The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Patriarch Porfirije said on Friday that the church would not get involved in party politics in Montenegro.

A SPC press release said that the Patriarch met with Montenegrin deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, Education and Culture Minister Vesna Bratic and leaders of several parties in the ruling coalition to discuss the Fundamental Agreement between the Church and Montenegrin government to regulate the status of the SPC Montenegro-Littoral Bishopric. The agreement was planned to be signed by the Montenegrin government which took over from President Milo Djukanovic’s Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).

The DPS-led government introduced a law on religious communities which critics claimed would allow it to seize Church properties.
The press release quoted the Patriarch as saying that he is sure the agreement will be signed as soon as the political situation normalizes in Montenegro.

Abazovic and Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic have been at odds for several weeks, with both calling for each others’ dismissal. Abazovic also called for a vote of no confidence in the government and the forming of a minority cabinet.