Statement of The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Coastlands

The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Coastlands Strongly Condemns Today's Actions of the Pseudo-relgious group of the so-called MOC and the Montenegrin Police Department

The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Coastlands strongly condemns today's actions of the pseudo-religious group of the so-called Montenegrin Orthodox Church (MOC) in light of the forceful entry of the so-called MOC into the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord at the Ivanovi korita church property of the Monastery of Cetinje.

Early this morning police officers of the Ispostav police in Cetinje blocked the entrance of the holy church not allowing clergy to enter and begin the Divine Liturgy for the great Christian feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and then retreated from the church doors towards the end of the service after which time the clergy and the faithful, around one hundred of them, were able to continue the holy service in the very Church.

As the religious rite was still in progress, members of the Miras Dedeic group appeared not far from the church. They rushed at the twenty some police officers present, attempting to enter the church and on a few occasions, they attacked the church and the faithful of the Metropolitanate, using the harshest language, spitting and throwing stones. The police then, more than once insisted that the church service cease. Metropolitanate clergy, sensing that the lives of the children present in the church was in danger, took them out of the church, beneath the rain of curses, threats and physical attacks, among which was a man in his seventies who ran towards the children with a club.

As rocks were thrown the head of the Ispostav police was hit as well as one monk of the Cetinje monastery. The children, some fifty of them, who attend catechism in Cetinje and Podgorica together with guests from Paris and New York, were forced due to saftey reasons, to leave the church escorted by the police, aghast by the criminal and blasphemous actions of the members of Miras Dedeic.The police officers, in our regard, did not do everything in their power to avoid the entrance of the unauthorized persons - the false priests, into the Church of the Transfiguration and that they should have protected the clergy and faithful with more firmness, as well as the property of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Coastlands. Their actions were reduced to forming a band around the church without one adequate answer to the attacks, explaining that they did not have any further permission.

With dignity and without any incidents the clergy and faithful of the Metropolitanate protected the Church, not from the citizens of Njegus for which they were accused, but from the false priests. The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Coastlands, repeats for who knows how many times, that the citizens of Njegus and all people of goodwill are always welcome to the church services. We emphasize that there were no agreements with the members of the so-called MOC regarding their entrance into the church. The Metropolitanate will, both today and in the future, preserve the century-old canonical order of the Orthodox Church, that it is unpermissable for false priests, such as those of the so-called MOC, to enter and desecrate Orthodox churches.

Cetinje, August 19, 2009

Source: Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Coastlands