Home page News
Patriarch Porfirije: Kosovo and Metohija are …

Patriarch Porfirije: Kosovo and Metohija are our spiritual Jerusalem

“What is the most important for us is that Kosovo and Metohija are our spiritual Jerusalem”, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije stressed answering questions fr om a correspondent of the Russian Mezhdunarodnaya zhizn (International life) magazine. He noted that just as millennia after the exodus, the Jews in the diaspora used to say, ‘See you next year in Jerusalem’, so the Serbian youth greet each other with words ‘See you next year in Prizren’, thus showing that they cherish the memory of the fact that Prizren is a city of Serbian kings, the capital city, the city of King Dušan. “For everybody to know that, for instance, the value of the Church of Our Lady of Ljeviš named so after a medieval toponym cannot be measured by any earthly treasures”, His Holiness continued.

At the same time, the Primate of the Serbian Church pointed out this greeting is no call to a conflict or aggression, “Our way is the way of our state, our people and the Church; it is the way of dialogue, peaceful co-existence, respect for every person, for all positive human beliefs. However, it does not mean that the Church shows any relativism on this issue. With regard to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, the promised Serbian land, the Church, and personally the Patriarch, seek, in direct, systemic and manifold ways, to exert influence on the spirit of time, on the very essence of the people, on total social, political and cultural circumstances in the state so that the nature of young generations’ discourse expressed in the maxim ‘See you next year in Prizren’ may remain a constant paradigm”.

He expressed profound gratitude “for the support in the struggle for justice and peace, for Kosovo and Metohija, to the Russian State, which unhesitatingly sets a veto in the UN Security Council, to the Russian Orthodox Church, other Local Orthodox Churches and the Churches in Greek and Slavic worlds, as well as to Pope Francis”.

Speaking about his own impressions of his recent trip to Kosovo and Metohija, Patriarch Porfirije drew a parallel between the religious life in that region and the religious life in Western Europe, “In the southern Serbian region, many churches are destroyed, looted, defiled and therefore stand empty. In Europe, there are also a considerable number of empty churches; with the only difference that they are not destroyed, not defiled by those who do not wish Christ and His Church. Churches, in which the Liturgy was served for centuries, are now transformed into restaurants, shopping centres, tourist sites, discotheques and similar places of mass entertainment”.

“May be this is exactly what has given rise to indifference towards the destruction of churches in that part of Europe, towards the sufferings of Christians”, His Holiness presumed.

He related with bitterness that the 14th century monastery Mušutište, in which he was ordained in 1985, turned out totally destroyed by locals in 1999. Destroyed was also the parish church, also dated back to the 14th century; all the Serbian houses were burnt down. “The Serbs driven away fr om the Mušutište village, if obstacles are not put in their way, come every year to the ruins of the church, in which I was ordained on Pentecost; the church was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and the Divine Liturgy is celebrated in it. Such is the picture of the religious life in Kosovo and Metohija. Wh ere the church was not destroyed or burnt sown, if local authorities not oppose to it, the liturgy is celebrated once a year - on the day of the saint it is dedicated to. On this day, the faithful get together”.

In the north of the Kosovo region wh ere the Serbian Orthodox people have remained an absolute majority, the church life can be said to go on normally, just as in all other regions of Serbia, the Republic of Serbian Montenegro, etc.”, His Holiness stated.

He also mentioned the situation in the so-called Serbian enclaves where the Albanian population prevails, but stressed, “Actually, these are real ghettos”. He believes such ghettos to be the greatest shame for the Europe of the 21st century. The Patriarch noted that the religious life in these ghettos does existed: each enclave has a priest who celebrates in the church on continuing bases. “One can say, the services are held as usual. Only this ‘usual’ is to be understood very and very conditionally, as the everyday life is closed within the enclave, sometimes in one or two streets, and it is very risky to come out, especially for women and children”, the Primate of the Serbian Church said.

The organization and maintenance of religious life in that region is a great merit of Bishop Teodosije of Raska-Prizren and the monastics, clergy and faithful, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia stated.

DECR Communication Service

 

Share:
Congratulations of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the President of Turkey on his 70th birthday

26.02.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill's condolences in connection with the murder of the monks of the Ziquala Abo Monastery in Ethiopia

24.02.2024

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the XII Christmas Parliamentary Meetings at the Federation Council of the Russian Federation

23.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: Patriarch of Constantinople is not a free man

07.01.2024

Christmas Message from Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Rus’

06.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had phone conversation with Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol

02.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expresses condolences over deadly earthquake in northwest China

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill congratulates Mr Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on his re-election as President of Egypt

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill welcomes the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the decoration of the Church of St Sava in Belgrade

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presides over jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Patriarchal greetings on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the Diocese of Vienna and Austria

26.11.2023

Primate of Russian Church presents historic miracle-working Kazan Icon of the Mother of God to the faithful and celebrates Liturgy in the Kremlin Dormition Cathedral

04.11.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ to the participants of the World Conference of Compatriots Living Abroad

01.11.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East

31.10.2023

Metropolitan Hilarion: Many things in a person's life depend on faith

29.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Holy Spirit is the main treasure of the Christian soul

01.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: Holiness is a constant striving to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ

27.06.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: God does not want to condemn, but to save us

07.03.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord always grants to us the opportunity to display our talents

24.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord has imbued the waters of Jordan with his divine presence to wash away human sins

19.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: to repent means to change your way of life

17.01.2021

On commemoration day of St. Catherine, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk officiated at the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr In-the-Fields  the representation of the Orthodox Church in America

07.12.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We can always show compassion for people

29.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates on commemoration day of St. Varlaam of Khutyn at the church of ‘Joy to All the Afflicted’ icon of the Mother of God

19.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We should remember that the life of each human being is in the hands of God

06.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: For God there is nothing impossible

25.10.2020

Metropoplitan Hilarion: The cross which was an instrument of dishonourable execution becomes the symbol of salvation for millions of people

27.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Eucharist is the wedding feast, to which Lord Jesus Christ invites each of us

13.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Faith alone is not enough for salvation

30.08.2020

Page is available in the following languages
Feedback

Fields marked by * are mandatory required

Send a message
Рус Укр Eng Deu Ελλ Fra Ita Бълг ქარ Срп Rom عرب