Otvoreno pismo visokim predstavnicima o položaju Crnogorske Pravoslavne Crkve

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations office at Geneva,
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, Europe
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To the Excel John Baird Foreign Minister
125 Sussex Dr. Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2
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To Exel Dr.Srdjan Darmanovic Ambassador of Montenegro
1610 New Hampshire Ave. N.W. Washington DC, 20009, USA
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Centar za diasporu Gosp.Branko Milic Direktor
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Njegovom viskopreosvjestenstvu Mitropolitu Mihailu CPC
Vladicanski Dom, Gruda, Cetinje, 81250 Montenegro, Europe
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We respect the differences between all people and believe that diversity contributes to the richness of societies and humanity in general. Everyone, regardless of religion, culture, race, and generation, should work towards global peace and be above politics. Sadly, religious conflicts have led to many serious tragic events throughout history. In order to move forward as a people, we must respect diversity and realize that it is the essence of coexistence and mutual progress. Therefore, we feel obligated to bring to your attention the serious human right and democratic problems that are currently taking place in our native country of Montenegro.

The Montenegrin Orthodox Church has been waiting for many years for the return of its property and status. Both were illegally taken away from it by the decree of the Serbian regent, Alexander, in the 1920s. At that time, the state of Montenegro was abolished and the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church commenced its methodical devastating mission of de-nationalization in Montenegro. At present, the Autocephalous Montenegrin Orthodox Church is at the margin of the overall religious and public life in Montenegro, although it is in its own house – the independent, sovereign, and internationally recognized state of Montenegro.

This unresolved issue of the status of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church is a destabilising factor for the State of Montenegro. The humiliating status that is imposed on the Montenegrin Orthodox Church is not in accordance with the constitution, law, moral and customary norms of neither our country nor the global society. We ask for the right to use all of the orthodox churches in Montenegro that were confiscated from us and are currently under the sole use of the Serbian Orthodox Church. This would be a democratic and human solution until the final decision of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church issues are reached.

We also ask for immediate and serious penalties to be imposed on those who threaten and discriminate against the members and the clergy of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. The recent incident involving the Montenegrin Orthodox Church vicar, Bojan Bojovic, who received numerous death threats only because he wanted to build a small church on his own land while having all of the appropriate building permits and documents for the proposed building, is one of many that need to be seriously addressed by the international community. Because he did not share their religious beliefs, the inhabitants of the neighboring village, banned Bojan Bojovic from passing through the rural public road. After the telephone death threats, a young, 32-year-old priest, who graduated from a seminary in Rome, sued Dendić, who did not hide his identity. In civil proceedings before the Basic Court in Niksic, Dendić was found guilty of the offense of "endangering security" and sentenced only to 45 days probation. So, Dendić - despite the reasoning of the court that there is a strong possibility that the threat can be accomplished - remained at large. This is of a great concern to us.

The Montenegrin Orthodox Church is not the only one that is affected by the weakness of the Montenegrin judicial system. The small Catholic Church, "Our Lady of the Snow" built in the 15th century in a small town called Verige in Boka Kotor Bay - the UNESCO World Heritage Site, was recently under the ruthless attack of unknown vandals who emptied the entire contents of a pump truck that was used to clear septic tanks in the Church's yard.

We ask you to please help us to protect our culture and basic human rights by ensuring that the perpetrators of these atrocities get punished.