The unannounced visit of President Milo Đukanović to the Ecumenical Patriarchate is his attempt to additionally emphasize the church's problems in Montenegro, by nominating himself as the subject that should solve the issue.
This is what Vladimir Veljković, a Serbian historian familiar with religious topics, assessed for "Vijesti".
He stated that the day before yesterday, Đukanović's sudden visit to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had primarily a political character and that it was definitely inspired by the resolution of the church issue in North Macedonia, i.e. with the decision of Constantinople to recognize the Ohrid archbishopric as a canonical church at the beginning of May.
Đukanović, as announced by his cabinet, spoke with Bartolomej about the current socio-political moment in our country, presenting him with "further plans in connection with the strategic direction in which Montenegro is moving since the restoration of statehood".
"In this context, he pointed out that Montenegro is very proud of its thousand-year history, as well as the fact that its moral vertical is a continuous struggle for national dignity and freedom. In this connection, he referred to the deep historical ties between the mother church and the Montenegrin state".
The Ecumenical Patriarch, as stated in the announcement, indicated that he had the opportunity to stay in Montenegro twice, to which he sent his blessing for the earliest possible admission to the European Union and further prosperity.
"He also reminded of his long-standing friendship with Metropolitan Amfilohi, particularly emphasizing his contribution to the implementation of the council in Crete. He also mentioned other meetings he had in the meantime with representatives from Montenegro. His Holiness informed the president about the upcoming visit of the head of the Ohrid Archbishopric, Stefan," the announcement reads.
Speaking about the fact that, in the conversation with Bartholomew, the head of state called the Ecumenical Patriarchate the "mother church", Veljković says that this hides Đukanović's expectations from Fanar (the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate) in relation to the Orthodox Church in Montenegro.
"What are his expectations - I wouldn't go into that. I think, simply, that even in the context of events in North Macedonia, Đukanović wanted to somehow remind the patriarch of the status of the Orthodox Church in Montenegro, as he sees it. He probably wanted to emphasize that issue, but also to highlight himself as a subject who should be asked about it," he pointed out, adding that from Bartholomew's evocation of memories of Metropolitan Amfilohi - whom he said was a good and educated theologian - and reminding that the students of the Cetinje seminary were recently with him, one can read restraint in relation to Đukanović.
The priest of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral (MCP), Gojko Perović, told TV Vijesti that Đukanović's meeting at Fanar has no point of contact with any intra-church topic - neither when it comes to the Church in North Macedonia, nor when it comes to the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church Church (SPC) in Montenegro.
All the more so since, according to him, Đukanović has repeatedly shown himself to be "ill-intentioned towards the Church and the clergy".
"It is about the usual protocol that the Ecumenical Patriarch has towards all statesmen... What could be seen on the recordings and read in the announcements, clearly says that the president heard from the Patriarch of Constantinople, that the personality and work of the blessed Metropolitan Amfilohi, let's say progress and the success of the Cetinje seminary, those topics through which the entire Orthodox Church looks at Montenegro. And these are precisely the addresses in Montenegro that Đukanović's policy tried in every way to excommunicate from the state and society," Perović emphasized.
The church issue in Montenegro has been in the focus of the public since the end of 2019, when Đukanović, as the leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists, announced the restoration of the "historically unquestionable Montenegrin Orthodox Church".
For the head of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC), Mihailo, Đukanović's visit to Fanar is useful and has, as he said, historical significance.
He looks at it, first of all, in the context of the possibility of considering the issue of the autocephaly of the CPC, which the Universal Partyarchy does not recognize.
"We need to do some studying of Balkan history. And the Ecumenical Patriarch certainly knows Balkan history well... The CPC considers that its mother church is, as it is said in Eastern Orthodoxy, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has the right to grant autocephaly to every Orthodox church," he told "Vijesta".
Đukanović's visit to Constantinople also had a private character - the head of state baptized his grandson at Fanar, for which he received a blessing from Bartholomew.
Veljković assesses that this private act can be interpreted as a kind of Đukanović's distancing from the church in Montenegro - both the SPC and the non-canonical CPC.
"As if that baptism could not have been performed in the SPC or the CPC... This shows that Đukanović, in terms of receiving the holy secret, gave greater trust and respect to the Patriarchate of Constantinople", concludes the interlocutor.
Although Đukanović told Bartolomej that this was the first visit of the Montenegrin head of state to the Ecumenical Patriarchate after 1899, when Prince Nikola stayed in Istanbul, Fanar was visited in 2010 and 2012 by the then president Filip Vujanović.
The CPC does not mind being baptized at Fanar
Asked whether he finds it controversial that Đukanović baptized his grandson in the Patriarchate of Constantinople and not in the CPC, whose restoration he advocates, Mihailo replies that he sees nothing problematic about it.
"Baptism is a holy mystery. Without him, there would be no Christianity. As for the baptism of Đukanović's grandson in Fanar, it is no miracle. It is the same as if his grandson was baptized in any Eastern Orthodox church - be it Romanian, Greek, Albanian, Montenegrin, Serbian... Baptism is unrepeatable," he said.
The president flew as usual, the family is not known
Đukanović's Cabinet told "Vijesta" when asked what was the motive of the visit to Constantinople, why it was not announced and whether there were discussions with Bartholomew about the church problem in Montenegro - they answered that Đukanović was a guest at the 25th Eurasian Economic Forum at the invitation of Marmara foundation, and that on that occasion he also paid an official visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch.
As for the content of the conversation, they say that the statement agreed with the Ecumenical Patriarchate contained everything that the two sides considered relevant.
When asked whether Đukanović flew to Istanbul on a government plane, and if so - whether members of his family flew with him, or whether they came to the christening of the president's grandson by commercial flight or in some other way, the cabinet answered:
"Usually, he used an airplane that is in accordance with the Instructions on the conditions and manner of using the airplane, which is at the disposal of the General Secretariat of the Government of Montenegro, primarily intended for the use of the President of the State, the Parliament and the Government."
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