Patriarch: Church Cannot Be Subject of Negotiations on Kosovo, Its Rights Are Implied

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC/DS)

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Porfirije, stated on March 26 that, after eight centuries of presence in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, the Serbian Orthodox Church cannot be the subject of any political negotiations or agreements on the status of Kosovo.

“Respect and protection of human, and especially religious rights, represent a universal civilization value and belong to everyone,” Patriarch Porfirije said at the conference titled “Kosovo and Metohija, History and Cultural Heritage” at the Faculty of Theology.

He stressed that these rights cannot be part of the status negotiations or political agreements because they are implied and guaranteed by international legal acts. “The Serbian Orthodox Church cannot accept any legal or political model that contradicts the Gospel and eight centuries of its existence in Kosovo and Metohija,” Porfirije stated.

He called on the Kosovo Albanians to participate in the dialogue, assessing that “there is room in Kosovo for everyone and there is still room for the dialogue about the life of the people.”

The Franco-German, i.e. European plan for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, envisages the formalization of the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo.