Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
September 1, 2005

NEW ATTACK ON SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN PRISTINA

Will the church of Christ the Savior in Pristina be turned into a nightclub or a gallery?

At a meeting of the Pristina municipal assembly held on July 15 this year a proposal was introduced to change the urban plan for the part of the city including the University settlement and the incomplete Orthodox Christian church of Christ the Savior. There are four proposals for a new function for this church. According to this "urban" proposal, the church should become a nightclub, an art gallery, a museum or remain what it is - a church of God.

The decision on the final adoption of proposals is expected to be made at the end of September.

The Diocese of Raska and Prizren has not been officially notified of this initiative.

This is just one of many attempts to usurp the last remaining church building in Pristina from the Serbian Orthodox Church. There have been such attempts in the past but their realization has been prevented by the international administration in the Province. Immediately after the end of armed conflict, on July 31, 1999, Albanian extremists attempted to destroy the church. A strong explosion shook all of downtown Pristina but although it sustained some damage, the church withstood the attack.

For the Serbian Orthodox Church any change in the function of the church is absolutely unacceptable because the building, according to all available documentation, belongs to the Serbian Orthodox Church.

This attempt by the Pristina municipal assembly to usurp the sole remaining building of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Pristina cannot be interpreted as being anything other than yet another attempt to make the life of the Church completely impossible and to erase every last vestige of the existence of the Serbian people, its culture and spirituality in Kosovo and Metohija.

Source: www.kosovo.com

ALBANIAN TERRORISTS TARGET ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Hand grenade lobbed at Mother Teresa Cathedral cornerstone in Pristina

Only two days after the ceremonial placement of the cornerstone for a new Roman Catholic cathedral in Pristina dedicated to Mother Teresa, a hand grenade has been tossed at the construction site. News of the attack of the church, where construction work has not yet begun, was published in the Pristina papers on August 29. The Kosovo Police Service confirmed the incident and said that no one was hurt in the attack. A KPS spokesperson added that an investigation is in progress and that on one has been arrested yet as a result of this attack.

Source: www.kosovo.com

[Serbian Translation Services]