Head of the Church in Montenegro: Consecration under police protection

Accompanied by protests and street fighting, the new Serbian Orthodox church leader was ordained in Montenegro. The arguments reveal how deeply the Montenegrins are divided on questions of their identity.

The new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, Metropolitan Joanikije, as well as the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, reached the monastery of Cetinje by helicopter and under police protection. The access roads to the former capital of Montenegro had already been blocked the day before by nationally-minded demonstrators with temporary barriers.

The solemn inauguration of Joanikiye was also overshadowed by protests by a few hundred people. In the early hours of the morning there were clashes between nationalists and the police in the center of Cetinje.

The security forces used tear gas after demonstrators threw stones and bottles at the police. According to police, seven officers were injured and two people were arrested by noon. Similar riots had already broken out on Saturday.

Concern for sovereignty

Background to the protests: The inauguration of the new metropolitan see the nationally minded residents violated the state independence of Montenegro. From 2003 to 2006, Serbia and Montenegro were linked to one another in a state community; before that, Serbia and Montenegro formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as the last remaining ex-republics after the wars of the 1990s. The Serbian Orthodox Church does not recognize the sovereignty of Montenegro.

The President of the Republic, Milo Djukanovic, played a dubious role in the protests: he had called for protests against the inauguration of the Metropolitan and traveled to Cetinje on Saturday. His adviser as well as some members of parliament from the Djukanovics party and other opposition politicians participated in the attacks on the police that morning. Djukanovic’s adviser, a former police chief, was temporarily arrested.

The dubious role of the president

For three decades, Montenegro’s domestic politics were dominated by Djukanovic. However, his party lost in the parliamentary elections last year and has been in the opposition ever since. The new government coalition, which is clearly taking action against corruption and organized crime, also includes the party of the Serb minority.

Now the president is accused of supporting the protests against the inauguration of the metropolitan in order to destabilize the governing coalition. Djukanovic told the public television broadcaster in Montenegro on Saturday evening: “We should try again, as mature and responsible politicians and social factors, to come to a solution to the status of the Orthodox Church in Montenegro.”

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic, on the other hand, described the attacks on the police as an “act of terrorism” in the morning.