Since Mr Aleksandar Vučić took over the function of the president of Serbia, the Government has provided a total of €11.6 million of financial aid for dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, official data shows.
According to the accurate data published by Dnevne novine, over the past eight years, the Government of Serbia has paid €7.089.650 to Serbian organizations.
Serbian House got the most of that money (€3.388.950).
The Government of Serbia has approved €500.000 for the resumption of works on the construction of the Temple of Saint Simeon the Stylite in Berane. Serbia has shown its generosity to Matica srpska, which aided with €225.000 this year, as well as to the Association of Authors with €65.000 and promotion of the cooperation among Montenegro, Republika Srpska and Serbia with €70.000.
Serbian Government provided €250.000 last year for the Serbian National Council. It also secured considerable help for dioceses of SOC in Montenegro. From 2014-2020, it helped three lines, directly from the budget (€4.6 million).
In the period between 2014 and 2020, a total of €1.91 million was paid to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral for program activities entitled ‘Protection of religious, cultural and national identity’.
The second line of aid encompasses the Eparchy of Budimlje and Nikšić for the program ‘Protection of religious, cultural and national identity’, which received €1.09 million.
The third line of aid amounting €1.58 million was earmarked for the same program but entitled differently – ‘For the secondary education for the Seminary of Saint Peter in Cetinje’.
VUČIĆ CHANGED THE TUNE
According to the sources of Dnevne novine, the first man of Serbia was not very happy in the beginning about requests for financial assistance that kept coming from Serbian organizations.
“Professional Serbianism in Montenegro costs this country millions. I don’t know how I’m going to handle this”, said Mr Vučić a couple of years ago.
But he changed his tune in a year and said he would grow tenfold his financial aid to Serbian organizations in MNE.
