The decision to sign the fundamental contract between the State of Montenegro and the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) by SPC Patriarch Porfirije, and not by the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, will not affect the autonomy that the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral (MCP) acquired while it was headed by the late Metropolitan Amfilohije , the interlocutors of "Vijesti" assessed.
Religious analyst from Belgrade, Draško Đenović, said that there is no difference in whether the patriarch of the SPC or someone from the MCP will sign the contract.
"The only difference is that Patriarch Porfirius is the first among equal bishops and therefore this contract will be - although this is not the right term - even stronger", he believes and adds that the autonomy of the MCP will not weaken, although, according to him, "the MCP and does not have any significant autonomy in relation to other dioceses of the SPC".
Regardless of the fact that he does not see the importance of which church dignitary will initial the document, Đenović thinks that it would be more natural to wait until the election of the new metropolitan of Montenegrin and Littoral to sign it. The Holy Council of Bishops, where the new head of the MCP will be elected, is planned for the end of May.
Leaders of the ruling Democratic Front (DF) insisted on several occasions that the fundamental contract be signed by the patriarch, although the late Metropolitan Amfilohije emphasized that he should be the signatory.
"When they negotiate with us (Mitropolia), it's the same as negotiating with the Belgrade Patriarchate. There is no difference," he said in January last year, adding that the MCP has been "autonomous and independent throughout the ages."
Đenović says that due to Amfilohi's influence and charisma, many expected him to sign the contract. He believes that the late metropolitan would have signed it if he were alive
"However, the fact that Amfilohije would sign would not be something that the Synod and the Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church would not approve," said the "Vijesti" interlocutor.
Historian and religious analyst, Vladimir Veljković, assesses that Amfilohije built the autonomy of the MCP precisely with his charisma.
"A certain peculiarity of the MCC was not so much based on some clearly defined rules of the SPC - whether it was the Constitution of the SPC or some other regulations. So, everything was based on the personal vision given by Metropolitan Amfilohije. Now that you no longer have one such personality, then "It is difficult to distinguish who has, so to speak, the right of precedence of the signature - whether the Patriarchate in Belgrade or the MCC. I think that the decision to sign the contract was influenced by the fact that the new Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral was not elected", explains Veljković for "Vijesti". .
DF's insistence on the patriarch's signature is seen by the interlocutor of our newspaper in the context of Porfirio's election as head of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
"Politicians from those parties (DF) value people who maintain certain contacts with Belgrade - above all with Aleksandar Vučić. Perhaps their insistence is a concession in order to strengthen the authority of the patriarch. So there are certain political calculations of theirs," he is convinced. Veljkovic.
The basic contract is supposed to be signed after the Easter holidays. The administrator of the MCP and the bishop of Buda-Nišić, Joanikije, recently told TV "Vijesti" that the content of the contract will not be known to the public until it is signed.
Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić said that the document will not have the character of an international agreement. In case it had, it would have to undergo ratification in the Parliament of Montenegro.
The coordinator of the Legal Council of the MCC, Velibor Džomić, explained recently that of the three concluded fundamental agreements - with the Roman Catholic Church, the Islamic and Jewish communities - only one was ratified in the parliament (the agreement between Montenegro and the Holy See), while the other two entered into force on the day of conclusion. He believes that the basic contract between Montenegro and the SPC does not have an international character, and that in terms of valid legal provisions it is not subject to ratification.
So far, only speculations about the contents of the document have appeared in the media. The term Orthodox Church in Montenegro, which is mentioned in the decision of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church from May 2006, which was presided over by the then Patriarch Pavle, was questioned. At that assembly, the Episcopal Council of the Orthodox Church in Montenegro was formed.
When asked by TV "Vijesti" whether the Episcopal Council will exist after the signing of the fundamental contract, the administrator of the MCP Joanikije answered in the affirmative, saying "that the contract will not delete anything, but that it will not establish any autonomy or anything new."
"Rather, it only expresses the agreement between the two parties that they are ready to cooperate, that they respect each other and respect the competences of the other", he underlined.
"Vijesti" interlocutors assess that there is no reason for the Episcopal Council to cease to exist.
"Montenegro is an independent country and it usually happens that in every country the bishops have a certain type of council or some body. Therefore, the patriarch's signature on the basic contract will not affect the work of the Episcopal Council," says Đenović.
Veljković, on the other hand, points out that the Episcopal Council would strengthen its position if it were a signatory to the fundamental agreement with Montenegro.
"He was definitely deprived of the opportunity to strengthen his authority," he concludes.
Serbian Patriarch Porfirije announced earlier that an agreement was reached with Prime Minister Krivokapić on the basic contract and that there is an agreement in principle to come to Montenegro after the Easter holidays and sign that document.
Krivokapić: The contract has not yet been agreed upon, it will be known to the public in mid or late May
Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić said in the Parliament that the basic contract has not yet been agreed upon. He said that he can guarantee that the Government, respecting the Constitution, the law and canon law, will do it to the satisfaction of all Orthodox citizens, dioceses and the Metropolis.
"It will be our contribution not to create additional tensions in order to ensure that the Orthodox believers have the same status in relation to other religious institutions. I am primarily referring to the Holy See, with which the fundamental agreement was signed, as well as the Islamic community. If it was not problem, why would this contract be a problem, which will not have more than 15 members and which will give a preamble that clearly indicates the status of Orthodox buildings in Montenegro," he said.
As he added, three elements remain to be harmonized, one of which is technical. He expects that the contract will be known to all citizens in the middle or end of May.
"I know that some media are trying to show a contract that reached them - it is not a contract with the SPC. It is the same as the metropolitan's testament... The most important thing is that the contract is signed, and who will sign it and how is less important. In certain situations, the patriarch has the right to authorize anyone to sign such a contract and that happened in Croatia. What will happen here, let's wait and see, let's not make assumptions that don't have to be correct. We want it to be the best possible the way it was done. We will not do anything that is not in accordance with the Constitution and the law", stressed the Prime Minister.
When asked whether the contract is of an international or national character, that is, whether it will have to be ratified by the parliament, Krivokapić replied that it has been reviewed and that the SPC is not an international organization, and that it is sufficient for the contract to be signed by the Government of Montenegro.
"We have reviewed all these possibilities and we want it to be done in the best possible way," he said.
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