The Russian Orthodox Church condemned the law adopted in Montenegro, according to which canonical Serbian Orthodox Church (TWS) may be confiscated property that became its property after 1918. According to a message published on the Russian Orthodox Church’s website by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and members of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, “the neglect shown by lawmakers” by the will of the majority of citizens is bitter, and an attempt to raise the question of the legality of the rights of religious organizations to their property “looks like a cynical blow to the church ".

“The new law on religious freedom is an act of supporting schism by weakening the canonical church and attempting to make it humiliating and dangerous depending on the state - all the more unfair that Montenegro is a secular state,” the patriarch and synodal message say.

  • Patriarch Kirill
  • RIA News
  • © Alexander Halperin

The leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church draws a parallel between the latest events in Montenegro and the religious schism in Ukraine. The message notes that for many years in both countries, political forces interested in undermining popular unity supported the schismatics.

“This painful transformation inflicted on Ukraine unhealed wounds of fratricidal hostility. We see with sorrow that the same consequences are now threatening your country, where parallels with the Ukrainian situation are clearly visible in what is happening, ”the statement emphasizes.

The Russian Orthodox Church appealed to local Orthodox churches to support the canonical church of Montenegro, as well as to the international community, recalling that the Venice Commission had previously commented on the controversial law.

The head of the Center for Ethnic and Political Conflicts of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences Pavel Kandel, in an interview with RT, agreed that the situation unfolding in Montenegro is similar to recent events in Ukraine, where schismatics from the non-canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine made a number of seizures of churches of the canonical UOC MP.

“Indeed, Montenegrin schismatics act according to the Ukrainian scenario, and this is logical, since any nationalism seeks to create not only its own state, but also its own language and church. The religious split in Montenegro, as well as in Ukraine, has political roots - this is political hostility towards Serbia, ”the expert explained in an interview with RT.

Roman Silantiev, a member of the expert council for conducting a state religious studies examination under the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, made another analogy in his commentary on RT. According to the expert, now Montenegro is experiencing events that have already happened in another Balkan country - Macedonia, where the non-canonical Macedonian Orthodox Church operates.

“The situation in Macedonia is very similar to what is happening in Montenegro. Under the influence, including some external forces, they violate the unity and friendliness of the Orthodox canonical church. And the example of Macedonia suggests that now the canonical church in Montenegro is really threatened with the seizure of property, as well as persecution for attempts to resist, ”said the expert.

European ambitions

Recall that a few days earlier, the Montenegrin parliament adopted the law “On Freedom of Religion and Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities,” which includes a clause on confiscation in favor of the state of property owned by religious organizations after December 1, 1918, when the territory of Montenegro entered the composition of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, subsequently renamed Yugoslavia.

Until that moment, in Montenegro, the virtually independent Cetinje Metropolis (under the name of the monastery in Cetinje - RT ) was operating, enjoying the support of Moscow.

After joining Yugoslavia in Montenegro, the diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church was formed - the Montenegrin-Primorsky Metropolis.

  • Milo Djukanovic
  • AFP
  • © FREDERICK FLORIN

However, against the background of the events that took place with Yugoslavia at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, the ideas of church separatism began to develop in Montenegro. An initiative committee for the revival of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church was created in the country, whose tasks included the creation of an independent church. As a result, the non-canonical Montenegrin Orthodox Church was founded, whose leadership took an active part in political events related to the separation of Montenegro from Serbia.

In the draft constitution of Montenegro, submitted after independence, it was precisely the unrecognized by other Orthodox churches CHP that was placed first in the list of denominations, and the Montenegrin-Primorsky Metropolis of the Serbian Orthodox Church was mentioned only among other religious structures. This caused a protest from the Metropolitan of Montenegro-Primorsky Amphilochius. As a result, another version of the country's main law was adopted, according to which religion is separated from the state, and all religious structures are equal before the law.

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Recently, however, the political leadership of Montenegro has clearly preferred non-canonical CPCs. Speaking at a conference of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists in June 2019, President Milo Djukanovic said Podgorica would work to ensure that the Montenegrin Orthodox Church receives autocephaly from the Serbian Orthodox Church. The politician emphasized that in this way “great injustice” would be corrected in relation to Montenegro, which took place at the beginning of the last century.

Djukanovic sees the diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro as "the infrastructure of the Great Serbia project." Moreover, the Montenegrin leader accused the TWS of allegedly trying to impede the “European aspirations and ambitions” of Montenegrin society.

At the same time, the Montenegrin authorities began to develop a bill allowing the seizure of church property from the Montenegrin-Primorsky Metropolitanate of the SEC, which was recently approved by the parliament. As opponents of this law note, about 650 shrines, including the famous Ostrog monastery, can be confiscated. The fact is that it is extremely difficult to prove the fact of registration of shrines as church property before 1918 in most cases, especially when it comes to ancient shrines.

Commenting on the policy of the Montenegrin authorities in the church sphere in July 2019, the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, noted that Milo Dzhukanovich was trying to copy the anti-church course of his former Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko. The Russian Orthodox Church is confident that the property confiscated from the canonical church will subsequently be transferred to the schismatic structure.

Interestingly, the leader of a part of the Ukrainian schismatics Filaret (Mikhail Denisenko), who was at the head of the non-canonical UOC-KP, which became part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, has long supported the desire of the NPC to obtain autocephaly. He announced this in 2010, when he arrived in Montenegro at the invitation of the leader of the unrecognized Montenegrin church.

At the same time, Constantinople, endowing the Ukrainian schismatics with a tomos, flatly refused to support their Montenegrin "colleagues." In the summer of 2019, the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew even sent a letter addressed to the President of Montenegro, in which he expressed his surprise at the plans of the Montenegrin government to transfer to the state churches built before 1918. Bartholomew stressed that the Ecumenical Patriarchate, along with other Orthodox churches, recognizes as the only Orthodox jurisdiction only that which is under the leadership of the Metropolitan of Montenegro-Primorsky Amphilochius, and recalled that the Montenegrin church has never been autocephalous.

Section of Slavic peoples

However, experts do not exclude that over time, Constantinople may change its position, as happened in the case of the Ukrainian schismatics.

“Milo Djukanovic will first of all seek recognition of the Montenegrin church from Constantinople and, secondly, from other Orthodox churches. It is possible that Phanar will still support this split. In addition, it turned out earlier that the Greek Orthodox Church is capable of supporting schismatic tendencies, ”said Pavel Kandel.

  • Parishioners of the Serbian Orthodox Church protest in Podgorica against government actions
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  • © Stevo Vasiljevic

A similar point of view is shared by Roman Silantiev. As an expert noted in a commentary on RT, Constantinople pursues its policy and, perhaps, wants to push the Serbian Orthodox Church to recognize the Ukrainian non-canonical PCO.

“Or he just has not yet agreed with the Montenegrin schismatics, waiting for a more generous offer from them,” the expert suggested.

The adoption of the controversial bill by the Montenegrin parliament took place in such a tense atmosphere that even a fight broke out in the building between representatives of the ruling political forces and the opposition. Mass protests began in the country, the day before during a clash with protesters, four police officers were injured. Opponents of the Law on Religious Freedom tried to block the route to Podgorica Airport, bringing down a tree on the road and then clashing with the police who arrived at the scene.

At the same time, the leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church refuses to take responsibility for the riots. The TWS calls on the flock to use non-violent methods to express disagreement with the authorities.

As Pavel Kandel noted, now the Montenegrin authorities will test the degree of discontent of the population.

“If the protest weakens, the government will begin the practical implementation of this law. If the protest is strong and the situation remains unstable, then the authorities will postpone real steps, ”the expert said.

At the same time, events in Montenegro can affect the entire Balkan region, experts say. The intensification of the church schism with the help of the state is designed to further divide the Slavic peoples, to build not only political, but also religious barriers between them, says Roman Silantyev.

“Thus, now the remnants of the unity that was during the time of Yugoslavia are being finished off. These trends are beneficial to the West, which is interested in the Balkan peoples being at enmity with each other, ”the expert concluded.