Serbia Lifts Ban on Montenegro Church

12 June 2008 Belgrade _ Serbia's Supreme Court has annulled a ministry’s refusal to list the Montenegrin Orthodox Church in the Register of Churches and Religious Communities.

The Montenegrin Orthodox Church said they were satisfied with the Court's decision despite the fact that it will not lead to the automatic registration of the Church.

The ruling followed an appeal by the Montenegrin Orthodox Church against the Serbian Ministry for Religion's refusal to register the church in the country.

The Court said the procedure was faulty.

"The Supreme Court found that the Ministry’s decision did not say what the ground for its decision was. The Ministry should now follow the Court ruling” and reconsider the case, the Court’s spokeswoman Vesna Dabic said.

The ruling came after a recent decision by Montenegro's Finance Ministry to accept the Serbian Orthodox Church's demand for the return of its titular right over churches and land in Montenegro, despite resistance from the Montenegrin Orthodox Church.

The Serbian Orthodox Church opposes the autonomy of the Montenegro Church.

Montenegro peacefully left its union with Serbia in 2006, and relations between the countries have been good although ties between the churches have been marred by disputes.