Sacred Spaces

We are expecting the upcoming days with uncertainty – the days of more and more frequent announcements on behalf of the Kosovo Albanians and international officials of an imminent declaration of independence. Should this act of declaring independence and recognizing Kosovo and Metohija on behalf of other states take place, we will consider it an illegitimate and violent act. Today, we have no other choice but to remain at our sacred sites, and this is the message we send to our people! To remain in these sacred spaces and endure till the end! – says Bishop Teodosije, abbey of the Decani Monastery for the “Novosti“ newspaper, describing the current position the Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija.

We shouldn’t allow the wishes of our enemies, the Albanian extremists, to come true, as they have already shown in practice that it is their intention to destroy our churches and monasteries, and to expell the people from these parts, where our ancestors have always dwelled - says Bishop Teodosije.

- Even though it is difficult to say which direction the entire process is headed, we must endure and save what can be saved. Let’s hope that Kosovo will not be independent from Serbia and that the Lord shall look over us. But, we are aware of the fact that this doesn’t depend on us directly. This is why it is of utmost importance to keep the monastery alive. The Church has always represented a support and has always endured together with the people it belongs to. We shall do all we can to keep what is ours and to keep our identity. For, the worst thing that could happen to us now is that the remaining Serbs start leaving and abandoning their homes – says Bishop Teodosije, abbey of the Decani Monastery, which has been under siege in its history, but which has been preserved and which is prevailing over its surroundings thanks to its spiritual beauty.

(Shortened translation from “Vecernje novosti’’, Feb.12, 2008. – D. Zecevevic)