On Tuesday, the European Parliament (EP) released a statement indicating that the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) of the EP is advocating for collaborative efforts in Montenegro to foster political stability and pursue reforms.

The statement also expresses grave concern among European parliamentarians regarding the malicious interference from non-EU countries, along with destabilization and disinformation campaigns aimed at swaying political processes and public sentiment. Furthermore, it emphasizes that religious institutions can be weaponized for influence, explicitly condemning any undue interference by the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in this context.

This statement follows a series of recent remarks and actions from senior SPC officials in Montenegro that have exacerbated divisions within the already polarized Montenegrin society.

Metropolitan Joanikije Mićović leveraged the Easter holidays to initiate a revisionist campaign promoting the glorification of fascist war criminal Pavle Đurišić as a hero, martyr, and supposed defender of the Serbian populace. On May 3, he continued his tribute to Đurišić in the village of Razboj near Lijevča Polje, revisiting the site of Đurišić’s capture during one of the closing battles of World War II.

On Victory Day, commemorated in Europe on May 8 and still on May 9 in Serbia and Montenegro (according to Soviet tradition), a proclamation was issued by another diocese in Montenegro – Budimljan and Nikšić. On June 7, a memorial service and liturgy will be conducted at the diocesan Monastery of Podmainsko for the “fighters of the First and Second Durmitor Chetnik Brigades and victims of communist terror,” presided over by Bishop Metodije Ostojić. A promotional poster shared by DPS MP Ivan Vuković on the X network features a bearded Chetnik with a cockade and machine gun in the upper right corner, along with a black flag in the left corner.

The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrated the feast of St. Basil of Ostrog on May 12, coinciding with the baptismal feast of Andrija Mandić’s New Serbian Democracy (NSD). The festivities concluded with a procession in Nikšić, where Joanikije remarked that “St. Basil unites not only Herzegovina and Montenegro but all Serbian lands.”

However, it is noteworthy that this saint transcends just the so-called Serbian lands and unifies Christians on a broader scale. Both the metropolitan and the majority of his supporters conveniently overlook St. Basil’s letter from January 3, 1671, addressed to Pope Clement X, in which he refers to him as his master, holy father, and supreme apostle whose throne he and his clergy uphold.

Joannikije and Metodije are distorting national history and critiquing Catholicism and domestic communist narratives. They simultaneously facilitate the revival of communist criminals and the ideologies of Soviet Russia. Interestingly, the media, with the exception of Antena M, largely ignored the report that Metropolitan Joannikije consecrated the monastery church of the Holy Matrona of Moscow on October 5 of last year in the village of Kovači within Kotor Municipality. This church, constructed in the Russian ecclesiastical architectural style, is dedicated to the allegedly sanctified Matrona Dimitrijevna Nikonova (1883-1952).

The Metropolitan noted that Saint Matrona was a newfound saint, “almost completely unknown to the general populace.” He mentioned her relevance during World War II, claiming that she was known to provide comfort and foresight. Joanikije elaborated, stating that “it is said that even Stalin visited her to inquire whether the Germans would take Moscow; she offered comfort and hope for all.”

Matrona was canonized as a local saint by Russian Patriarch Alexy II Ridiger, who had associations with the KGB, in 1997 and later recognized as an all-Russian saint in 2004 under Vladimir Putin. The narrative emerging from Putin’s era aims to rehabilitate communist villains and mass murderers like Joseph Stalin. This includes the fabricated story of Stalin’s visit to Matrona in 1941. She allegedly reassured Stalin that “the Russian people will prevail; victory is yours; of all those in power, you alone shall not flee Moscow.” Various representations have been fashioned to depict Matrona offering blessings to Stalin, contributing to the notion of “church Stalinism.”

