Serbian Church Expels Montenegro Govt Officials and MPs

The Episcopal Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro on Sunday expelled Montenegrin government representatives and MPs after the Freedom of Religion Law was passed despite unrest in parliament last week.

The church urged government officials to start a dialogue before the law becomes a source of serious social divisions with unprecedented consequences.

"Passing such a law does not serve to honour those who proposed it or those who voted for it. Those who are Orthodox have excommunicated themselves from the Orthodox Church, regretfully. We command the clergy not to do any ecclesiastical work for them until they repent," the church said in a statement.

The law was passed on Friday despite fierce objections from the Serbian Orthodox Church, its supporters and pro-Serbian opposition parties who claim that the legislation will enable the authorities to steal the Serbian Orthodox Church's property in Montenegro.

While MPs in parliament debated the law, opposition supporters, Serbian Orthodox priests and members of the public took to the streets to express anger.

Trying to prevent the vote, MPs from the main opposition Democratic Front rushed at the speaker of parliament, some saying they were "ready to die" for the church.

Police then intervened and detained the MPs, after which parliament passed the law.

Police detained a total of 22 people over the incident, including all 18 Democratic Front deputies, 15 of whom were later released.

The controversial law includes a register of all religious buildings and sites that authorities say were owned by the independent kingdom of Montenegro before it became part of the Serb-dominated Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918, later renamed Yugoslavia.