Montenegrin schismatics intensified their activity after the Djukanovic party's victory

[Daniel76]

Montenegrin schismatics intensified their activity after the Djukanovic party's victory

Contrary to the Serbian Orthodox Church Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Amfilohije, whom we all remember as stressing the unacceptability of state interference in church affairs, disgowned "Archbishop" Michael (secular Miras Dedeic) is once again trying to put religion in the service of politicians. Thus, he follows the Roman Catholic pattern of merging church and state. However this praxis not only secularizes the Body of Christ, but also contradicts the deeply engrained Orthodox mentality of the people.

As my local Serbian pen pal told me, the head of the Montenegrin dissenters has recently came out with loud accusations (1) against the Serbian Orthodox Church. And anyone who is even slightly acquainted with the political situation in the country cannot but notice how these accusations echoed the rhetoric of Prime Minister Djukanovic. Moreover, Miras Dedeic happened to make his statements just a week after the victory of the Djukanovic's ruling party had been announced.

Having been already condemned by the Ecumenical Patriarch, Dedeic couldn't have been unaware that the only way to gain independence from the Serbian Orthodox Church is repentance. Thus, there were no reasons for defrocked priest to step up against the canonical church with nationalist rhetoric and slander. Except for one: to do political put-up job.

Acting as an studious pupil of the U.S. special services, pro-Western Montenegrin leader seems to be willing deprive rebellious Montenegrins of spiritual support and Grace by replacing the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church with the ungodly NGO "Montenegrin Orthodox Church". State-funded and loyal schismatics are known to be the best tool for destabilizing society and breaking people's will to protect the Christian tradition, national interests and independence. Why else would the politicians support those who have already been condemned by the Church and defrocked?

(1) http://www.blic.rs/vesti/drustvo/miras- ... ja/0e2q8df

[Maria]

Montenegrin schismatics intensified their activity after the Djukanovic party's victory

Contrary to the Serbian Orthodox Church Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Amfilohije, whom we all remember as stressing the unacceptability of state interference in church affairs, disgowned "Archbishop" Michael (secular Miras Dedeic) is once again trying to put religion in the service of politicians. Thus, he follows the Roman Catholic pattern of merging church and state. However this praxis not only secularizes the Body of Christ, but also contradicts the deeply engrained Orthodox mentality of the people.

As my local Serbian pen pal told me, the head of the Montenegrin dissenters has recently came out with loud accusations (1) against the Serbian Orthodox Church. And anyone who is even slightly acquainted with the political situation in the country cannot but notice how these accusations echoed the rhetoric of Prime Minister Djukanovic. Moreover, Miras Dedeic happened to make his statements just a week after the victory of the Djukanovic's ruling party had been announced.

Having been already condemned by the Ecumenical Patriarch, Dedeic couldn't have been unaware that the only way to gain independence from the Serbian Orthodox Church is repentance. Thus, there were no reasons for defrocked priest to step up against the canonical church with nationalist rhetoric and slander. Except for one: to do political put-up job.

Acting as an studious pupil of the U.S. special services, pro-Western Montenegrin leader seems to be willing deprive rebellious Montenegrins of spiritual support and Grace by replacing the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church with the ungodly NGO "Montenegrin Orthodox Church". State-funded and loyal schismatics are known to be the best tool for destabilizing society and breaking people's will to protect the Christian tradition, national interests and independence. Why else would the politicians support those who have already been condemned by the Church and defrocked?

(1) http://www.blic.rs/vesti/drustvo/miras- ... ja/0e2q8df

Why was "Archbishop" Michael (Dedeic) defrocked by the EP?

Is this defrocked "Archbishop" Michael associated with any of the Genuine True Orthodox Christians?

[Maria]

I found this information on wikipedia, which often twists information to fit their purposes, so that it can not be trusted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montenegr ... dox_Church

In a 2009 poll conducted by CEDEM, 29.36% of Montenegro's Eastern Orthodox Christians have since opted for the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, while 70.64% opted or stayed with the Serbian Orthodox Church.[1]

...

