Montenegro Police Grill Serbian Clerics Over Church Rallies
Montenegrin police have continued to question leaders of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the country about staging large public protests in defiance of government restrictions related to the coronavirus.
On Monday, the top Serbian Orthodox bishop in Montenegro, Metropolitan Amfilohije, was questioned in the capital Podgorica for organising protests despite a ban on more than 200 people attending public gatherings.
On Sunday, police questioned priests from the towns of Bar, Pljevlja and Zabljak after thousands of people were seen attending local protests.
Metropolitan Amfilohije on Sunday told a rally he did not blame the police officers, who were just acting on orders. “It’s not the fault of the police officers but of those who ordered them,” he said.
He repeated that the protesters merely wanted the government to abandon its contested Freedom of Religion Law, which the Serbian Church says could be used to strip it of its property.
Before the coronavirus interrupted things, tens of thousands of supporters of the Church held protests twice a week demanding the withdrawal of the law passed in December 2019.
The law mandates the creation of a list of religious sites in the country, and says faith groups that cannot prove their rights to these properties risk having them taking into public ownership.
On June 14, police arrested priests from towns of Budva, Berane, and Pljevlja. Two priests from Podgorica and Danilovgrad, Mirceta Sljivancanin and Zeljko Calic, were detained for 72 hours, accused of violating health measures.
On June 18, police ordered another priest, Fr Sasa Janjic, from Pljevlja, to leave Montenegro, as he is a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and has no residence rights in Montenegro.
The Church insists that none of the main pro-Serbian and pro-Russian opposition parties is behind the protests. On Sunday, speakers said the Church was also not trying to interfere in politics, despite the accusations of the authorities.
“No political party or coalition organizes or manages the protest walks, or the life of the Church in Montenegro. Politicians and party members have the right to participate in the protests, but they will never influence their organization and our requests,” Church representatives told the gathering on Sunday in Podgorica. However, opposition pro-Russian and pro-Serbian political movements have been regular participants at the rallies.
On Sunday, the chief of police, Veselin Veljovic, said the protests posed a threat to the security of the region. He accused the Church of spreading religious radicalism and hate speech. “The alleged defence of endangered Orthodoxy and attacks on the constitutional order of Montenegro as a civil state are serious security threats to the region,” Veljovic told MINA agency.
During the coronavirus epidemic, police have filed criminal charges several times against Serbian Orthodox clergy for violating government bans. On March 19, they summoned a leading priest, Momcilo Krivokapic, and his son, Nemanja, for holding a service at a church in the town of Kotor. On March 20, a priest in Budva was put in custody for 72 hours for violating measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
On April 29, Metropolitan Amfilohije was grilled in the state prosecutor’s office for leading a funeral service; he insisted he had respected the government’s health measures.
On May 8, police filed a criminal complaint against four Serbian Orthodox priests for holding a liturgy on the streets in the town of Berane, on St George’s Day. On May 13, Bishop Joanikije of Niksic and seven other priests were placed in custody for 72 hours for violating the ban on public gatherings during the celebration of St Vasilije’s Day with thousands of believers.
