New Draft Resolution on the Ownership of the Cetinje Monastery Sparks Dispute

Pic – Wiki

OCP News Service – 17/9/21

Cetinje-Montenegro: Cetinje town local council in Montenegro has discussed a new draft resolution calling the authorities of the nation to allow the non-canonical and unrecognised Montenegrin Orthodox Church to use the Cetinje Monastery. According to the local council, even though the Cetinje monastery was built by the local residents, it was only used by the Serbian Church in the country.

Serbian Orthodox Chruch owned the monastery and its land whereas the Yugoslav government registered the land to the municipality of Cetinje. However, by 1972 the government again registered Church as the user of the monastery. In 2005, the Montenegrin government registered the monastery back to the municipality and the Church filed a rit to the court to return the ownership.

The Serbian Church authorities believe that the draft resolution may spark tensions even though they do not find it a huge threat.

The enthronement ceremony of Bishops Joanikije II as the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Church took place inside the monastery on the 5th of September 2021 amid protests staged by the radical nationalists.

Montenegro separated from Serbia in 2006. Pro-nationalists advocate for a separate Orthodox Church independent of the Serbian Church. However, the Serbian Church remains one of the largest religious institutions in the country. Around 30 per cent of the population identify themselves as Serbs. Since 1993, an unrecognised Montenegrin Orthodox Church exists side by side with the Serbian Church in the country.

Source:
OCP News Service