Is the Montenegrin Orthodox Church splitting?

At today's General Montenegrin Assembly held on Dvorski trg in Cetinje, Bishop Boris Bojović of Ostrog-Nikšić was elected as the metropolitan of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC). The current metropolitan of the CPC, Mihailo, assessed that the assembly was a failed political rally, a violation of the CPC's Constitution, and that the decisions made were legally void.

“Archbishop of Cetinje, Metropolitan of Montenegro – His Beatitude Mr. Boris,” it was announced today after the General Montenegrin Assembly in Cetinje.

In addition, decisions were made at the assembly for the current head of the CPC, Mihailo, to retire and for the restorer of the CPC, Antonije Abramović, to be canonized and proclaimed as Saint Antonije, Metropolitan of Montenegro.

Metropolitan Mihailo then announced that it was a failed political rally, or rather an unsuccessful coup organized by the “Committee for the Preservation of the CPC.”

According to him, the decisions from the assembly have no legality or legitimacy and represent a violation of the CPC's Constitution, and therefore are legally void and produce no consequences for the status and established hierarchy and structure of the CPC.

“Metropolitans cannot be replaced and new ones elected through street rallies, by force, contrary to the CPC's Constitution, while the current head is alive and well, so these 'decisions' are of no importance to the CPC. The CPC, within its legal powers, will take canonical, church-constitutional legal measures against violators of internal order and discipline,” Mihailo briefly stated.

Following today's events, the question arises whether a split in the CPC is imminent.

A video of a far from pleasant conversation between Metropolitan Mihailo and Bishop Boris, published a few months ago, showed that harmony within the CPC had been disrupted. Mutual accusations of financial malfeasance and disrespect for church life soon followed.

The public has been witnessing a “silent war” simmering within the CPC for a long time, which escalated when the General Montenegrin Assembly was announced for September 3rd, on Dvorski trg in Cetinje.

Ahead of today's assembly, factions gathered around Mihailo and Boris were fighting with statements, and occasionally the Metropolitanate of Kotor-Primorska of the CPC, led by Archbishop Simeon, and the Eparchy of Podgorica-Duklja, led by Bishop Vladimir Lajović, joined in.

“We all agree that many things must change in our Church. We are all convinced that we must change them. If Metropolitan Mihailo made a wise decision to step down as the spiritual head of the CPC and thus allow the necessary time to build broader consensus on resolving complex issues in the Church, I would not accept to be elected as the new spiritual head now,” Boris stated yesterday in a statement delivered to the media.

Among other things, he stated that Montenegrin Orthodox believers would decide on the CPC church, as they have throughout our history.

“With joy and a sense of sacred duty, I will accept everything that the clergy and believers of our Church decide,” he added.

According to the CPC Constitution, the Metropolitan of the CPC is elected by the Church's Electoral Council. Since this did not happen today, Boris's election as metropolitan of the CPC may be disputed.

Archbishop Simeon warned about this two days ago, stating that the election of Boris would encroach on the jurisdiction of the Holy Synod.

“Bishop Boris did not support our efforts to resolve the problems through an appropriate procedure, at a Holy Synod session, so his current involvement is even more surprising to us,” Simeon stated clearly.

He also believes that today's assembly in Cetinje does not have a church character, and therefore the clergy and monks of the Metropolitanate of Kotor-Primorska did not attend.

The Metropolitanate of Kotor-Primorska of the CPC announced at the beginning of August that it would act independently in the future.

The Eparchy of Podgorica-Duklja previously announced that the General Montenegrin Assembly cannot be qualified as an all-Montenegrin, let alone a synodal and all-Orthodox assembly, and it has no basis in the canons of the Orthodox Church, nor in the Law on Freedom of Religion, nor in the Constitution of the CPC, nor in the Constitution of their Eparchy, so it produces no legal or church effects, nor does it oblige them as Orthodox Christians, any eventual conclusions.

The Eparchy of Podgorica-Duklja separated from the CPC in 2018 due to disagreements with Metropolitan Mihailo's and the CPC's way of operating.

The debate about today's assembly took place for days on social networks, and judging by the comments, Boris should be at the head of the CPC, because, as some stated, Metropolitan Mihailo has done nothing for years to improve the status of the CPC.

Mihailo was enthroned as metropolitan in Cetinje on October 31, 1998, with the presence of bishops of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and several thousand believers and admirers of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church.

What the CPC Constitution says about electing a Metropolitan:

In the event of a vacancy on the Metropolitan throne of Montenegro, the Holy Hierarchical Synod appoints a Temporary Administrator of the Metropolitanate, who performs this duty until the election of a new Metropolitan.

The Administrator of the Metropolitanate can be a Bishop and a citizen of Montenegro, and in an exceptional situation, the oldest member of the Holy Hierarchical Synod.

Until the election of a new Metropolitan of Montenegro:

1) The Montenegrin Orthodox Church is managed by the Holy Hierarchical Synod – presided over by the Administrator of the Metropolitanate;

2) The name of the Administrator of the Metropolitanate is mentioned in all divine services;

3) The Administrator of the Metropolitanate fulfills all the obligations of the Metropolitan of Montenegro according to Article 9 of this Constitution, excluding points 11-15 and 18-21 of the aforementioned article, writes CdM.