Montenegro Bestows Highest State Honor Posthumously on Metropolitan Amfilohije

OCP News Service – 25/10/2025

Podgorica- Montenegro: Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović officially awarded the Order of the Great Star of Montenegro—the country’s highest state decoration—to the late Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral (Serbian Orthodox Church) in a ceremony held on October 24, 2025.

The honor, bestowed five years after the Metropolitan’s repose (October 30, 2020), recognizes his enormous contribution to strengthening the country’s international reputation, preserving spiritual tradition, building social peace, and shaping a crucial chapter of modern Montenegrin history.

Addressing the attendees, President Milatović paid tribute to the Metropolitan, stating, “Today we remember a man who left a deep, indelible mark on the history of our country… Metropolitan Amfilohije was more than a church dignitary. Born in Morača, educated in Belgrade, Bern, Rome, Paris, and Athens, he was a bridge between spirituality and knowledge, between East and West.”

Contributions to Peace and Democratic Change

President Milatović specifically highlighted the Metropolitan’s role during critical national moments:

• 2006 Independence Referendum: Milatović noted that Amfilohije’s call for unity and mutual respect during the challenging 2006 referendum made an “immeasurable contribution to preserving peace and stability.”
• 2019/2020 Litia Marches: In his final years, Met. Amfilohije stood at the head of the mass marches against the Law on Freedom of Religion. The President affirmed these processions became a “symbol of peaceful civil resistance” and were a key factor that contributed to the democratic change in government, opening the way for Montenegro’s European future.

“It was precisely this strength of the people, guided by faith, reason and dignity, that opened a new chapter in Montenegrin history,” President Milatović stated, concluding that the award honors the Metropolitan’s work, which reminds citizens that Montenegro “defends itself with truth, faith and reason, that it changes through dialogue and not conflict, and that the strength of a people is not in divisions, but in unity.”

The Order was formally presented, at the request and with the consent of the family, to the current Metropolitan Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral. Metropolitan Joanikije thanked the President, saying the award reminded them of the “light of God that Njegoš sang about… which Metropolitan Amfilohije carried in his soul and with that light illuminated both his people and his homeland.”

Source: The Public Relations Office of the President of Montenegro and OCP News Services