Lithia in Rožaje canceled, the Municipality calls on citizens to overcome divisions

The liturgy that was supposed to be held on February 6 in Rožaje was cancelled. The decision was made at a meeting between the President of the Municipality, Rahman Husović, and the parish priest, Slobodan Radojević, which was held in the presence of representatives of certain local communities in Rožaj where the predominantly Orthodox population lives.

The cancellation of the liturgy was agreed upon in light of the current moment, which was triggered by a photo on social networks of parish priest Radojević standing next to a wooden sculpture of Draža Mihajlović, which caused numerous reactions from people both in Montenegro and in the region, as evidenced by numerous media reports.

The Rožaj Security Department agrees with the decision to cancel the event because, in their opinion, the most important thing at this moment is to preserve public order and peace and ensure safety for all citizens, while respecting their rights and legal provisions.

President Husović emphasized the importance of preserving harmonious inter-religious and inter-ethnic relations, for which, as he concluded, Rožaje is widely known. Here is his statement in full:

"As the president of all citizens, I have the obligation to continuously work to preserve and strengthen the inter-religious and inter-ethnic harmony that is part of the tradition of the people living in this area. Rožaje is an environment that inherits values that defy any form of extremism and intolerance. Throughout history, we have jointly advocated for the rule of the spirit of tolerance and respect for diversity, which, I am sure, will remain a legacy for future generations. 

Only those decisions that are made on the basis of agreement and that improve relations between people can be called wise and socially relevant. 

I would like to add to the fact that in the past few days we have witnessed the reactions of citizens to the "controversial photo" that threatens to permanently damage the social reputation of Jerej Radović among Muslims in our municipality and beyond.

Firmly convinced that every person deserves the freedom to express his attitude in relation to social events, I believe that we should express our opinions in an acceptable form, renouncing all forms of hate speech. You will agree with me that threats and insults are not a reflection of our collective and cultural being and that social networks should not be used as a ground for heating up tensions, but as platforms for socializing and spreading information of public interest.

Therefore, I call on all citizens to avoid the creation of any form of division with dignity and move together towards the strengthening of peace and the further development of our environment", said the President.

Jerej Radojević, who serves in the Ružica church, stated during the meeting that the photograph was created as a product of admiration for the woodcut as an artistic expression, which, as he claims, is not his work. As he explained, the act of taking a photo next to the wooden sculpture was not ideologically inspired, and the photo was not published on his Facebook profile, and he wonders how it got to the public. He added that he had only positive impressions of the people of Rožaj and that the cooperation he achieved with local residents and institutions was always at an enviable level.

In addition to the adoption of a joint initiative on the cancellation of the procession, the actors of the meeting also discussed potential forms of support for the work of religious institutions in the territory of the municipality, as well as the construction of new and reconstruction of existing road infrastructure in local communities where members of the Orthodox faith live.

The guests also congratulated Husović on taking over the position of President of the Municipality.