The people of Berane are criminals, gamblers, drug dealers..., Danilo Romanov, the abbot of the Đurđevi stupovi monastery in Berane, said yesterday to the faithful who protested in front of that monastery because priests Miloš Cicmil and Stefan Milovanović were transferred to other parishes.
They resented that decision, but also because, as written on the website of the diocese, the abbot of the monastery is Danilo Trpčevski, who is not from those parts.
"If someone from Beran was good, he would be from Beran. But Beranians are criminals, gamblers, drug dealers. Why hasn't anyone from Beran come to become a monk in the last 20 years if he cares about the holy place, to protect the holy place, but you are idle... I I will be here until I die, with God's blessing," Romanov told the crowd, can be heard on the video.
One of those gathered replied to Romanov that "while bishop Joanikije was there, the monastery was full. You insult us Berans".
Then there was a push, but the crowd prevented the clash.
After the protest, Romanov issued a statement in which he said that he regretted reacting to the inappropriate words directed at him, but that he could not stand aside because those gathered wanted to interfere with the organization of the monastery, and that he had no intention of offending anyone. it offends to point out the problems in Berane.
"Due to the protest of a part of the citizens who gathered tonight in front of the Đurđevi Stupovi Monastery in Berane under the slogan "We will not give Stefan and Miloš", I want to inform the public that the issues of the arrangement of the church are resolved within the church, and not at the protests. As the abbot of the Đurđevi Stupovi Monastery, I intended to address the attendees and explain the church's position regarding the situation, but I was exposed to verbal attacks from some of the attendees who asked me to leave the monastery, because I am not from Beran, to which I came with God's blessing and where the Church sent me," said Romanov .
He thought, he says, "when they care so much about the monastery, and it bothers them that I'm not from Berane, why doesn't one of them come to become a monk and live a monastic life and manage the monastery, there are already many vices in Berane, such as drug addiction, gambling and thievery, and there are hardly any who would like to come to the monastery and live as monks".
"I regret that I reacted to the inappropriate words they directed at me, but I could not stay away, because they wanted to interfere in the organization of the monastery. If there had not been such attacks, I would not have reacted the way I did, because I had no the intention to offend anyone, but to point out problems of that kind in Berane. So I was not thinking of all the citizens of Berane, but of such circles, which would also deal with church issues," said Romanov.
He believes that there is needlessly widespread intolerance towards the bishop and him as abbot, because church issues are resolved through a conversation with the bishop.
"All responsibility for today's unfortunate event is borne by those who in an unecclesiastical manner oppose the decisions of the bishop, who governs the Diocese and is not an enemy of the church and the people. I apologize if my words were interpreted in the wrong way, because I was not referring to all the citizens of Beran, but to those who prefer a vicious life to a monastic life and devotion to God," concluded Romanov.
Bonus video:
