orthodoxrights.org

August 20, 2016. On the occasion of prohibition and prevention of the clergy of theMetropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral to serve the liturgy on the day of feast of the Transfiguration in the church in Ivanova Korita by the Police of Montenegro, press service of the diocese delivered following press-release:

This year, as well, the Police of Montenegro firstly prohibited, and then disabled, clergy and believers to serve Divine Services on the feast of Transfiguration of Lord in the churche dedicated to this holy feast in Ivanova Korita, under desecrated mountain of Lovćen. Strong police forces were deployed around the Churche of Transfiguration from early Transfiguration dawn so that the clergy and believers, led by the Cetinje Episcopal protopresbyter-stavrophor Obren Jovanovic and the president of the Cetinje Church Municipality Rajko Radusinovic could not enter the holy temple to serve the holy liturgy.

Illegal act of the Police was demonstrated this year again, regardless of the fact that the Administrative Court of Montenegro recently rendered a decision by which, because of the illegal acts, abolished last year’s decision of the Ministry of Interior, by which it firstly rejected the Metropolitan’s appeal on the decision of the Police – Cetinje Security Center about prohibition of Divine Services on the feast of Transfiguration in 2015 in the Church of the Holy Transfiguration in Ivanova Korita. Regardless of the decision of the Administrative Court, the Police again, this year, rendered identical illegal decision, by which it fiercely attacked not only the dignity of the Lord’s Church, but also the right to freedom of religion, as one of the fundamental human rights. The Legal Team of the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, led by the coordinator of the Legal Council protopresbyter-stavrophor Velibor Džomić, PhD, appealed again the last illegal decision of the Police, which appeal was not decided within prescribed deadline.

As a reminder, it has been years now that the Police, by issuing these illegal decisions, persistently and illegally prohibit orthodox service on the day of feast of the Transfiguration in the temple which, pursuant to the legislation and public acts of the State of Montenegro, is a property of the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral. The Metropolitan and its legal representatives have led almost a year-long legal battle, using the legal rights and possibilities, and have successfully proved before the court that the police, through its illegal acts, forbid to Church worship in one of the most important Christian feasts in the Ivanova Korita and the Orthodox temple which is owned by the Metropolitan since its foundation.

By its illegal conduct and decision, the Police of Montenegro actually tried to equalize centuries-old church in Montenegro with the group of self-proclaimed people gathered, particularly for that occasion, around the so-called and anatemized priest Miraš Dedeić, in ideological and tribal organization the so-called Montenegrin Orthodox Church. Besides that, by its illegal decision the Police has also tried to put on the same level the Metropolitan, as the legal owner of the Church of Transfiguration in Ivanova Korita, with the group of people who publicly exposed their ambition to break into the church and desecrate it by taking into it anatemized people, so that they could performe services contrary to the orthodoxy and church cannons.

Bearing in mind the fact that we are in the days of the Assumption fast, and the fact that the decision of the Administrative Court of Montenegro was timely served to the Ministry of Interior and the Police of Montenegro, we request and expect that the Police finaly starts to act in accordance with the legislation in force and stops to illegaly equalize the Orthodox Church and anti-church, priests and former priests, owners and usurpors, orthodox believers and attackers of the holy places.

Passionate and ideological-tribal onslaught on the Holy place, as well as illegal acts of the Police, have caused great anger among the Orthodox believers. The Police has no right to proclaim the group of the self-proclaimed people as „church“ by its illegal decisions, and therefore harshly play around with the deapest feelings of the Orthodox believers. The Police is obliged to prevent and stop disruption of public order and peace, in accordance with legislation and legally, from the group of self proclaimed attackers of the holy place and Christian feast, instead of forbiding the Transfiguration service in the Orthodox temple in Ivanova Korita, this year as well, and attacking the centuries long canonical order and the church property.