Metropolitan Amfilohije urged Montenegrin media not to create divisions and hatred where none exist

The archbishop of Cetinje and the Metropolitan of Montenegro and Coastal Amfilohije urged the media in Montenegro today not to create and incite divisions and hatred, where none exist and said that the role of the Church is to unite.

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- The church is the one that unites, that has been the role of the church for the past 2.000 years and don't create hatred on the foundations of the church - Amfilohije said, regarding the certain texts from media which claim that the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church was forbidden to enter into Montenegro.

The Metropolitan said that the President and the Prime Minister of Montenegro were invited to Ostrog today, but they replied that they could not come due to previously planned obligations.

- Do you see the escort that the state has provided to the church delegations, that is completely normal - Amfilohije said.

Commenting on the statement by Patriarch Irinej that the position of the church in Montenegro is worse today than in the time of the occupation of the Ottomans, and that the position of the Serbs is worse than at the time of Independent State of Croatia, Amfilohije stated that the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church meant on the expelling of the priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Foto: Tanjug/Televizija Hram/Đakon Dragan S. Tanasijević

Amfilohije said that 30 months, priests, were not allowed to stay in Montenegro.

- There has never been the case to expel priests in Montenegro, as he said, which is being done today by someone who doesn't like the church, or who create a false church - said the Metropolitan, the RTCG portal reported.

Provoked with the questions about the property of the monks, priesthood, and the church, Amfilohije said that he doesn't know what others made of it, he has only his robes and his books.

When asked what he thinks about the cars of the Serbian Orthodox church, Amfilohije responded - Metropolitan won't ride a donkey, will he. That would be a shame for Montenegro if a metropolitan rode a donkey in the 21st century, if you are referring to that. I could ride a horse because I used to ride a horse when I was a child, I could do that - Amfilohije said.

(Telegraf.co.uk / Tanjug)