Serbian Orthodox accuse Catholic priest of inciting hatred in Kosovo

The Law on Special Protective Zones, adopted in 2008 immediately after Kosovo became independent, guarantees enhanced protection of Serbian Orthodox sites.

Orthodox leaders issued a forceful protest after reports that a Catholic priest led a religious service at the archaeological site of the medieval Holy Virgin of Hvosno monastery in north-western Kosovo.

The Diocese of Raška-Prizren of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) condemned the “deplorable” activity on 23 July, which was carried out without their consent and in “direct violation” of the Law on Special Protective Zones in Kosovo.

“The Serbian Orthodox Church will thoroughly examine all available legal avenues to initiate proceedings against the perpetrators of this act, which may constitute a criminal offence, as well as for the violation of the Law on Special Protective Zones,” it said in a statement. 

The Law on Special Protective Zones, adopted in 2008 immediately after Kosovo became independent, guarantees enhanced protection of SOC sites.

According to the diocese, “a radius of 100 metres was established around the remains of the Holy Virgin of Hvosno Church”, and within this perimeter “no prohibited or restricted activities, including public gatherings, may take place without the prior consent of the SOC and the Implementation and Monitoring Council”.

The SOC also accused Fr Fran Kolaj, who led the group, of organising a quasi-political event to stir up nationalism by delivering political speeches encouraging intolerance of Orthodox Serbs as well as Muslims.

“Without any historical or legal basis, he [Kolaj] referred to the historically well-documented Serbian Orthodox monastery as ‘ethnic Albanian and Illyrian’,” the statement said. The Serbian Ministry of Culture described it as an attempt at historical revisionism. 

Serbia and the SOC still oppose Kosovo’s independence after 17 years. Attacks on religious heritage have become a symbol of the conflict in the Muslim-majority country.

Orthodox churches were destroyed and vandalised after the 1999 war, often as a response to the destruction of Islamic sites and because Orthodox sites were widely seen as symbols of Serbian nationalist ideologies. Serbs regard Kosovo as their cultural and religious heartland, and the attacks on religious sites as an attempt to erase Serbian identity. 

Fr Fatmir Koliqi, a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Prizren-Pristina, in Kosovo, told the KoSSev outlet it was not informed about the organisation of the gathering and “distances itself from any discourse that offends the religious or ethnic feelings of anyone, including the language used by our priest Kolaj”.

Fr Koliqi clarified that, according to their investigation, Fr Kolaj was not present at the site within the protected zone but in the vicinity of the neighbouring village.

In 2018, Pope Francis elevated the apostolic administration of Prizren to the Diocese of Prizren-Prishtina.

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