The Montenegrin Orthodox Church was founded in Cetinje on October 31, 1993, by Antonije Abramović, allegedly with the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro (LSCG), a political party that existed at the time.[citation needed] At the time, Montenegro was part of the federal state with Serbia called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which was formed a year earlier following a 1992 referendum. LSCG, a party with a pro-independence agenda, is claimed to having used MOC as a tool in their quest for Montenegrin sovereignty. At that time, the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) maintained close ties to Milošević's administration in Serbia, and therefore the initial activities of the MOC were very sporadic. By 1997, the DPS administration in Montenegro led by Milo Đukanović began to distance itself from Milošević, and MOC was registered as a civic group. By this time, LSCG had distanced itself from MOC almost completely. On January 17, 2001, MOC was officially registered as a non-governmental organization at the local department of the Montenegrin Ministry of the Interior.[2]

...

Metropolitan Mihailo [Michael] had worked as a professor for the Serbian Orthodox Church and then as a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church in Italy, where he uncanonically created a Serbian Orthodox Municipality out of the Greek Church, leading after a number of scandals, including adultery and accusations of embezzlement, to his permanent suspension from the Church in 1995. After becoming Metropolitan of the MOC in 1997, he was fully excommunicated by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople from the Eastern Orthodox Church. During his pastoral visit in Argentina in 2007, the Metropolitan Mihailo met Cardinal Bergoglio current Pope Francis (Francesco in Italian language).

...

The Church has support from a number of likewise non-canonical, unrecognized Eastern Orthodox Churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kievan Patriarchate[verification needed], the Bulgarian Alternative Orthodox Church (founded by patriarch Pimen), and its Italian-based branch, the Orthodox Church in Italy. ... It also had support of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia during its uncanonical period, before it was restored into canonical communion by 2007.

[Maria]

This is what Orthodox Wikipedia says:

https://orthodoxwiki.org/Montenegrin_Orthodox_Church

The Montenegrin Orthodox Church was registered as a non-governmental organization at the Montenegrin Ministry of the Interior in 1997. It claims to be the sole legitimate Eastern Orthodox Church in Montenegro, but it is unrecognized internationally by canonical Orthodox churches.

MOC supporters also present an excerpt from the 1911 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the proofs of legitimacy: "The Montenegrin Church is an autocephalous branch of the Eastern Orthodox communion. In 1894 it formally vindicated its independence against the claims of the Russian synod". However the remainder of the article refers to Montenegro as a Serbian state, which contradicts the church's basic beliefs. The Catalogue of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (April 1855), Athens Sintagma, letter of Ecumenical Patriarch Grigorius to St. Petar I Petrovic Njegos (dated 29th January 1798), and against the claims of other documents. Claims are (in support of MOC) that MOC was independent and autocephalous until Serbian and Yugoslav King Alexander I of Yugoslavia put MOC, by the decree of 17th (30th) June 1920, under the Serbian Orthodox Church's rule [12] [13]. However, although initially voicing his opposition, the dethroned King Nicholas I Petrovic-Njegos in late 1920 also recognized the uniting of the Church with the SOC, for the benefit of "all the Serbian people".

It must be noted that the current Montenegrin Orthodox Church is nothing in character or aims similar to the old Church of Montenegro, which was part of the Church of Serbia. While the latter based itself upon successorship to the abolished Serbian Orthodox Church by Ottoman decree of 1766, with its Metropolitans asserting the title "Exarch of the Serb Throne" which they hold up to today, who were also great proponents of the reunification of the SOC which has finally occurred in 1920 as well as the national liberation and unification of Serbs based on medieval Serbian heritage, the MOC presents itself as a church of just Montenegro, is a supporter of the Montenegrin nation and a proponent for a separate Montenegrin language, trying to gather not only Orthodox, but all of Montenegro's faithful as well.

Metropolitan Antonije (Abramović) (initially vehemently supported by the biggest pro-independence party in Montenegro at the time - Liberal Alliance of Montenegro (LSCG)[15]) was the first leader of the church in 1993. He was later replaced by Metropolitan Mihailo (Dedeić), anathemized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and banished from Orthodoxy.