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RT @DecaniMonastery: #KFOR Commander Major General Özkan Ulutaş (Turkish Armed Forces) and his colleagues visited Visoki Dečani #Monastery today. General Ulutaş reaffirmed the NATO-led mission's commitment to continue contributing to a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all citizens in #Kosovo, as mandated by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999. @NATO_KFOR @JFC_Naples

Serbia at NATO

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RT @DecaniMonastery: The #Serbian #Orthodox #Church near Peć Desecrated
The Raška-Prizren Diocese expresses profound concern over the recent desecration of the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Naklo near Peć.

According to a report by the parish priest in Peć, unidentified individuals broke into and vandalized the church dedicated to the Holy Trinity with graffiti, including messages such as “Allahu Akbar” and in Albanian, “remove this church from here, there are only Muslims here!”, and “we don’t want churches, we want mosques… Islam is the only true faith!”
It is particularly alarming that this incident follows the decision by Kosovo authorities to prohibit the Patriarch and several bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church from entering #Kosovo. This decision prevented them from performing the Holy Liturgy and starting the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops at the Peć Patriarchate #Monastery, a tradition that dates back to the 14th century.

The church in the village of Naklo is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and was burnt down during the March 2004 unrest. Restoration began in 2020 with the cleaning of the churchyard and cemetery. Later, the churchyard and cemetery were fenced, fixtures were installed, and the roof was rebuilt. Before 2004, the village was home to 300 Orthodox Serbs, who initiated the church’s restoration.

