Metropolitan Joanikije Responds to the Protest Over His Inauguration as the Head of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral

Metropolitan Joanikije II. Pic – Wiki

OCP News Service – 24/8/21

Montenegro: Metropolitan Joanikije II stated that it is indeed a shame that few people are protesting against his inauguration as the head of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Patriarchate. The Prelate further commented that he is not being sent by the church in Serbia, nor by the Serbian State. “I’m not a foreigner. I was born in Montenegro, I’m a citizen of this country” stated the Metropolitan, reports Religionnews.

“Good. So they renounced me, but I, as a shepherd, as a metropolitan, as a man of the Gospel, cannot renounce them. These are my brothers” commented  Metropolitan Joanikije according to Aktuelno news.

Thousands of Montenegrins on Sunday protested against the planned inauguration of Metropolitan Joanikije on the 5th of September 2021 at Cetinje, Montenegro’s former capital. Ethnic tensions between Montenegrins and Serbs have gone high over the consecration of the Bishop. Montenegro separated from Serbia in 2006. Nationalists argue that many Serbs have still not accepted that Montenegro is a free state.

Protesters are not against the inauguration of Metropolitan Joanikij as such. However, they strongly oppose the planned event that is expected to take place at Cetinje Monastery, the historic hub of the Montenegrin statehood. The monastery is under the control of the Serbian Church which is one of the most powerful institution in the country. Over 30 percent of the people in Montenegro identifies themselves as Serbs.

Source:
OCP News Service