Metropolitanate of Montenegro and Littoral: PUBLIC STATEMENT OF THE ORTHODOX YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS OF MONTENEGRO

PUBLIC STATEMENT OF THE ORTHODOX YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS OF MONTENEGRO

Following the statement of His Grace Metropolitan Amfilohije from his letter written today to the Montenegrin Prime minister, Mr. Filip Vujanovic, the Orthodox Youth Organizations of Montenegro are still expecting the president of Montenegro to confirm the statement of the Parliament, Montenegrin government and Minister of Religion. According to this statement all status and property rights of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral will be protected by the state. Why do we ask Mr. Djukanovic to do this? Because only this morning, after Metropolitanate showed good will and after father Nikcevic came out of Vlaska church, in the interview for Blitz News, Mr. Djukanovic brought into question the decisions made by the Montenegrin Parliament, Montenegrin Prime Minister and Minister of Religion. He suggested that Orthodox churches in Montenegro might not be proven to be the property of the Montenegrin Metropolitanate, but that they, actually, may belong to someone else. Such a statement then brings into question the proclaimed independence of these state institutions and fully justifies our peaceful protest in front of his office. At the same time, the rights to property of the Metropolitanate are proclaimed by the state institutions while the ownership of property is deliberately being put into question by the Montenegrin president himself. Despite the warnings contained in the letter sent to Mr. Djukanovic by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Mr. Djukanovic is, intentionally, still trying to level the eight century old Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral with the so-called "Montenegrin orthodox church", a dangerous, pseudo-religious organization - definition usually used by EC for such citizen's associations. The president of Montenegro speaks about the history of the so-called "MOC," purposely suppressing the fact that the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral is the historically known and widely recognized throughout world.

Yesterday evening, our Metropolitan accepted the guarantees of the Montenegrin Prime Minister with full confidence. And yet, this morning, state-owned daily paper, Pobjeda, joyfully announces news about the desecration of St. John's church in Cuce.

Having in mind all the stated facts, Orthodox Youth Organization makes another clear and unambiguious request - till 10^th of January 2001 words must become deeds. Otherwise, Orthodox Youth Organization of Montenegro will have to continue their peacful protest and in this way protect the Montenegrin state institutions from the president Djukanovic and his plans to jeopardize democracy in Montenegro through 'useful elusiveness and deliberate ambiguity'.

on behalf of Orthodox Youth Organizations

hierodeacon Amvrosije

Metropolitanate of Montenegro and Littoral : English index