Despite the disputes between the two Orthodox churches, Montenegrin society is tolerant when it comes to religion, but it is questionable whether it will remain so, considering that the political and economic situation in the country is quite unstable, according to the report on religious freedom of the international organization Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
"The Serbian and Montenegrin Orthodox churches are still arguing over the ownership of property. The SPC continues with offensive rhetoric, which sometimes includes hate speech, and interferes in the politics and affairs of the state," the ACN report states.
They remind that the Draft Law on Freedom of Religion has not yet been adopted, which stipulates that all religious buildings and land built by 2018 will be declared state property and part of the cultural heritage, that religious communities will pay taxes...
ACN reminds that 4.501 objections were submitted to the Draft and that the document was withdrawn.
"Although it was announced, the new Draft was not presented until the end of last year. The Ministry of Human and Minority Rights announced that they are considering the new Draft, but they do not specify when it will be submitted to the Assembly for adoption," the ACN report states, among other things.
They also assess that, with the exception of conflicts between the two Orthodox churches and rare religious conflicts, relations between religions in Montenegro are friendly and tolerant. They cite the example from Rožaj, where Muslims helped rebuild the Orthodox church.
"In Rožaje, the majority of the population is Muslim, only two percent of the residents are Orthodox", according to ACN.
Traditional tolerance from ACN is questioned, given that the political and economic situation in the country is quite unstable.
"A year after Montenegro was officially admitted to NATO, there are not many positive changes in the everyday life of Montenegrin citizens. Reforms are generally slow, and the general public believes that the government is inefficient and corrupt", according to ACN.
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