Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
Oktober 3, 2004

PATRIARCH PAVLE’S LETTER
TO PRESIDENT TADIC AND PRIME MINISTER KOSTUNICA

To His Excellency Boris Tadic, President of the Republic of Serbia, and His Excellency Dr. Vojislav Kostunica, Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Serbia

Respected Sirs:

I address both of you as the Serbian Patriarch, in whose humble person and apostolic service the calling of Archbishop of Pec canonically and historically precedes the honor of Serbian Patriarch. I address you as a bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church, who served thirty four years as a bishop in Kosovo and Metohija, who has crossed the province on foot in length and in breadth many a time and who, I can say freely, has been well acquainted with local conditions and abuses there for more than half a century. I address you, finally, as a man who in previous years, with the best of intentions, both on behalf of the Church and in my own name, has called on the Serbian people of Kosovo and Metohija to participate in elections, in political life and in provisional institutions of government in their province, as a sign of good will and readiness to build together with their co-citizens of Albanian ethnicity and together with all other ethnic communities the foundations of a common future in peace, freedom, democracy and equality. In connection with this, I wish to remind you that the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church, unanimously expressed at the recent session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops, is that “the Church in principle supports the democratic right of participating in elections everywhere, including Kosovo and Metohija.”

Now, however, after the recent appeals of the Holy Assembly of Bishops, I also appeal to both of you personally, as the Head of the Church and the Head of the Holy Assembly of Bishops: in the name of God, do not call on the remains of the persecuted and martyred Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija to vote in the elections for local institutions of government! Do not call on them no matter who tries to convince you or force you to do so! At our recent session, the Holy Assembly of Bishops, after affirming in principle its position on participation in elections, immediately asked the following crucial question of all those who advocate the unconditional participation of Serbs and minority religious and ethnic communities in the upcoming elections: “In what country in the world can one demand participation in elections under conditions where people are not only deprived of elementary security and basic human rights, including the right to freedom of movement and even the right to life?” In answer to this question, to which the so-called international community and its armed forces in Kosovo and Metohija do not wish or cannot respond, the Holy Assembly of Bishops responds in the name of Christian principles and values thus: “A slave must first be freed on the bondage to which he has been subjected and led from the dungeon that he might act freely and freely chose or be chosen.”

Taking into account the tragic fact that at this moment there are no international institutional guarantees of any kind that the participation of Serbs in the elections and their participation in some shape or form in the institutions of government will offer security to the Serbian people and other non-Albanians in the Province, enable the return of refugees and preserve the integrity of our state territory, we cannot but question whether previous experience does not suggest that the ultimate result of Serbian participation might be diametrically contrary to cited positive expectations. Must we acquiesce to our own ruin, whether long-term or final?

Is there anyone that even has the right to proclaim crying lawlessness as law and order, the status of social pariahs as a normal position in society, and acts of terror as the normal functioning of democratic institution? You, gentlemen, know that in the past we have called on the Serbs to vote, and what resulted was the March pogrom. You know how many Serbs have been killed, abducted and driven out since the beginning of the international administration of Kosovo and Metohija; you know how many homes, churches and monasteries have been torched and destroyed. You know the promises made at the highest European and global levels that at least those homes, churches and monasteries destroyed in March would be rebuilt, and criminals brought to justice. You also know, as do we all, that no one is rebuilding the homes, churches and monasteries, that almost all criminals are still at large, and their victims more or less forgotten, or should I say written off. I also remind you that the Kosovo and Metohija Albanians until a few years ago, while living under incomparably better conditions that their Serbian neighbors today, not only refused to participate in elections but also boycotted all institutions of government and the entire state constitutional order. Despite this, no one blackmailed them and no one put pressure on their political leaders. The comparison and conclusions speak for themselves...

I address you, gentlemen, with this public appeal exclusively out of spiritual and pastoral reasons, and because of the existential misfortunes of my flock, my people and my spiritual children. I equally respect both of you and your responsible public offices. Never in my life have I worked or spoken out of political motivation and I certainly do not intend to begin doing so after completing the ninetieth year of my life. If Orthodox Serbs were the oppressing majority, and the Albanians the disenfranchised, endangered and subjugated minority in Kosovo and Metohija today, I would send this same appeal. According to the Holy Scripture, God does not see who belongs to which people but loves all peoples and all humans equally and calls all to salvation and eternal life in the community of God’s love. Do we humans dare pretend that we know better than All-Merciful God what is best for all and for every person, or simply, what is the one thing we all need?

At this decisive moment, with regard to this decisive issue, demonstrate the supreme responsibility and fraternal unity already shown in the Serbian National Assembly, and before that in the soul of the entire Serbian Orthodox people.

I have spoken and saved my soul.
May God bless you!

Serbian Patriarch
+ Pavle

[Serbian Translation Services]