The role of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in deciding on state issues has been very pronounced since 2020, but the clergy's statements have become increasingly aggressive, indicating that they feel "powerful" to the point of publicly "lining up" officials from various branches of government.
Thus, the coordinator of the Active Citizenship program at the Center for Civic Education (CCE) Sara Cabarkapa for Vijesti he comments on the statement of the Tivat parish priest of the Montenegrin-Lithuania Orthodox Church Metropolis Mijajlo Backović, at a protest rally in Morinj on Saturday.
Backović, speaking at a rally demanding the removal of a memorial plaque at the site of the former concentration camp in Morinje, said that he would call out "all those whom they (the church) employed on August 30th" for this.
"Those who we paid to sit in the Parliament, the Government and the Presidency, should know that what we gave them, we can also take away from them. They have to listen to us, because we gave them the job. I call them out," said Backović.
When asked whether this means that the Serbian Orthodox Church still has a crucial role in deciding on key state issues, Čabarkapa replied that this statement represents an open demonstration of the Serbian Orthodox Church's political influence in Montenegro.
"And this is another in a series of examples in which the clergy of that religious community are actually mocking the state of Montenegro, and it is certainly not the last, because obviously the decision-makers have neither the strength nor the integrity to react to it," she assessed.
Member of the Social Democrats (SD) Nikola Zirojevic He told Vijesti that Backović's statement only exposed everything that has long been known - that the Government, i.e. its majority, is run by the Serbian Orthodox Church.
He expects that on this occasion the SDT will form a case, analyze communications between Backović, as well as other church dignitaries, on the one hand, and politicians from the executive and legislative branches, as well as representatives of certain media outlets, on the other.
"I am convinced that such a comprehensive investigation would result in an indictment for the creation of an organized criminal group whose goal was to overthrow the constitutional order, illegally influence the executive and legislative branches, create public opinion, and several other criminal offenses of similar characteristics," said Zirojević, alluding to the proceedings being conducted by the SDT against Aleksandar MIjajlović, Predrag Bošković and several former police, ANB and prosecutor's office officials.
Vijesti sent questions to the Government, Parliament and the President of the State Jakov Milatović Do they believe that the Serbian Orthodox Church paid them a salary “to sit in the Presidency, Parliament and Government” or does Backović's statement mean that the church still has a crucial role in deciding on key state issues? The answer had not been received by the time this issue of Vijesti was published.
The Serbian Orthodox Church played a key role in the overthrow of the three-decade-long Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) government in August 2020. There was also speculation that the expert government Zdravka Krivokapića, which was supported by the then Democratic Front, Democrats, Socialist People's Party, Democrats and GP URA, formed "under Ostrog".
PES: We do not agree with Backović's statement
The ruling Europe Now Movement (PES) told Vijesti that they do not agree with Backović's statement.
"PES affirms and perseveres in shaping Montenegro as a civil and inclusive society, in which religious communities are free and equal, but separate from the state and government. Therefore, we do not agree with Mr. Backović's allegations, because we were elected to office according to democratic mechanisms, through elections in which we were voted for by citizens who want the rule of law, increased living standards and progress in European integration," said PES.
They say that this is why they are addressing these topics, not wanting to allow anyone to shift social focus from the fight against crime through manipulative narratives or polemics about historical topics.
PES was founded in June 2022 by the current Prime Minister Milojko Spajic and the President of the State Jakov Milatovic (later left the party), who were ministers in Krivokapić's government. PES won the largest single vote in the elections on 11 June 2023, around 25,5 percent. This result enabled them to form a new majority consisting of the parties of the former Democratic Front (DF), the Democrats, the Socialist People's Party and Albanian parties. After the government was reshuffled last year, the Bosniak Party (BS) also entered the executive branch.
Zirojević says that the fact that Backović presented, that the majority of members of the Government and the parliamentary majority are on the payroll of the Serbian Orthodox Church, is not surprising, nor is the Serbian Orthodox Church's dissatisfaction that the highest officials of the executive branch, "despite all the mechanisms and instructions, are not capable of running the state the way the church leadership would like."
"It would not surprise me, therefore, if as part of the reconstruction Mom Koprivica (Deputy Prime Minister from the Democrats) replaces the monument in the Government Pavlo Đurišić", which would kill two birds with one stone - we would get a better-quality person in the vice-presidential position in the government, and the monument would also be given immunity, which would end the months-long hunt and search," Zirojević said ironically.
Čabarkapa: Backović's dangerous claims
Sara Čabarkapa believes that even more significant is Backović's statement from the same event on Saturday, in which he denies the aggression against Croatia and presents it as a legitimate military action.
He recalls that on that occasion he said that "aggression could not have happened" because "Croatia was not internationally recognized in the United Nations at that time."
"Such a claim is dangerous and required a clear reaction, because the facts about the aggression against Croatia are not subject to interpretation - they have been established, and there are verdicts from both Croatian and international courts regarding them," said Čabarkapa.
She warned that organized "people's events" like the one in Morinj, with messages that spread politically instrumentalized revisionism, could seriously undermine Montenegro's position in negotiations with the European Union.
"This is particularly problematic considering that the European path is, at least nominally, a priority of the Milojko Spajić government - a government that, however, remains silent on the undermining of that path by actors who, to use banking vocabulary more familiar to the prime minister, act as its creditors," said Čabarkapa.
