Miraš Dedeić

He was born in 1938 in the village of Ramovo Ždrijelo on Durmitor. He graduated from the Faculty of Theology in Belgrade in 1969. He completed his postgraduate studies at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome in 1973[1] and later attended postgraduate studies at the Russian Theological Academy of St. Sergius in Zagorsk.[4]

After finishing his studies he worked in the state archives of SFR Yugoslavia, Soviet Union and Italy in the Roman representation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and later served as a priest of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. His service with the Patriarchate of Constantinople ended in 1997, when Patriarch Bartholomew gave a statement saying that Dedeić had been dismissed for canonical offenses, that his priestly rank had been revoked, and that he had been reinstated as a layman.[5]

On 6 January 1997 in Cetinje, he was proposed and elected head of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. On 31 October 1998 in Cetinje, he was enthroned as Metropolitan of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church.[4]

At the beginning of Croatian War of Independence Dedeić gave a statement to the Italian media saying that the war started because of the "desire of the Croatian leadership to take over Serbian territories". He called Dubrovnik a "Serbian city", while comparing Croatian President Franjo Tuđman to Adolf Hitler.[1][6]

During the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, Dedeić had been fundraising to support the Army of Republika Srpska under Ratko Mladić's command during his plight to support the Serbs fighting the Bosnian Muslims and Croats.[7]

In a Croatian TV show "Bujica", Dedeić stated that Serbia "committed genocide" in Montenegro in 1918 and 1920[5] and that Serbs are a "disruptive factor in the Balkans and that they should land a little, because there is no longer Greater Serbia". He also added that Croatia has the right to form the Croatian Orthodox Church.[1]