Montenegrin Prime Minister offers talks to Serbian Orthodox Church on properties

Montenegrin Prime Minister offers talks to Serbian Orthodox Church on properties
 
 Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said he is ready to continue talks with the Serbian Orthodox Church metropolitan in Montenegro Amfilohije Radović on the Law on Religious Freedoms.

Amfilohije strongly opposes the law, saying that with it, the Montenegrin state will confiscate Church property.

Markovic said he would not withdraw the law and that the only option for the Church would be to challenge it in the Constitutional Court.

With the new law passed in the Montenegrin Parliament at the end of December, religious communities must prove ownership of the properties before 1918 - otherwise, assets will be considered state-owned.

Montenegro, predominantly Orthodox Christian, joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in 1918 and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church was appropriated by the Serbian Orthodox Church and lost all of its property.

The Serbian Orthodox Church, its supporters, and Montenegro's pro-Serbian opposition fear the new law will enable the Montenegrin government to confiscate Church property, although authorities deny such a goal.

Commenting on frequent protests against the law, organized by the Serbian Orthodox Church throughout Montenegro, Markovic said they have turned into a confrontation with Montenegrin state institutions.

"These unprecedented attacks and propaganda are being carried out not only by domestic actors but also by the most drastic and brutal actors in neighboring Serbia," Markovic said.

He added that relations between Montenegro and Serbia have been at their worst possible since Montenegro's declaration of independence in 2006.
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