The gathering in Morinje was organized by the Association of War Veterans of the 1990s and the organization Miholjski zbor, which some media outlets have linked to Backović, a participant in the 1990s wars and a former special forces member of the 63rd Parachute Brigade, close to pro-Russian organizations in Montenegro. The association and Miholjski zbor invited the Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović (Democrats) to implement the decision of the Ministry of Culture and remove the illegally placed memorial plaque in Morinje.
The leader of the Democratic People's Party attended the protest in Morinj Milan Knezevic, and those gathered said that they had come to defend the laws and dignity of the people and the state.
Croatian head of diplomacy Gordan Grlić Radman three years ago with the then Montenegrin Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense Ranko Krivokapić i Raško Konjević attended the unveiling of a memorial plaque, which states that there was a camp at that location, where Croatian prisoners were held during the “Greater Serbian aggression against Croatia”. Since the plaque was placed outside the procedure stipulated by the Law on Memorials, i.e. without a decision from the Government and the consent of the Municipality of Kotor, the inspection issued a decision on its removal and obliged the Municipality to implement it.
Backović has previously made problematic statements about Croats and Croatia
Čabarkapa reminds that Backović has previously made problematic statements about Croats and Croatia, such as the one in April this year, when he stated that Croats "are not a people but a project."
"Such rhetoric indicates the continuity of his nationalist discourse, not an incident," she stated.
Backović then said on TV Prva that until the war, Catholics in that part of the Montenegrin coast declared themselves as "Bokelji or Serbs".
"Then, in this project, the Croatization of the Roman Catholics of Boka Bay occurred and they were forcibly pushed to become Croats... I do not dispute the right to declare themselves as they wish, but I am talking about the project," said Backović.
A few days later, he told Radio Free Europe (RSE) that his words had been taken out of context.
"The Croatian people are a people, not a project. I do not consider them a project. I spoke about the project of Croatization of Roman Catholics in Boka Bay in one part. Of course, without denying first that there are Croats in Boka Bay," he said.
Čabarkapa believes that dissatisfaction with the plaque in Morinje and the text on it could have been expressed in a way that did not insult the victims and their families, and without justifying aggression against Croatia, which is all that Backović did during this protest.
"When it comes to the attitude of the ruling structure, it either openly supports, or at least is not allowed to criticize, such statements by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Additionally, the President of the Assembly, Andrija Mandić, just last weekend attended another event organized by the Serbian Orthodox Church, which also had an ideological revisionist character," she reminded.
In this context, as she said, it is clear that the SPC's dissatisfaction does not stem from the government's attitude towards it, but from the fact that even the smallest act of civility towards the victims of the policies they still advocate today or of interstate solidarity provokes their reaction.
"The only ones who can "cause" dissatisfaction in that matrix are representatives of minority parties, such as Foreign Minister Ervin Ibrahimović from the Bosniak Party, who, together with his Croatian colleague Gordan Grlić Radman, laid a wreath in Morinje, which is an act that symbolizes piety, not provocation," said Čabarkapa, recalling that on October 4, Grlić Radman and Ibrahimović were in Morinje.
This was also followed by a protest from a group of citizens, but the St. Michael's Association claimed that they were not the organizers of the gathering.
Ahead of the 2020 elections, the Tivat parish priest found himself the target of the controversial portal udar.me, which labeled a large number of people in Montenegro as collaborators of the Serbian Security and Information Agency. Because of the portal udar.me, the Special Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment for abuse of office against the then director of the National Security Agency Dejan Peruničić.
Backović's luxury BMW was set on fire in front of his house in January of this year. A few days later, police arrested a 19-year-old man suspected of the crime.
"It is dangerous to ignore messages that undermine the constitutional order"
Speaking about the lack of reaction from the authorities to Backović's statement in Morinje, Čabarkapa said that it was not a surprise.
She recalled that they did not react even when Metropolitan Metodije of Budimlje-Niksic unveiled a monument to war criminal Pavle Đurišić, when in his speech he mocked the security sector and announced the relocation of the monument to the church, which later happened.
"When there was no reaction to the open glorification of war criminals then, it is difficult to expect a reaction now, when the priest 'only' threatened political influence. For Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and his PES, this seems to be another 'village issue' that they will not deal with," she said.
According to her, such an attitude shows a deep misunderstanding of how dangerous it is to ignore messages that directly undermine the constitutional order and values on which European Montenegro should be based.
She reminded that in the case of the monument to Pavle Đurišić, CCE sent a letter to Miodrag Laković, president of the Committee for Defense and Security, with a request to convene a special session, which he refused.
"In today's political reality, that silence means approval," said Čabarkapa.
DPS: Current rulers have fallen into debt slavery towards church dignitaries
DPS told Vijesti that the statement by priest Mijajlo Backovic that everyone they, referring to the Serbian Orthodox Church, paid to sit in the Parliament, Government and Presidency must listen to them, confirms what DPS has continuously pointed out - that the current rulers have fallen into debt slavery towards the church dignitaries who brought them to power on August 30th.
"In this regard, it is not surprising that the state in the Berane village of Gornje Zaostro capitulated to the Serbian Orthodox Church, and that almost 2 and a half months later the security sector is unable to arrest the monument to the Chetnik butcher Pavle Đurišić. In conclusion, today the state is governed by those who are undisguised subjects of the Serbian Orthodox Church, who protect its interests, even when it threatens the interests of the state of Montenegro - therefore, yes, the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church is still crucial when it comes to decisions made by this freakish parliamentary majority made up of other people's servants and henchmen," said the DPS.
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