Government of Montenegro approves text of Agreement with Serbian Church

The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazović, signed the Basic Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church on July 8, 2022, after the Cabinet’s session that lasted several hours, reports the official website of the Government of the Republic.

According to the TV company vijesti.me, 13 of the 18 ministers present at the meeting supported the document.

The treaty regulates the relations, mutual rights and obligations between the state and the Church and stipulates the following:

• The Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in Montenegro is separated from the state;
• The Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) is separated from the State; the SOC is recognized as a legal subject and has had continuity since 1219; 
• The State of Montenegro guarantees to the Serbian Orthodox Church that no security measures can be taken on its premises by public authorities without prior approval of the competent church authorities;
• The Serbian Orthodox Church is vested with public legal powers;
• The State guarantees the inviolability of the property of the Church and undertakes to register (enter into the cadastre) previously unregistered immovable property belonging to the dioceses of the SOC in Montenegro;
• The introduction of religious education in public educational institutions is allowed.

The basic agreement, once approved by the Government, will be sent to the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which must also adopt it.

As reported, the Montenegrin authorities have made public the text of the Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church.