Podgorica, May 26, 2020
The Orthodox faithful of Montenegro are demanding a resumption of the cross processions that began in December in response to the passing of a scandalous law that grants the government the authority to confiscate property from the Serbian Orthodox Church, and which continued twice-weekly until the coronavirus quarantine regime began in the Balkan nation.
“One of the reasons, that they have such a beautiful atmosphere, is that we have been renewed in both a spiritual and moral sense through these cross processions, through our fight for truth,” His Grace Bishop Joanikije of Budimlja and Nikšić said on a Svetigora radio broadcast on May 21, reports Pravoslavie.ru.
Bp. Joanikije himself has suffered for this truth, having endured an unjust 72-hour police detention two weeks ago.
The Church complies with the sanitary rules of the quarantine, His Grace noted, “but we cannot allow the situation where thousands of people gather in other places, and up to 10,000 people pass through supermarkets every day and nothing happens, and at the same time the faithful aren’t allowed to go to church and light a candle at the proper distance.
“We’re not idiots to not notice this!” Vladyka Joanikije emphasized.
On May 24, the Institute of Public Health of Montenegro reported that for the first time in 68 days, there were no new cases of coronavirus infection. Authorities will announce the lifting of the main quarantine measures from June 1.
The processions of the Orthodox faithful have been a unique phenomenon in the world. Whereas protests are usually accompanied by hysteria and violence, “Thank God, we did not have such a situation, but there was perfect peace and order, without profanity or abuse,” His Grace said.
The government’s battle against the Serbian Orthodox Church has only served to strengthen and unite the people, Vladyka highlights, noting that people from various backgrounds and political persuasions and sides in various disputes were able to overcome their differences and come together in peace to protect their sacred Orthodox sites.
The processions have “embodied a great and beautiful spiritualized national unity, and this is a great achievement,” he reflected.
“Therefore, our people now demand the resumption of religious processions. There are many reasons for this. One of the reasons, that they have such a beautiful atmosphere, is that we have been renewed in both a spiritual and moral sense through these cross processions, through our fight for truth,” His Grace concluded.
Concerning the Church-state dialogues on the “Law on Religions” adopted in December, Bp. Joanikije noted that the Church is ready to resume that any time, while the authorities seem only concerned about “how to stay in power and capture as much as possible, without avoiding nationalization, that is, to take away from us again what the Communists didn’t take away in 1945 and 1948.”