Montenegrin police obstruct SPC service

'Leave Crna Gora alone now! They are independent as well'.

What has that got to do with Montenegro abusing members of the clergy? During 1998 did you say 'leave Serbia alone they have a right to do what they want with Kosovo, Kosovo is not independent'....?

I'm not particularly religious but human rights to practice religion should not be obstructed.

It really is amazing what Djukanovic's treasonous band of cigarette smugglers have turned a once proud people into. Shame, sramota, this government will live in infamy for what they are doing. Is there no limit to how low Milo will go? Truly pathetic.

This is some of the most disturbing news I have heard in Balkans in the last 10 years. My oh my Crna Gora what are you doing!

This is such a travesty. Njegos and Kralj Nikola Petrovic are turning in their graves, they are actually spinning by now. I cannot believe the nerve of these people, all the historic rulers, kings, poets and saints Montenegro looks up to are some of the most proudest Serbs ever to live.

Montenegro is Serbia

Why respond to Dardania's comments!

Who cares what that person says.

Don't even reply to messages like that. That commentator is just being naive and likes to see Serbs upset. We all know those comments are ludacrious. Its not even worth talking back to a person like that.

Dardania

You make it seem like the Serbian army is occupying Montenegro. Same albanian propaganda as usual. Why isn't clergy allowed to enter a church? There are imams from all over the world coming to Europe to preach in mosques without being hindered. Even though most of the imams preach of hatered and holy war against the very people that let them in. There is not even one muslim country in the world with democracy and human rights. That says it all.

“Wrong! Serbian Church is for SERBIA, the Montenegrin one, is for Montenegro.”

Dardania,

The vast majority of Montenegrins, such as myself, go to Serbian Orthodox Church and speak the “Serbian” language.

I find it extremely offensive that you are dictating to me what church I can, or can not belong to. I suggest you go read the Mountain Wreath by Njegos our greatest leader if there is any confusion on your part.

DARDANIA, dear friend

Please read the above article one more time, carefully replacing the words "Serbian" "church" "St.Jovan" "liturgy" with "Albanian" "mosque" and other appropriate words for your religious holidays and services. Then tell this forum your feelings about independent Montenegro.And to go a step further,what if you replace "Montenegro" with "Serbia"? Of course I do not expect your honest answer, I don't expect any, for that matter.

Dardania,
When is Albania going to integrate an educational program in her country.

Why do you write in the Serbian language when you are Albanian.

Do they not teach Albanians how to write in Dardanian language.

What is your infatuation with Serbs, when clearly Serbs want no association with Albanians.

"Orthodox Churches are linked with nations and citizenship. SOC was opposing Crna Gora's independence as well."
Dardania

I can tell that you don't understand the meaning of democracy. You can oppose something but accept the will of the people. And that is what happend to the republic of Montenegro. To bad Kosovo was never a republic otherwise the serbs might have respected the will of the albanians as well.
By the way, what do you know about Orthodox churches besides burning them to the ground?

Wrong! Serbian Church is for SERBIA, the Montenegrin one, is for Montenegro. Orthodox Churches are linked with nations and citizenship. SOC was opposing Crna Gora's independence as well.
(Dardania, 20 January 2009 16:39)

What an offensive and ignorant comment to make. He's up there with 'roberto' from 'frisco' in the bigotry stakes.

This incident has more to do with power struggles, politics and property than with the celebration of religious rites. It is the latest episode in a long-running dispute between the metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in Montenegro and its rivals, the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC). The dispute is over which of the two church organizations gets to control churches, chapels and monasteries, especially in Cetinje, Montenegro's old royal capital.

It is a fact that the clergy and faithful in Montenegro -- and their churches and monasteries -- have not always under the authority of the Serbian Orthodox Church. However, that changed after World War I, when the Kingdom of Montenegro was incorporated into the newly-formed Yugoslavia (1918). Two years later (1920) the modern SPC was set up as the national church of the new state. and the SPC took over all church properties in Montenegro and the right to appoint bishops and other clergy.

The state union and church merger with Serbia, then as now, was more popular in some parts of Montenegro than in others. The most resistant were the highlanders in the core of the old kingdom. Some Montenegrins (the "Greens") who objected to Montenegro's loss of sovereignty took up arms; fighting continued into the 1920s. For decades, there were churches in the diaspora that refused the authority of the SPC and continued to identify as Montenegrin Orthodox.

