WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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MUWN-Mr. Mugosa, you have recently been the head of the church municipality of Podgorica. What are your plans for the next period?
Z.M.-There are a lot of plans, priorities need to be made.
First of all, it is most important to ensure that the CPC believers in Podgorica, who number in the tens of thousands, have the opportunity to exercise their guaranteed rights and freedoms and practice their Orthodox faith. Under the plans, in order not to be too ambitious, a good organization of church committees should be made in every part of the city, start thinking in a new way about solving the building of the cathedral church in Podgorica, as well as accompanying buildings, a parish hall that would have all the necessary facilities, offices, a hall, a library, a place for priests to live...
I am of the opinion that we need to prepare the conditions for these plans to be realized in the near future, because the possibility of organizing other contents depends on the space: the choir, humanitarian activities and other contents that are unsuitable...
MUWN- CPC believers in Podgorica do not have a place where they can practice their religious rituals. For many years, there was talk about the allocation of land and the construction of a temple, but the story never went beyond that. Will you deal with this issue in the coming period?
Z.M.-There is nothing more important for us Orthodox Montenegrins in Podgorica than solving this issue, we in the CPC Church Municipality in Podgorica are aware that it will take time and a lot of work to realize this need, but we believe that this issue should be approached in a different way. We do not give up any church or monastery that was built by our ancestors and that were the property of the Principality of Montenegro or the property of brotherhoods, villages and tribes... The ownership of these places of worship should be regulated in the future, as was foreseen by the law from 2019. that all objects for which there is no proof of ownership be the property of the state of Montenegro. We believe that even after us, a church should remain built that will bear witness to this period in which we live, as well as to the previous 30 years, when our rights as believers were challenged and obstructed in various ways. As one of the solutions, we see that we find a place that suits us, collect money and buy land for the construction of a cathedral church in Podgorica, because waiting for the land to be allocated to us has obviously lost all meaning. We want and will, and it depends on us whether we will organize ourselves to buy land and build a congregational church in Podgorica.
MUNW- The position of the CPC and its followers has not been more difficult for a long time. They suffer discrimination at all levels. How to deal with this discrimination and violation of basic human rights, which is carried out by the current government in Montenegro?
Z.M.-This question goes beyond our authority as a representative of the Church Municipality, I can answer as a CPC believer, I think our answer can be to organize well and unite because there are prominent lawyers among us, to respond to any discrimination with a lawsuit and to inform the international public.
MUNW- Do you plan to continue the fight for the realization of your rights in front of international institutions?
Z.M.-And this question goes beyond our powers.
To make it clearer, the Church Municipality is one of the organs in the Church that is exclusively concerned with creating the conditions to improve and organize the religious life of the parishes in the best possible way in the territory covered by the Church Municipality and to help the clergy to carry out their mission for the benefit of the faithful.
MUWN-CPC is also in a complete media blockade. It is almost impossible to find information about the CPC on the Public Service, which is financed by the money of all citizens of Montenegro.
Z.M.-The whole of Montenegro is under blockade, but we have many opportunities through the portal and other ways to convey our views.
We should bear responsibility for everything that happens related to CPC. We had no right to believe in someone's good will, if we had spent more energy on organizing, harmony and unity among us CPC believers, I think everyone would have respected the results.
MUWN- We must also remember the historical facts and the violent abolition of the CPC after the Serbian occupation of Montenegro in 1918. Although more than 100 years have passed, the temples built by Montenegrins and used by the autocephalous CPC are still owned by the SPC. The current government legally regulated it by signing the so-called Basic Agreement. How to eliminate this age-old injustice and return to Montenegro what was stolen from it during the occupation?
Z.M.-It can be solved in several ways, but the most acceptable is the law on freedom of religion. If the state of Montenegro does not want to create additional problems in connection with this, it must solve it in a fair way and provide freedom of use of churches and monasteries to all believers
MUWN- Does the CPC have communication or contacts with the Ecumenical Patriarchate? I am asking you this because the jurisdiction of an Orthodox Church can only extend within the borders of the country whose name it bears. That canon law violates the SPC, one would say with the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Z.M.-I think we all need to understand that we as believers can have our own wishes, but the issue of cooperation with other churches is the responsibility of the highest church authorities in the CPC.
In this period, it remains for us to work and help our clergy and the church as a whole, when they see our faith, will and organization, they will all help to solve our issue.
We don't need petitions, we need attendance at our church services, for all our rites in the family to be performed by CPC clergy, and the results will be visible to everyone who is interested.
MUWN- Some of the Orthodox churches, like the states, have long since accepted the Gregorian calendar. The CPC has not yet, and as of this year the church in Ukraine has done it. Does the CPC talk or think about it?
Z.M.-The calendar question is very complex and not only the date of Christmas is moved, but all the dates in which certain saints (fixed holidays) related to the date are celebrated. This issue must be resolved by a large consensus among the Orthodox Montenegrin people, and only the Holy Synod of the CPC is invited to resolve it.
MUWN-What kind of cooperation does CPC have with other religious communities in Montenegro?
Z.M.-Peace, love, coexistence and respect is our attitude towards everyone who lives and respects our Montenegro and CPC.
MUWN- Finally, what is your message to our readers?
Z.M.-To love our country and fight for the rights of Montenegrins in every respect is a sacred obligation to our ancestors who shed their blood for the honorable Montenegrin name, as well as an obligation to our descendants, not to leave this burden for them to solve.
I use this opportunity to greet all people of good will, who in any way support the issue of the rights of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church to be resolved in a just and honorable way. A special and big greeting for our wonderful diaspora that has never forgotten its Montenegro.
Justice is slow but attainable. I believe in God's justice and historical truth that is on the side of the Montenegrins.
M. Jahovic