Since Putin’s ascendance, any criticism of Stalin has been quashed, resulting in the establishment of 114 monuments dedicated to the dictator known for the violent persecution of the Christian church and adversaries of Bolshevism. Just before World War II, Stalin’s regime had either closed or destroyed over 30 places of worship and arrested more than 168 religious figures, over 103 of whom were murdered, alongside the killing of 60 bishops. The loss of life among ordinary believers reached into the millions. Stalin’s campaign against Christians was momentarily halted when the Red Army faced impending doom in the fall of 1941, at which point he leveraged the narrative of defending the homeland rather than communism.

Hieromonk Iov Gumerov, who in 1997 was responsible for preparing the canonization materials for Matrona, asserted, “there is no evidence to corroborate Stalin’s visit to her.” Pavel Florensky, the head of the Expert Group on Miracles of the Synodal Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church, criticized the portrayal of Matrona for being saturated with superstitions and doctrinal uncertainties. Alexei Osipov, a professor at the Moscow Theological Academy, cautioned against Matrona’s “blasphemous assertions” that vomiting post-communion is beneficial as it expels demons. According to her, “they invade a person through the air when breathing, residing in the blood.”

Despite advisers warning against her lack of evidence and failure to meet the criteria for sainthood, church authority (many of whom are affiliated with the Federal Security Service—the KGB’s successor) sanctioned her canonization. This notion of saintly truth has also found acceptance among the bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in both Montenegro and Serbia. The upper echelons of the Serbian Orthodox Church have supported Russian military action against Ukraine. In statements indicative of servility toward the Kremlin, both KGB Patriarch Kirill and Serbian Patriarch Porfiry are highlighted, alongside Montenegrin bishops. In the summer of 2023, Methodius boldly declared that the re-Stalinized “holy Russia is the beacon of hope not just for Orthodox peoples, but for all of Europe and the globe.”

These two bishops are not the only voices expressing affection for “holy Russia.” On March 10, Aleksandar Obradović, the chargé d’affaires at the embassy in Moscow, claimed at the international forum Balkan Dialogue 2025 in St. Petersburg that while “standing at the heart of holy Russia… our two peoples share a bond stronger than current politics, more enduring than documents and agreements—our connection lies in a common faith, a shared sense of justice and honor.” Obradović is recognized as an associate of Milan Roćen, the chief advisor to former leader Milo Đukanović. Recorded documents suggest that Đukanović’s project for an independent (albeit corrupt) Montenegro received both direct and indirect assistance from the Putin administration. On May 10, Obradović clarified his references to faith, justice, and honor by sharing an image of the Felix Dzerzhinsky monument outside Lubyanka, the headquarters of the notorious state security services, captioned with “all of you are seen, all of you are seen by the space police.”

Dzerzhinsky, the infamous leader of the Cheka, the predecessor to the KGB, is held accountable for the deaths of approximately a quarter of a million individuals and for severe violence against the Orthodox Church and all who opposed Bolshevism. His monument was dismantled by protesters in Moscow after the failed military coup in 1991 but was reinstated by President Putin on September 11, 2023.

In addition to remaining mute on the resurgence of Bolshevism in Putin’s “holy Russia,” Joanikije and Metodije have also reinforced narratives surrounding the so-called St. Alexander Nevsky, whose busts—gifts from the Russian embassy in Podgorica—were consecrated in December 2023 in Nikšić and Andrijevica. Alexander Nevsky is regarded as the patron saint of the Land Forces of the Russian Federation and is purportedly the titular saint of the Vasojević tribe, a narrative recently advanced by the Serbian Orthodox Church, despite the absence of any church dedicated to him in Vasojevići. During a sermon on September 12, 2024, Metropolitan Joanikije articulated why Alexander Nevsky holds sudden significance for Montenegro, asserting that Nevsky demonstrated “courage and wisdom” in defending his people from Western Crusaders poised to invade Russia. Methodius echoed that Nevsky “protected the Vasojevićs from the impending Catholic invasion from Albania.” At the time, Nevsky was the Prince of Novgorod, when the Russian territories were already being ravaged by Mongols and Tartars, making him a vassal.

“Comparable challenges are once again arising in our era,” concluded the Metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro.

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