Kosovo Police Bans Orthodox Liturgy in Pristina Cathedral

Kosovo police (Beta/archive/Armenija Zajmi Besevic)

On June 2, Kosovo police prevented several members and priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church from gathering at Pristina’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior for a liturgy celebrating Ascension Day. 

According to a statement issued by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, the priests called on the gathering to move to the Church of St. Nicholas “to prevent incidents and protect the members of their congregation.” 

“There is no doubt that this uncivilized act by the Kosovo police was directly orchestrated by Pristina authorities – and that it illustrates their attitude toward religious freedom in Kosovo, the Serbian Orthodox Church and its Serbian members,” the statement reads. 

The Office recalled that the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was vandalized with offensive graffiti last year, which included one reading “Jesus hates Serbs.”