montenegro, Serbia, BiH and Croatia appealed to the United States with a request to influence the Serbian Orthodox Church and persuade it to cancel the metropolitan’s enthronement ceremony in Cetinje.

“Peace in Montenegro is under serious threat. The current government of Montenegro is pursuing an anti-Montenegrin and anti-Western policy that destroys inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony based on the anti-fascist traditions of a civil and secular state and the strong commitment of the majority of citizens to membership in the EU and NATO.

The current government of Montenegro is an instrument of the dark goals of the Greater Serbia policy, which has led to genocide, ethnic cleansing and the worst war crimes in Europe since World War II.

Today, the target of the same policy is the state of Montenegro and its national minorities, especially the (non-canonical) Montenegrin Orthodox Church, the Montenegrins and all the features of the cultural and historical identity and traditions of the Montenegrin people, among which the Cetinje Monastery...

The declared enthronement of the Metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Cetinje Monastery, despite the obvious opposition of the overwhelming majority of Cetinje residents, will be a symbolic act of complete subordination of Montenegro to Greater Serbia, the policy of destruction of peace and security,” the leftists and Westerners say in their joint appeal.