The former Montenegrin capital Cetinje has been rocked by protests against the enthronement of Joanikije, the new metropolitan bishop of the Montenegro and the Littoral diocese, a part of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), as well as the visit of Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, with protesters breaking through the police cordon and blocking off the entry into the city, the country's national television reported on Saturday
BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th September, 2021) The former Montenegrin capital Cetinje has been rocked by protests against the enthronement of Joanikije, the new metropolitan bishop of the Montenegro and the Littoral diocese, a part of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), as well as the visit of Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, with protesters breaking through the police cordon and blocking off the entry into the city, the country's national television reported on Saturday.
Joanikije is set to be ordained at the Cetinje Monastery on Sunday, to the chagrin of the country's nationalists, who view SOC priests as Serbian agents of influence. The official greeting ceremony for Porfirije is scheduled to take place this evening outside of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica.
Earlier in the day, the protesters pushed through the police cordon at the city entrance and near the fire station. The law enforcement officers were reported to apply riot control equipment against the protesters but later retreated. There are no information about casualties so far.
According to the national broadcaster, the protesters blocked the way from Podgorica and Budva to Cetinje to prevent the Serbian patriarch from reaching the old capital. The broadcaster's video footage shows people building barricades with rocks and tires.
Both the Montenegrin Interior Ministry and the Serbian authorities have been expressing their concerns about the safety of the upcoming enthronement ceremony. Montenegro's national security council on Friday ordered the security and intelligence agencies to increase cooperation in order to protect the constitutional order and the citizen's rights and freedoms.
