U.S. upset with the "SOC impact on independent institutions of Montenegro"

U.S. Embassy in Montenegro. Photo: diplomacy.state.gov

The United States is unhappy with "the influence of the Serbian Orthodox Church on the independent institutions of Montenegro," reports the Balkanist portal.

The U.S. Embassy in Podgorica gave a negative response to the inclusion of Doctor of Theology, Professor, Archpriest of the Serbian Orthodox Church Nikola Marojevic in the Steering Committee of the University of Montenegro.

“In the name of the progress of civil society in Montenegro, independent institutions that serve the interests of the public should not be under the inappropriate influence of any religious community,” Balkanist quoted the American diplomatic mission.

The candidacy of Archpriest Nikola Marojevic was proposed by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Montenegro. The mayor of Niksic, Marko Kovacevic, supported the appointment. He called the priest "one of the outstanding intellectuals of Montenegro".

The Balkanist portal said that Igor Damjanovic, an analyst from Podgorica, reminded the U.S. Embassy that President Biden's inauguration took place in the presence of a Catholic priest, and US Vice President Kamala Harris swore on two Bibles.

“The appointment of Professor Marojevic caused the expected irritation among the guardians of the ‘Aryan purity’ of the Montenegrin institutions. They continue the trend of positioning hate speech, stigmatization and deprivation of Montenegrin citizens of Serbian nationality of their rights as normal,” said Damjanovic.

Earlier, the UOJ reported the Russian Orthodox Church announced the disclosure of mechanisms of the American impact on the crisis in Orthodoxy.
 

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