69 percent of citizens are in favor of dialogue and compromise with the Church

The dominant majority of citizens - 69 percent - supports the dialogue between the Government and the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral (MCP) in order to find a compromise solution to the situation that arose after the adoption of the Law on Freedom of Religion.

Despite this, citizens are still divided over some key positions of these two parties.

Thus, 54 percent of citizens fully or mostly agree with the statement that the Government and the Assembly unjustifiably interfered in church matters by passing the Law on Religion, but at the same time 51 percent of them fully or mostly support the obligation to prove the ownership of everyone's property, including religious community.

This was shown by the results of a survey conducted by the Ipsos Strategic Marketing agency, as part of a broader public opinion survey for the needs of the Center for Civic Education (CGO), from February 14 to 24 on a random stratified sample of 801 respondents in 17 cities.

The dominant majority (75 percent) in the general population, regardless of national identity, education, age or region, believes that religious communities in Montenegro should accept all believers regardless of their national and political affiliation, which indicates that there is a clear tendency towards tolerance in religious matters.

The need for a compromise between the Government and the MCA, which is supported by 69 percent of respondents, is most pronounced among Montenegrins and Serbs, who are naturally the most interested. A high rate of those who lean towards tolerance and a compromise solution is also identified among older and less educated respondents.

The majority of those who identify themselves as Serbs (83,9%) believe that the Government and the Assembly have interfered in church matters, while 48,7% of those who identify themselves as Montenegrins think so, and an even smaller percentage that members of minority nations (Albanians, Muslims/Bosniaks) think.

At the same time, Serbs in the smallest percentage believe that the church should have documentation for property, contrary to those who declare themselves as members of minority nations and Montenegrins.

The survey also showed that more than half of the respondents, 52 percent, agree or mostly agree with the statement that the SPC does not want political support from opposition parties and the Serbian authorities because it has no political ambitions and its intention is solely to protect its own rights.

Among them, Serbs dominate (85,5%), while this opinion is shared to a significantly lesser extent by Montenegrins (41,8%) and members of minority nations.

Furthermore, 34 percent of citizens believe that Serbia openly interferes in the internal affairs of Montenegro by using the Law on Freedom of Religion. This is emphasized most by members of minority nations (Muslims/Bosniacs - 48,6% and Albanians 45,3%), while a fifth of those who identify themselves as Serbs (20,5%) also believe that Serbia openly interferes in internal affairs. issues of Montenegro.

Councilor Miloš Vukanović said that these data are a warning because they indicate serious polarization, not only along national lines but also within those lines, in which there is also a cynical finding that citizens have strong attitudes that are closely related to the Law. which they mostly haven't read.

"It is also clear that no one has the authority to speak on behalf of a national group, and most often it actually leads to manipulations, the expression of which is the misuse of national symbols, but also attempts at political profiteering. The dominantly expressed tendency towards tolerance and regulation obliges both parties - both the Government and MCP - to find a solution in a constructive dialogue, and not in an ultimate approach," concluded Vukanović.

The Law on Freedom of Religion was adopted on December 27, 2019 in the Parliament, with incidents. Because of him, the MCP organizes protest rallies in several cities of Montenegro.

The provisions of Articles 62, 63 and 64 of the MCA are particularly controversial, which provide for the return to the state of all religious buildings that were the property of Montenegro before 1918, and "for which there is no evidence of the property rights of religious communities".

Representatives of the Government and the MCA discussed the Law on February 14, and the church maintains that it is necessary to talk about changes to that regulation, and not about its application. It was agreed that the negotiations will continue at the expert level.

Only a fifth of citizens read the law

Although it has been in the public eye for months, only every fifth citizen has read the Law on Freedom of Religion. Among those who read it, most are Montenegrins and Serbs.

A far greater part of the population has not read the law (58%), and a certain percentage of citizens state that they are simply not interested in it (15%).

Among those who have not read the Law, the highest percentage is those who identify themselves as Serbs and Albanians.