Since our Church was not aware of the content of the law before it was passed contrary to all legal and constitutional provisions, the Serbian Orthodox Church insists on repealing and changing the law, while the Podgorica government only agrees to discuss its implementation. Until lawless law changes, lithiums will continue – said the Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery, father Sava Janjic, who will lead a prayer walk on the streets of the Montenegrin capital on Sunday, 23rd of February.
Abbot Sava pointed out that the legal team of the Metropolitan Council of the Montenegrin Coast and the Diocesan Council in Montenegro informed not only the representatives of the Government, but also the international representatives about the specific objections to the content of the law.
“In its current form, the law on religion is discriminatory and paves the way for the possible expropriation of Serbian Orthodox Church shrines. At the same time, by grossly interfering with the state in matters of religion and favoring one of the recognized “churches” as the national church of Montenegro, the Podgorica regime deviates from the model of the secular state of the citizens and divides them into suitable and inappropriate attempts to deprive the canonical Orthodox Church with centuries-old continuity of ownership of the saints”, said Abbot Sava Janjic, pointing out that the behavior of the regime in Montenegro is completely contrary to the practice in European democracies and that it is irresistibly reminiscent of the behavior of the former communist authorities.
Our Church in Montenegro had not been informed of the contents of the law, adopted in opposition to the legal and Constitutional procedures. Currently the Gov’t agrees only to discuss the law implementation while the Church insists on a substantial correction of the law.
The Abbot of Visoki Decani said that peaceful and dignified lithiums represent a democratic expression of the will of a large part of Montenegrin citizens.
“They are a legitimate way of expressing disagreement with the actions of the government that passed the law on religion” over the knee “and contrary to legal procedures. By antagonizing the situation with ambiguous statements, especially when President Djukanovic calls a large number of citizens a “madman movement” and calls for the monastery to be taken over by the state, the government in Montenegro is further delegitimizing himself and the existing institutions”, said Abbot Sava Janjic.
On Sunday, 23rd of February at 8:00 pm, he will serve the Holy Liturgy in the Temple of Christ’s Resurrection in Podgorica, after which he will lead the Prayer at 6:00 pm, and then at 7:00 pm later that day, lead the Lithium from the Cathedral of Christ the Resurrection.