In 1993, during the wars that broke up Yugoslavia, some Montenegrin priests, monks and laymen decided to "revive" the national church in Montenegro; they laid claim to several churches and chapels in the Cetinje area in the name of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC). The Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Coast, Amfilohije Radovic, denounced the CPC as non-canonical and resisted turning over any of the church properties. Since then, there have been confrontations at church doors, at times violent, on every major Orthodox church holiday in Montenegro.

Like everything else in the former Yugoslavia, this church dispute has become another way of acting out political disputes. Bishop Amfilohije is widely known as a stong supporter of the Serb nationalist cause, and has been close to the SRS and to the pro-Serb political parties in Montenegro that have opposed independence.
The CPC, for its part, has forged its own links to the pro-independence parties and to some elements in Montenegro's ruling coalition.

The Montenegrin government is officially neutral in the dispute between the two rival Orthodox churches, sending New Year's greetings to both (a gesture of even-handedness that is rejected by both the SPC and the CPC, who would each prefer exclusive recognition). But relations between the SPC and the government have been soured by the SPC's strident political stance and by Bishop Amfilohije's penchant for staging pre-emptive moves (like getting the federal Army to airlift a prefab SPC church to the top of Mount Rumija, shortly before Montenegro's vote for independence).

As long as religion, nationalism and politics remain entangled in the region, we're likely to see more confrontations at church doors and police interventions -- not only in Montenegro, but also elsewhere in the region (as in Macedonia).

It's not clear how any of this will promote Christianity, which is supposed to be about praising the Creator and loving one's neighbor -- not about glorifying an organization, a political cause, or a particular nation.

Leave Crna Gora alone now! They are independent as well.

Don't FEED the troll and it will go away folks! Common internet wisdom.

Nevertheless, the moderators should take most responsibility, ie: state that Serbia is indivisible as every Serb insists, and remove all posts that are to the contrary. The PC view of "freedom of speech" is being abused and taken advantage of here.

Wrong! Serbian Church is for SERBIA, the Montenegrin one, is for Montenegro. Orthodox Churches are linked with nations and citizenship. SOC was opposing Crna Gora's independence as well.

Leave Crna Gora alone now! They are independent as well.

Wrong! Serbian Church is for SERBIA, the Montenegrin one, is for Montenegro. Orthodox Churches are linked with nations and citizenship. SOC was opposing Crna Gora's independence as well.

Dardania,
When is Albania going to integrate an educational program in her country.

Why do you write in the Serbian language when you are Albanian.

Do they not teach Albanians how to write in Dardanian language.

What is your infatuation with Serbs, when clearly Serbs want no association with Albanians.

“Wrong! Serbian Church is for SERBIA, the Montenegrin one, is for Montenegro.”

Dardania,

The vast majority of Montenegrins, such as myself, go to Serbian Orthodox Church and speak the “Serbian” language.

I find it extremely offensive that you are dictating to me what church I can, or can not belong to. I suggest you go read the Mountain Wreath by Njegos our greatest leader if there is any confusion on your part.

This is such a travesty. Njegos and Kralj Nikola Petrovic are turning in their graves, they are actually spinning by now. I cannot believe the nerve of these people, all the historic rulers, kings, poets and saints Montenegro looks up to are some of the most proudest Serbs ever to live.

Montenegro is Serbia

'Leave Crna Gora alone now! They are independent as well'.

What has that got to do with Montenegro abusing members of the clergy? During 1998 did you say 'leave Serbia alone they have a right to do what they want with Kosovo, Kosovo is not independent'....?

I'm not particularly religious but human rights to practice religion should not be obstructed.

It really is amazing what Djukanovic's treasonous band of cigarette smugglers have turned a once proud people into. Shame, sramota, this government will live in infamy for what they are doing. Is there no limit to how low Milo will go? Truly pathetic.

DARDANIA, dear friend

Please read the above article one more time, carefully replacing the words "Serbian" "church" "St.Jovan" "liturgy" with "Albanian" "mosque" and other appropriate words for your religious holidays and services. Then tell this forum your feelings about independent Montenegro.And to go a step further,what if you replace "Montenegro" with "Serbia"? Of course I do not expect your honest answer, I don't expect any, for that matter.

This is some of the most disturbing news I have heard in Balkans in the last 10 years. My oh my Crna Gora what are you doing!

