There isn't a country in the vicinity whose president of the assembly does not stand with a cardinal, mufti or bishop during a religious ceremony in which, say, an entire city participates. Recently, at a state ceremony of the highest rank (the opening of the imposing bridge on Pelješac) in front of Croatian officials and representatives of the EU, the prefect of Dubrovnik-Neretva exclaimed that the "church bells" were ringing with joy, testifying to the unity of the Croats, at that time. Of course, in the first row of the manifestation, happy for such words, sat the priest of the Roman Catholic Church. In addition to Croatia, the other, closest to us, countries of the European Union (Italy, Greece, Bulgaria) have such a practice. These first two - they have been practicing it since they were formed, in the 19th century, as modern democracies. But despite these undeniable facts, Brano Mandić worries about where Montenegro is headed, when our president of the Assembly stands with the patriarch and other priests in Savina.
There is no religious community, in the whole world, which does not have in its ranks some more fiery speakers who express their religious views more sharply, in the manner of Old Testament prophets or New Testament apostles, when their hearts are burning with warnings. Or, if you want, in the manner of Bran himself, when he skilfully "patches" all topics and current characters with his head and chin, on the border of cursing and wit. And yet, the same Brano Mandić, one of the most literate living Montenegrins, has been exclusively hunting for the mistakes of the priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church for months - as if only among them there are such speeches, which jump out or deviate from the usual church narrative. Maybe because the SPC is the most numerous and dominant spiritual force in Montenegro, and he, I guess, is concerned about the stability and progress of our entire society? Possibly. It is legitimate and necessary to work for the general benefit. Only Mandić's last texts teem with unprincipledness and a kind of clouding of sound judgment. As such - they offend the religious feelings of many.
Bishop Nicanor's court in Banat, his clothes and appearance among the people, are not something that is not present among all traditional churches and religious communities all over Europe. The intonation of his speech and the condemnation of the parade of LGBT people are similar to the performances of other clergymen of monotheistic religions, on all meridians. Both there and here - such intonations do not belong to the official teachings and attitudes of those communities, but to the rhetorical freedom of the speaker, which can be legally qualified if necessary, legally sanctioned if it is deemed appropriate, but cannot is generalized and generalized - without social damage and intellectual respect. Especially if Mr. generalizer and generalizer (in this case, Mr. Mandić) turns blind and deaf in front of other numerous gentle sermons and merciful acts of philanthropy that make up the SPC from Pljevlja to Ulcinj, and beyond Montenegro.
Mandic says that he rarely reads the Bible, which, I must admit, I do not believe. His texts, which I enjoyed reading until recently, testify to the opposite. But I see that he rarely attends or does not follow the SPC church services or let's say - the programs of the church radio, the pages of the church press. In principle, it cannot be objected to. Everyone has the freedom to read and follow what they want. None of us should be forced (nor is it possible) to go to church. To no one but Bran Mandić. Why? Well, because he constantly writes about the church, draws conclusions, warns and - mostly characterizes it negatively. Hence, for him, a deeper dive into the topic would have to be imperative.
No, he doesn't have to write a single positive letter about the Church, but some research principles tell him to go around, see, compare, collect and take away. Then, he could not possibly say that the priest who mentioned the weapon "doesn't go one step further than his colleagues". Because that - it's not true. It is not true even when "Someone will say" that the SPC "has turned into a cult of worship... blood and weapons". Brano can write that, but thank God, I can also deny it.
Bishop Nicanor, when he mentions Putin and weapons, does not state either official or basic church teachings. Such parallels and allusions are part of the speechless inspiration that can make the speechless person (un)successful - and nothing more. I have spent my whole life in churches and monasteries, and I have never been to a single church gathering where weapons are distributed to the faithful, nor is anyone called to battle at such gatherings. If anyone suspects that things are different, let them organize a "special show" about it with "special" guests through the local media accumulators of hatred and division, or let them report their fears to the competent authorities. What will not go unanswered is the understanding and tacit agreement that the most heinous lie has become the truth.
Well, not so many citizens of Montenegro go to church, to liturgies and liturgies, do not fast and pray to God - invoking and "adoring" blood and weapons. That scam stinks, and it's time to point it out. An educated man like Bran, when he mentions the German scumbags from the Second World War, would have to state how many priests were on this side and how many were on the other side of the door of the Nazi scumbags. How many of them ended up in fascist pits, and how many met the end of the war without a head on their shoulders? Some of them were destined to die and some were never tried or judged by those who killed them. Bare-handed of course. Priests who, for the most part (about Pope Đujić and similar examples of priests who brandished their rifles when Jadovno, Glina and Prkos were crying in their immediate surroundings - we can do it another time) during the greatest world war, were either bare-handed, or with a cross and a gospel in their hands , but certainly without weapons. Well, Brano, we will not attribute armed force to that Church even now, in civil peace, until someone rolls up his sleeves and proves his dark and fairy-tale visions before the court and investigative bodies.
On the contrary - with such arbitrariness, we are not building a country, but planting jungle vegetation. And in the jungle, arguments are not valid, but the screams and roars of those who want to be the loudest. I think that we have centuries of state emancipation behind us, and that this kind of scaring the people with priests would not suit even those commissars from the era of single-mindedness, let alone enlightened writers, such as he was and, I believe, could be Mr. Brano Mandic.
Bonus video:
