Released Montenegrin bishop: “We will continue protest processions”
Bishop Ioannikiy of Budimlya-Nikšić, released from prison but under criminal prosecution, said that if the authorities allow thousands of people to visit markets, the church will open SOC churches in Montenegro.
The bishop spoke about this during an online litiya at the Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Of course, we don’t want to break the rules, but how can we prevent, while in other places thousands of people go and buy, and markets are visited by up to 10 thousand people every day, and no one gets anything for it, believers can enter to the temple and light the candles,” said Bishop Ioannikiy. “We are not idiots not to see this, and if the freedoms of others are respected, we will, of course, also fight for the freedom to celebrate liturgies.”
Bishop Budimlyansko-Nikšić, who served 72 hours for holding a religious procession in honor of Saint Basil of Ostrog, especially revered by the Serbs, and is under criminal investigation for this, noted that the Serbian Orthodox Church is ready to enter into a dialogue with the authorities of Montenegro, but the Montenegrin authorities themselves are not ready to enter into this dialogue .
“I’m not sure there is good will (on their part),” the bishop said. – We emphasized our demands, we ask that we be equal with other religions, that there is no discrimination. We must be ready to dialogue until the problem is resolved. If this problem cannot be resolved through dialogue, then we will assert our rights through peaceful legal proceedings.”
At the same time, Bishop Ioannikiy noted that he would not be able to forgive the authorities for beating children and youth by police during the protests that took place after his arrest in Niksic, Pljevlja and Andrijevac.
“You have seen how the government has treated our Church over the past few months. It seems that they were ready to blame us for the coronavirus, even when it was not yet in Montenegro,” added the head of the Budimljan-Nikši diocese of the SOC.
Freed Montenegrin Bishop: "We Will Continue the Protest Processions"