The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Irinej arrived in Kosovo this morning using the Jarinje crossing. He will be making a two-day visit to Kosovo.
The patriarch is accompanied by Patriarch of the Antioch, Jovan X, as well as members of the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church: Bishop of Backa Irinej Bulovic, Metropolitan Porphyrius, and Bishop Jovan of Sumadija.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic urged religious leaders to protect Serbian Orthodox Church monasteries and churches in Kosovo that are under constant threats by those who do not believe in civilization and cultural heritage, Tanjug news agency reported.
Vucic made these remarks while addressing participants of the 4th Congress of World Leaders and Traditional Religions in Astana, Kazakhstan. Vucic noted that the Balkans, region where Serbia is located, is a crossroad of many different religions.
Guarantees to the Serbian Orthodox Church to have full right to dispose of all its movable and immovable property and to maintain the legal protection regime for 44 facilities that represent special zones of Serbian cultural and religious heritage, and recognition of the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in Kosovo - those are the main demands of Belgrade in a plan sent by the Serbian side to European mediators in dialogue with Pristina, TV Most reported, quoting daily Vecernje Novosti.
A group of pilgrims drove six hours from Belgrade into the former Serbian province of Kosovo – to pray at this church. It is one of the most revered Serbian Orthodox Churches in the world, the 14th-century – Visoki Decani. It houses the tomb of King Stefan Decanski, considered by Serbs – a holy monarch. VOA reporter Jamie Dettmer has recently brought the story to U.S. viewers from the UNESCO protected Serb and world heritage site.
A new term has been introduced, via the media, into the process of resolving the situation in Kosovo and Metohija - "drawing it out."
Italian Minister of Defence, Elisabetta Trenta, Italian Ambassador in Pristina, Piero Cristoforo Sardi, the Italian Chief of General Staff, General Claudio Graziano, the head of the Chief of Defence Office, General Francesco Figliuolo, KFOR commander, General Salvatore Cuoci and their associates visited Serbian Orthodox Church Visoki Decani monastery yesterday, KoSSev portal reported.
On August 31, Serbian parishes and organizations in the United States opposed the idea of "delineation" or "border correction" by a joint letter addressed to the US Senate, Congress and individuals in the administration.
The letter of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States, which through the three dioceses makes about 184 churches and monasteries, Kontakt plus radio transmits in full:
''Dear Senators, Representatives of the Congress and officials in the Administration:
Today, the Belgrade press writes there would be no extraordinary session of the Serbian Orthodox Church Holly Archbishop’s Synod. However, Blic daily reports the session could be held if a referendum on Kosovo and Metohija is announced.
According to the Blic daily, ever since the Serbian Orthodox Church adopted a stance on Kosovo, which says, “neither independence nor division,” and President Vucic is proposing delineation, relations between church and state became strained.
An extraordinary autumn session of the Holly Archbishops’ Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church would commence on November 6, at the Patriarchate in Belgrade, and Kosovo would be one of the topics discussed, Belgrade-based Vecernje Novosti reports today.
According to Novosti, the decision to hold this session was made during a spring gathering of the highest church dignitaries.
“Today I welcomed at the Monastery the NATO Joint Force Commander Admiral James Foggo (US) who was accompanied by the KFOR Commander General Cuoci (IT) and their closest associates,” Abbot Sava Janjic wrote on Facebook.