The Montenegrin bishop was released, but was hooked into a criminal case
In Montenegro, Bishop Joanikije of Budimlje-Nikšić and the SOC priests, whose arrest sparked street clashes between believers and police and sparked an international outcry, have been released . However, this does not mean an end to the persecution of the Church—criminal cases have been opened against those released.
This was reported by Balkan media, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Believers meet the prisoner
Bishop Ioanniky and the eight priests who served with him at the feast in honor of the venerated Saint Basil of Ostrog were released yesterday evening after 72 hours of imprisonment under the pretext of violating quarantine.
In the ensuing clashes with police, as outraged believers took to the streets, about 50 people were arrested.
The situation does not look like a victory for believers, but rather a cunning maneuver by the ruling regime of Montenegro.
It became known that the prosecutor’s office of the city of Niksic opened a criminal case against those released for “failure to comply with health regulations during the fight against a dangerous infectious disease.” In connection with this article, clergymen face a fine or imprisonment for up to one year.
“The prosecutor’s office opened and submitted to the Nikšić City Court an indictment against nine clergy of the Budimljan-Nikšić diocese,” said the head of the Nikšić prosecutor’s office, Stevo Šekarić. “They acted contrary to the orders of the Ministry of Health to prevent a dangerous infectious disease and gathered together with citizens in Shaka Petrovich Square, and then held a religious ritual near a religious building - a litiya on the streets of the city.”
At the same time, Bishop Ioanniki himself explained the holding of a spontaneous religious procession by the fact that during the festive service without believers, a lot of people gathered near the temple, as for the last twenty years, and the priests did not dare to ignore the spiritual feelings of the people when they saw how many of them came. All the problems, according to the bishop, began “after the state intervened.”
On May 12, Montenegrin police detained Bishop Ioannikije of Budimljan-Niksic and seven priests for violating the order banning gatherings. On this day, believers celebrate the feast of Basil of Ostrog, the most revered saint in the country. Usually 300-500 thousand people gather for a pilgrimage to the Ostrog monastery. However, due to the pandemic, the entrances to the monastery were blocked by the police, so people gathered for worship in the city of Niksic, closest to the monastery. Mass protests began in the country, which were suppressed by the police.
Let us recall that mass protests have been taking place in Montenegro since December after the country’s parliament passed a law that threatens the confiscation of 650 Orthodox shrines of the Serbian Church in favor of “autocephalous” schismatics controlled by the ruling regime - in fact, we are talking about a repetition of the scenario implemented in Ukraine.
Montenegro separated from Serbia in 2006 under the pretext of “faster integration into the EU”, but has still not received EU membership. In 2017, against the will of the population, Montenegro was included in NATO by the pro-Western ruling elite without a referendum. Now about 30% of the population of this former part of Yugoslavia call themselves ethnic Serbs.
Montenegrin Bishop Released , But Hooked on Criminal Case