The construction of the Temple of Christ the Saviour in Pristina began on land owned by the SOC and according to the procedures in 1992, it was announced from the Diocese of Raska and Prizren.

Regarding articles published in certain Kosovo Albanian media that the church of Christ the Saviour was built illegally and should be removed, the statement said that the Diocese has detailed documentation showing that any claim of alleged illegal construction is completely unfounded.

"The land on which is still unfinished church of Christ the Saviour in downtown Pristina is still in the cadastral property of SOC, as shown by the latest excerpt from the Kosovo Cadastre of 2012 and therefore all the speculation about the illegal construction of this temple are unfounded and represent an attempt to politically abuse this issue," the statement said.

The construction of the temple of Christ the Saviour started in 1992, at a time when in the area of Pristina lived 40,000 Serbs. The construction of a larger church was needed because the SOC in Pristina had only a small temple, which was not sufficient for the needs of believers, says the statement of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren.

It also adds that the construction of the temple started with the full consent of the then provincial and national institutions, as well as the administration of Pristina University.

From the Diocese remind that not a single complaint was filed to any of the decisions in connection with the construction of the temple and that the alleged need for its legalization is needed to the same extent as for all facilities that were built in this period, in accordance with the then legal norms.

"The Diocese of Raska and Prizren timely submitted the documents relating to the construction of the temple of Christ the Saviour and the ownership of the land on which the temple is located and to all international institutions in Kosovo and Metohija and is ready to defend its rights by all legal means."

It added that "selective interpretation of the law to the detriment of SPC more is in the domain of discrimination on ethnic and religious grounds, than it is based on any legal basis", and any claim that the construction of this temple was politically motivated, is a malicious provocation.

"The idea of the construction of the temple started by the then Bishop of Raska and Prizren, and the latter Serbian Patriarch Pavle, who then with the decisions of the then relevant institutions received approval for this project," the statement recalls.

"Any attack on the temple will be open attack on the Serbian Orthodox Church, whose rights are clearly regulated," said the Diocese.