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Cetinje, Montenegro, July 10, 2000
With much regret and grave concern we are informing the public that a group of people falsely representing themselves as Orthodox clergy, together with their followers, among whom were well known atheists and "old style" persecutors of the church, on Sunday July 9th in the town of Njegusi, illegally broke into and desecrated an orthodox church owned by the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, thus trampling under foot the most fundamental religious, human, and property rights. In advance of the attack, our Metropolitanate gave information to the President of Montenegro Mr. Djukanovic, the President of the Montenegrin Government Mr. Vujanovic, the President of the Montenegrin parliament Mr. Marovic, and the Minister of the Police Mr. Maras concerning the previously announced and declared planned intention to break into this church, asking them to protect our property and the legal rights of the Orthodox church. Since we were assured at the highest level that Montenegrin Police would fulfill their legal obligation, by protecting the church from an illegal break-in and church property from damage and abuse, the official representatives and the orthodox faithful of our Metropolitanate decided to abandon plans to protect their property, in the hope of avoiding the conflict and its possible tragic consequences.
Unfortunately, Montenegrin police not only failed entirely to fulfill their legal duty, but they also openly helped the hooligans and knowingly gave free rein to the lawlessness. One of the policemen actually took part personally in what appeared to be the lynching of an independent, freelance photographer Mr. Ciric, destroying the film from his camera, while Mr. Ciric was being severely beaten up by the delinquents and his equipment was being broken into pieces. Complicity of a similar kind was also obvious several days earlier when one of the thugs threatened hierodeacon Jefrem Dabanovic, saying that he would "cut his head off with a shovel." The policeman present at the scene (Mr. Milasevic)added: "With a sword-why use the shovel!"
Taking into account yesterday's and other earlier incidents we see that some people display unprecedented, poisonous and chauvinist hatred, in the full presence of the "official keepers of the law and order", towards people who declare themselves as members of the Serbian nation in particular. This type of hypocritical behavior with regards to the Orthodox Metropolitanate by the official governmental institutions, which was recently repeated several times only confirms that this government's institutions are directly or indirectly becoming an accomplice in the job of trampling on and suppressing the elementary religious and human rights and endangering, plundering and stealing the property of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral.
Only in lawless countries, where there are no independent courts of law, is it possible for a group of people, falsely proclaiming themselves to be something they are not and without any court decisions, to extort and misappropriate property which legally belongs to someone else. Recent
developments and the attitude of the regime towards the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, more and more looks like the continuation of the repression which started during the World War II and after, when Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Joanikije was killed (1945)
with over a hundred orthodox priests, when the church property was confiscated and never returned, when the innocent Metropolitan of Montenegro Arsenije was imprisoned (1954), when the Communist regime organized public demonstrations in front of Cetinje Monastery against the honorable Metropolitan Danilo (1971) simply because he opposed the shameful destruction of the Church dedicated to St. Petar of Cetinje at the top of Lovcen mountain.
In recent years we have expected the genuinely democratic changes and the emergence of the new type of state based on the rule of law as it is found in modern European democratic states. However, we are compelled to express our grave apprehension that Montenegro is on the brink of becoming a lawless country, and the above mentioned incidents (and other similar episodes) sadly confirm our fears. The time of "transition" and "privatization" is being exploited by opportunists, and we are witnessing the "mushroom style", overnight sprouting of various businessmen and millionaires who thrive on the misery of simple people.
Through their infantile and short-sighted political maneuvering the highest government institutions are working to rekindle the old animosities and divisions and to create new sources of conflict. In the name of Montenegro and its "European" future they are either trampling under foot or sidetracking the state-forming, national and spiritual heritage embodied in the "saints-bearing" Petrovic family and age-long efforts and aspirations of Montenegrins who are now being forced to finding themselves in the position to "sell their faith for a single dinner, and their face and their souls for 'euros' ".
Having in mind all of these concerns and our responsibility for the destiny of Montenegro, the Orthodox Church and our people, we feel that it is our duty to appeal to our own people and to the peoples of the world, as well as to international institutions for the protection of human rights, to help us protect the endangered religious freedom and the human and property rights of the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral. At the same time we are appealing to the clergy, monastics, and the faithful of our Metropolitanate and our Church to increase their prayers for peace, love and brotherly unity in our Montenegro, among our people and in our country. Since we have not lost confidence that Montenegro's state institutions will curb the new lawlessness and, in particular, will put a stop to the unprecedented methods and lawlessness used against the Orthodox church, we appeal to the current regime to show in deed and not only in word that Montenegro really is a state ruled by law and that it wants to be such a state. If justice and rights are being violated by the actions of the regime in power towards the Metropolitanate-which is and has always been the 'spinal cord' of Montenegro-what are we to expect in other areas of personal and public life? Lawlessness is not the path that leads to membership in the European community; it leads even less to a society of honorable citizens. Lawlessness, in fact, will expel us from the society of decent men and from the history of civilized nations.
Placing our hopes in the mercy of God and the protection of St. Petar of Cetinje and relying on God's and his (St. Petar's) truth "that in God's Name are judgment and justice", we appeal to all the faithful, and all people of good will to strive for peace, patience and perseverance in goodness and justice. We are also inviting all orthodox clergy and the faithful to gather in front of Cetinje monastery for the annual celebration of the feast of St. Peter and Paul, invoking upon all the blessing of the Father, the loving kindness of the Son, together with the communion of the Holy Spirit.
ORTHODOX METROPOLITAN
OF MONTENEGRO AND THE LITTORAL,
AND THE EXARCHOS OF THE
HOLY PATRIARCHAL THRONE OF PEC
His Grace Amfilohije
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