Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
April 19, 2004

CHURCH OF CHRIST THE SAVIOR TURNED INTO PUBLIC TOILET

The Information Service of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija has managed to obtain photographs recording that in the still incomplete Orthodox cathedral of Christ the Savior with its consecrated foundations and cross, where Holy Liturgy was periodically served before the war while it was still under construction, has been turned into a public toilet, while the property around the church has become the squatting ground of Roma emigrants from the Republic of Albania.

After last month's pogrom during which 35 Orthodox churches were destroyed, this yet another example of the most barbaric behavior in the very center of Pristina.

The church of Christ the Savior was to have been completed in 1999; however, the eruption of war interrupted further works. The church remains as the unfulfilled wish of the pre-war population of 40,000 Serbs in Pristina to build a new church besides the already existing church of St. Nicholas, which was destroyed during last month's pogrom.

"These horrific scenes of extreme lack of culture and savagery in the center of Pristina where, in addition to the Albanians, several thousand foreigners are living who can see the humiliated church for themselves, are a stain not only on the Pristina municipal administration and Pristna University but also on the UN mission which five years ago undertook to preserve a multiethnic society in Kosovo and Metohija," said His Grace Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren. In a statement for the ERP KIM Info Service, Bishop Artemije added: "In addition to all the horrors and the destruction and desecration of over 140 churches since the arrival of the UN mission in this region, the shocking spectacles from the church of Christ the Savior, which has been turned into a public toilet, confirm that the eradication of Christianity and all Christian civilizational values in this region is being carried out with the silent, and frequently the active, acquiescence and participation of Albanian provisional institutions and their sponsors in the UN mission."

RESTORATION OF HOLY ARCHANGELS MONASTERY BEGINS

Almost exactly a month after the Albanian mob torched the monastery of Holy Archangels near Prizren, Abbot German has returned to the ashes of his holy shrine with a few workers from the Serbia-Montenegro Red Cross in order to establish in coming the days the most basic living conditions for the life and stay of the brotherhood, restoration of water, electricity and telephone service.

Today two containers and three tents arrived in Holy Archangels where the monks and workers will be staying at first, as well as a quantity of food and other necessary materials. The rest of the brotherhood will be joining Abbot German in coming days as soon as basic living conditions have been provided.

It is the intention of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren to restore the residence quarters of the monastery and a chapel for regular monastic life before the coming winter.

Overjoyed by the return to his holy shrines after a month-long exile, Abbot German said that the monastery lives again despite all the trials it has gone through during its centuries of existence. "The monastery will live as long there are monks who will continue to restore it; it will live as long prayers and songs to the glory of God can be heard in it." Fr. German sang the joyous hymn of Resurrection in the burned down chapel of St. Nikolai of Serbia, thus formally marketing the beginning of the restoration of the monastery and monastery life.

"I asked colonel Hintelmann to make it possible for the monks to return to Holy Archangels monastery," said Bishop Artemije, "and I hope that German KFOR will now protect them more effectively and make it possible for them to live a normal life, even though they failed to do so on March 17. The intent of Albanian extremists to torch the monastery and extinguish monastic life in it has failed because although they burned the building they could not destroy the spirit of faith and courage of our monks who will again raise the monastery from the ashes. Our Church will ask Kosovo Albanian institutions, especially the municipality of Prizren, to compensate us for every cent of damage to our churches, the Seminary, the Bishop's residence and all Serb houses which were destroyed in the pogrom. Kosovo Albanian extremists must understand that by the barbaric behavior which we saw on March 17, they are shooting themselves in the foot and distancing themselves from the cultured and civilized world, which is shocked by the scenes of the last month's pogrom. Europe does not want a jamahirya (an Islamic fundamentalist state) on its territory but the rule of law and rights for all citizens regardless of religion or ethnic affiliation," said Bishop Artemije for the ERP KIM Info Service.

After the recent destruction the monastery was encircled with several rows of barbed wire, and it is surrounded by numerous armored vehicles of German KFOR and troops positioned in the surrounding hills.

UNPLEASANT INCIDENT BETWEEN GERMAN SOLDIERS AND SERBIAN REPORTERS

Upon arrival an unpleasant incident occurred involving reporters who were strictly prohibited from entering the monastery. When asked whose decision this was and who was the officer preventing the reporters from doing their job, they received an answer: It's none of your business and you will get no information. When the reporters insisted, a German soldier (on the photograph) spat on a woman reporter from TV Most, Mirjana Nedeljkovic, and then physically attacked Zivojin Rakocevic, the editor of Glas Juga (the Voice of the South). Thanks to the presence of mind of Abbot German, who promptly intervened with a senior German officer, the incident ended without consequences. The reporters were unable to get the name of the soldier who attacked them.

SISTERHOOD RETURNS TO DEVIC MONASTERY

Accompanied by a strong escort of French KFOR troops, four nuns from the monastery of Devic were returned yesterday to the ashes of an Orthodox holy shrine built in the 15th century which was completely destroyed during the rioting of Albanian terrorists and then looted until March 21. The nuns of this sisterhood who returned yesterday will be housed in two portable containers received as part of a humanitarian shipment.

RESTORATION OF DEVIC MONASTERY

On April 18, 2004 /corrected/ on the ashes of the monastery of Devic the first Holy Liturgy was served by Fr. Petar Ulemek, the abbot of the monastery of Djurdjevi Stupovi near Novi Pazar, and Fr. Radivoje Panic, the parish priest of the church of St. Aleksander Nevsky in Belgrade, who for many years has been the serving priest of this monastery.

In addition to the Devic sisterhood Holy Liturgy was also attended by the nuns of the Pec Patriarchate and HRH Princess Linda Karadjordjevic, who has recently been touring the ashes of destroyed Orthodox shrines and expressing her great solidarity with the suffering people. Princess Linda is the first member of the Karadjordjevic family to visit Kosovo and Metohija after last month's pogrom and offer her support and encouragement. In the last few days, Princess Linda has visited Decani, the Pec Patriarchate, Gorazdevac, Prizren, Gracanica as well as other destroyed Serbian churches and villages, calling on the people to be courageous and determined in their desire to remain in their centuries-old homes.

This noble gesture by the brave princess, who in previous wars visited the victims of war with her late husband, HRH Prince Tomislav, to deliver humanitarian aid, will be remembered in the hearts of the Serbs of Kosovo and Metohija.