In a press release, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church strongly condemned the latest persecution of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro and last night’s arrest of Bishop Joanikije of Budimlye-Niksic and seven priests by the Montenegrin authorities, which under the false pretext of fighting the coronavirus had been using the opportunity to confront the Serbian Orthodox Church and her faithful people.
The Holy Synod of Bishops called upon the authorities in Montenegro to stop persecuting the Church and to finally started behaving in accordance with the norms of civilization, according to which free confession of faith is one of the most important rights of every individual.
At the same time, the Holy Synod of Bishops expressed great concern over the aggravation of the situation in Montenegro and hoped that the Serbian people, as before, would act peacefully and would not respond to provocations by the then authorities that obviously wanted a conflict to accuse the Orthodox Church and her believers.
The Holy Synod stated that it was clear to anyone reasonable and well-meaning that sobriety and prudence should be preserved in these moments, and above all, we should pray to God that peace prevails in Montenegro and that the innocent Bishop Joanikije and his priests should be released from custody immediately.