Attacks on Serbian Orthodox holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija have been ongoing and have especially increased in recent months. These attacks on churches and private property are largely ethnically and religiously motivated, specifically targeting the Serbian community and the Serbian Orthodox Church.
https://t.co/Y70enSRGJL
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RT @DecaniMonastery: 🧵(1/2) Statement from the Holy Assembly of the #Serbian #Orthodox #Church, 14 May 2024
https://t.co/dasfcDYyu6
Faced with the complete lawlessness that the current authorities in Priština are enforcing against the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Orthodox people, this time by restricting the freedom of movement of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness the Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch, HH Porfirije, and Serbian bishops, preventing them in a completely unlawful manner, effectively through violence, from commencing the regular annual session of the Holy Synod at the Peć Patriarchate #Monastery. This Monastery has been the venue for the sessions since the first half of the 14th century, during the era of Saint Patriarch Joanikije II (14th century). The Holy Assembly of the SOC, before the entire civilized world, and especially before Christians, testifies that the Serbian people and their Serbian Orthodox Church in #Kosovo and #Metohija live in complete legal, meaning existential, insecurity.
Preventing the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church from visiting the Peć Patriarchate is akin to forbidding the Pope from going to the Vatican or the head of the Church of England from visiting Canterbury Cathedral. We bishops gather once a year from all over the world, from all continents, crossing numerous borders without issue, except when coming to Kosovo and Metohija, our spiritual homeland.
This lawlessness committed in the face of the world at a time when the authorities in Priština hope to be admitted to the Council of Europe, is a pale reflection of what the local authorities do daily to the Serbian people who have lived in their ancestral homeland in Kosovo and Metohija for at least a millennium and a half, as vividly evidenced by ancient monasteries and churches, graves, frescoes, and priceless icons. Therefore, the Holy Assembly urges all responsible international actors who have the ability to influence the authorities in Priština that by this act they have crudely demonstrated that for the Serbian Patriarch, bishops, clergy, and faithful people of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija, the internationally recognized and universally binding provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other conventions that directly guarantee the right to freedom of movement, the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, the right to peaceful assembly, and other guaranteed human rights and freedoms do not apply. We also call on the Orthodox and all Christian churches and their spiritual leaders to pray and take other actions to advocate for our religious rights.
The Serbian Orthodox Church has never been, is not now, nor will it ever be a political institution, but remains the spiritual Mother of Orthodox Serbs, carrying out its spiritual mission unhindered across the world. The Serbian Orthodox Church does not have the status of a state church or political organization in the Republic of Serbia or in other countries and therefore cannot be subject to political measures.
The current authorities in Priština, through classic abuse of law and undermining the foundations of the rule of law, in the days when Orthodox Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, have attempted to humiliate the Serbian Orthodox Church and instill new fears and concerns among the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, compelling them to abandon their holy sites and homes.
The Serbian Orthodox Church, especially in Kosovo and Metohija, has testified, and continues to testify, that it remains with its people regardless of the systematic and unpunished violence carried out against Orthodox Serbs for decades, especially since 1999 to the present.🔽
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RT @DecaniMonastery: Response of the SOC Diocese of Raška and Prizren to media queries regarding the latest developments around the land issue of Dečani #Monastery
Neither Raška-Prizren Diocese, nor the Visoki Dečani Monastery, have been contacted by any #Kosovo institutions regarding the execution of the 2016 Constitutional Court of Kosovo's decision concerning the monastery's land. In recent years, we have witnessed statements by senior Kosovo officials claiming that the Constitutional Court's decision on the land of Dečani Monastery was not legally made and could not be executed, and that a dialogue with the Church should be initiated. After consultations with our legal advisors and contacts with international representatives in Pristina, we have expressed our stance that there can be no dialogue or deals over this binding and final decision (res judicata), as that would contradict legal principles in all democratic societies.
Since the Dečani municipality has for years refused to execute the Constitutional Court's decision, we approached the Kosovo Central Cadaster, which has the full right to register the land, which would automatically update the monastery's property status at the municipal cadastral level. The Kosovo Constitutional Court has also reiterated that the decision must be implemented. Unfortunately, we found neither understanding nor willingness to execute the decision from either the local or central Cadaster of Kosovo without any explanation. Our case has constantly been conveniently shifted from the municipal to the central level and back, thus consistently avoiding the execution of the decision for eight years.
Therefore, we expect Kosovo institutions to finally do their part in accordance with the rule of law and register our land in the cadaster, issuing the monastery a proper ownership certificate in line with the court ruling. We believe this would be a significant step towards the rule of law.
Regarding readiness for dialogue to improve quality of life and solve practical issues, our Church has always been and remains open to discussions with all people of goodwill, as we have demonstrated over the years.
Raška-Prizren Diocese, #Serbian #Orthodox #Church
Gračanica, March 6, 2024
https://t.co/b8DptZ3eLx
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RT @DecaniMonastery: The name of the city Peć in Metohija is first mentioned in the renowned Charter of Žiča, composed about 780 years ago. This charter granted Žiča #Monastery also several villages in Metohija, including Peć with its hamlets, Črni Vrh (now Crni Vrh), Stlpezi (modern-day Stup), Goražda Vas – meaning Gorazd's village, now known as Goraždevac, Nakl Vas (present-day Naklo), and some other villages.
This document itself is a testament to the ancient history of Peć. Peć and its surrounding areas were not granted to a church of local significance but to Žiča as the Serbian Archbishopric. This set the stage for Peć's future importance and development, where the Serbian church would build the Holy Apostles – the first church of the later Patriarchate's architectural complex. Soon afterwards, due to Mongol invasions, the seat of the #Serbian #Orthodox #Church – the Archbishopric and subsequently the Patriarchate – would relocate here.
Since the 13th century, the monastery of Peć has been the spiritual centre of the Serbian Orthodox Church until today, although the administrative centre of the Church remains in Belgrade.
While mediaeval Serbian royal capitals were located further south, around Nerodimlje, Prizren and Skopje, Peć remained one of the constant hubs of the Serbian mediaeval state.
The development of Peć in the mediaeval Serbian era ensured that the city remained a significant centre even after the collapse of the Serbian state, so the Ottomans, used the city as an administrative hub under the name of Ipek. in the Albanian language, the city is called Peja and is the fourth largest city in #Kosovo today.
Its etymology derives from the Slavic word 'peć' or 'peščera,' meaning 'furnace' or 'cave.' The name is likely connected to the nearby caves in the Rugova Canyon, which served as hermit cells for monks.
Serbia at NATO
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RT @DecaniMonastery: Dečani #Monastery Abbot Fr. Sava welcomed today NATO Joint Force Commander US Admiral Munsch & COMKFOR Gen. Kajári. After the tour in the church they had a discussion about the security situation as the Monastery is under KFOR protection for 23 ys #Kosovo https://t.co/iIlT6GD0NC https://t.co/IZSmtvXXvZ

Source: NATO Military Liaison Office Belgrade

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