"Orthodox Churches are linked with nations and citizenship. SOC was opposing Crna Gora's independence as well."
Dardania

I can tell that you don't understand the meaning of democracy. You can oppose something but accept the will of the people. And that is what happend to the republic of Montenegro. To bad Kosovo was never a republic otherwise the serbs might have respected the will of the albanians as well.
By the way, what do you know about Orthodox churches besides burning them to the ground?

This incident has more to do with power struggles, politics and property than with the celebration of religious rites. It is the latest episode in a long-running dispute between the metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in Montenegro and its rivals, the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC). The dispute is over which of the two church organizations gets to control churches, chapels and monasteries, especially in Cetinje, Montenegro's old royal capital.

It is a fact that the clergy and faithful in Montenegro -- and their churches and monasteries -- have not always under the authority of the Serbian Orthodox Church. However, that changed after World War I, when the Kingdom of Montenegro was incorporated into the newly-formed Yugoslavia (1918). Two years later (1920) the modern SPC was set up as the national church of the new state. and the SPC took over all church properties in Montenegro and the right to appoint bishops and other clergy.

The state union and church merger with Serbia, then as now, was more popular in some parts of Montenegro than in others. The most resistant were the highlanders in the core of the old kingdom. Some Montenegrins (the "Greens") who objected to Montenegro's loss of sovereignty took up arms; fighting continued into the 1920s. For decades, there were churches in the diaspora that refused the authority of the SPC and continued to identify as Montenegrin Orthodox.

In 1993, during the wars that broke up Yugoslavia, some Montenegrin priests, monks and laymen decided to "revive" the national church in Montenegro; they laid claim to several churches and chapels in the Cetinje area in the name of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC). The Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Coast, Amfilohije Radovic, denounced the CPC as non-canonical and resisted turning over any of the church properties. Since then, there have been confrontations at church doors, at times violent, on every major Orthodox church holiday in Montenegro.

Like everything else in the former Yugoslavia, this church dispute has become another way of acting out political disputes. Bishop Amfilohije is widely known as a stong supporter of the Serb nationalist cause, and has been close to the SRS and to the pro-Serb political parties in Montenegro that have opposed independence.
The CPC, for its part, has forged its own links to the pro-independence parties and to some elements in Montenegro's ruling coalition.

The Montenegrin government is officially neutral in the dispute between the two rival Orthodox churches, sending New Year's greetings to both (a gesture of even-handedness that is rejected by both the SPC and the CPC, who would each prefer exclusive recognition). But relations between the SPC and the government have been soured by the SPC's strident political stance and by Bishop Amfilohije's penchant for staging pre-emptive moves (like getting the federal Army to airlift a prefab SPC church to the top of Mount Rumija, shortly before Montenegro's vote for independence).

As long as religion, nationalism and politics remain entangled in the region, we're likely to see more confrontations at church doors and police interventions -- not only in Montenegro, but also elsewhere in the region (as in Macedonia).

It's not clear how any of this will promote Christianity, which is supposed to be about praising the Creator and loving one's neighbor -- not about glorifying an organization, a political cause, or a particular nation.

Dardania

You make it seem like the Serbian army is occupying Montenegro. Same albanian propaganda as usual. Why isn't clergy allowed to enter a church? There are imams from all over the world coming to Europe to preach in mosques without being hindered. Even though most of the imams preach of hatered and holy war against the very people that let them in. There is not even one muslim country in the world with democracy and human rights. That says it all.

Don't FEED the troll and it will go away folks! Common internet wisdom.

Nevertheless, the moderators should take most responsibility, ie: state that Serbia is indivisible as every Serb insists, and remove all posts that are to the contrary. The PC view of "freedom of speech" is being abused and taken advantage of here.

Why respond to Dardania's comments!

Who cares what that person says.

Don't even reply to messages like that. That commentator is just being naive and likes to see Serbs upset. We all know those comments are ludacrious. Its not even worth talking back to a person like that.

Wrong! Serbian Church is for SERBIA, the Montenegrin one, is for Montenegro. Orthodox Churches are linked with nations and citizenship. SOC was opposing Crna Gora's independence as well.
(Dardania, 20 January 2009 16:39)

What an offensive and ignorant comment to make. He's up there with 'roberto' from 'frisco' in the bigotry stakes.