The Cetinje Prosecutor's Office has not yet decided whether Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, MCP priests, Nova leader Andrija Mandić or Serbian Ambassador Vladimir Božović violated the law by attending the funeral of historian Vladimir Jovićević on April 23.
In that case, Cetinje prosecutor Duško Milanović has not yet heard Božović, while the others have testified.
"No decision has been made in the case in question and the investigation is ongoing. The necessary notifications were not collected from the ambassador of Serbia, Mr. Vladimir Božović," replied the spokesman of that prosecution, prosecutor Duško Milanović.
On April 29, the Metropolitan of Amfilohije was heard in the Cetinje prosecutor's office, where he claimed that he did not violate any measures by serving the funeral service at the funeral of the historian in Rijeka Crnojević.
At that time, he also told the prosecutor that the complaint was in line with the job he was performing.
"His statement, the notifications collected so far, but also those that will be collected during the investigation, I will evaluate whether there are elements of the criminal offense of failure to act according to health regulations for the suppression of a dangerous infectious disease," prosecutor Milanović said earlier.
Metropolitan Amfilohije said in a statement that after the liturgy in the Monastery of St. Nicholas in Rijeka Crnojevića, together with the clergy, at the invitation of the Jovićević family, he served a funeral for Vladimir Jovićević.
He said that he does not consider it necessary, nor important, that as a metropolitan, he declares about those present at the memorial service and funeral of Dr. Jovićević.
"We have no right, nor does it occur to us, to evict believers from temples and report them to the police, especially in moments like these. After all, in our conditions, even in urban areas, it is impossible for the deceased to be laid to rest in a dignified and honorable manner while respecting the 'measure' of a physical distance of two meters between faces. And that, as you can see, is only required of the Church, and it seems that this 'measure' applies only to it in Montenegro," said Metropolitan Amfilohije to the prosecutor.
He added that for the first time in his more than 80 years of life and 60 years of his service, he was twice invited to the Police Directorate to give statements due to the performance of his sacred duties and services. A few days later, Mandić also gave a statement before the Cetinje police.
The statements in the Cetinje Security Department were previously given by the priests who celebrated the vigil with the Metropolitan - Rafailo Boljević, Danijel Jovanović, Hariton Živkov, Nikolaj Antičević, Krisnat Bojović, Aleksandar Lalić and Eustatije Ivanović.
Bonus video:
