Montenegrins want to take Ostrog from Serbian Orthodox Church: They want the state to return "the stolen church property"

A group of citizens of Montenegro, mostly supporters of the canonical non-recognized Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC), started an initiative to abolish the ownership of the Serbian Orthodox Church "over Montenegrin monasteries and churches", and among others, they demanded the Ostrog monastery.

Song "Pukni, zoro" in Podgorica for Serbian New Year, and celebration when the song "Oh, Kosovo, Kosovo" started (VIDEO)

Recommended

The action was revived after the expelled Miras Dedeic asked for the return of the "stolen church property" again on Christmas. The initiators, among other things, state that an independent and internationally recognized Kingdom of Montenegro was occupied and annexed by Serbia in 1918.

The Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica will deal with the Church property, which is under the Montenegrin-Coastal Metropolitanate Bishop and according to the lawsuit of the canonical non-recognized CPC. Stevo Vucinic, the vice president of this organization founded on Cetinje in the police station, has filed several criminal charges for allegedly illicit registration of church properties to the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. Monastery Ostrog appeared in those papers, which has been targeted by few supporters gathered around Miras Dedeic.

Foto: D. Zlojutro

In spite of attempts to gain popularity through social networks and media campaigns, they have little success in this. A recent CEDEM survey, a few days ago, showed that Montenegrins have the least confidence in this association - only 18.6 percent.

Despite the negligible support among Montenegrin believers, Miras Dedeic's group regularly issues requests for church property. For many years now, they have argued that the CPC is the only legitimate successor to the Church's spirituality and that it should be the titular of all temples and church goods. They find the most respectful monasteries, like Cetinje or Ostrog, the most attractive. 

Foto: Wikimedia/Diego Delso

Several years ago, Dedeic's supporters launched the thesis that the monastery dedicated to Saint Basil of Ostrog, a pilgrim and ancestor, earns an estimated 50 million euros annually, which was denounced by the Montenegrin-Coastal Metropolitanate Bishop. Regardless of the exaggerated amounts, it is undoubtedly that money is the most important driver of the initiative to transfer the church property to their name.

Unrecognized CPC also "aims" at the churches which get a lot lesser amounts of money from the charity. The reason for that is lack of religious objects in Montenegro. This religious community, which is not recognized by the Chistian world, acts only in few objects in some of the larger Montenegro cities - Cetinje, Kotor, Danilovgrad... 

Foto: D. Zlojutro

The Metropolitan of Montenegro called for reconciliation among the brothers in Montenegro.

- Russia has returned to itself, will Montenegro return to itself? With God's help. Montenegro, which is being built on the false foundations, on false religion, can't have the future. It is necessary to reach reconciliation between brother, without divisions to this or that, but to return to communion. It is not the Montenegro of King Nikola. We should free ourselves of lies, deceptions, frauds. Divisions between brothers grew to language and national divisions - Amfilohije said at Moleban in the temple of Christ's resurrection in Podgorica.

(Telegraf.co.uk / Vecernje novosti)