Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Joanikije said challenging the Fundamental Agreement would constitute violence against the church, adding that the agreement has been signed and that it cannot be annulled or amended unless both parties consent to it.
„I don’t know of the possibility of a unilateral termination of the agreement. We are open to everything, but I think that an end has been put to this issue and that nothing essential will change. We have the Law on Freedom of Religion, which is not ideal but it is acceptable, as well as the Basic Agreement, which is not ideal but it is acceptable, and I think that this has resolved the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in Montenegro, and if someone wants to challenge it, we will fight for our rights as we have been doing so far,“ the top bishop of the SPC in Montenegro told the Montenegrin state television.
Joanikije said that there has been too much political interference in this matter, adding that he is glad the church will no longer be a political bargaining chip.
