ERPKIM Archive | Successful conclusion of Interfaith Conference in Kosovo, May 06, 2006

May 06, 2006

KiM Info Newsletter 06-05-06

Successful conclusion of Interfaith Conference in Pec Patriarchate Monastery

Representatives of religious communities visit religious sites in Pec and Decani, give strong message for peace and tolerance

"A difficult time is before us which requires courageous steps, a time that also requires great individuals, and what we are doing today is a significant step forward," said Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, who hosted the conference in the Pec Patriarchate

In his commentary for the KIM Info Service Bishop Teodosije said that "the SOC at this gathering has shown that it is open to cooperation and dialogue, and the monastery of the Pec Patriarchate has shown that it is a hospitable Serbian house that opened wide the doors of its heart to all people of good will". "It is up to us as Christians to do all that we can to build peace and understanding among all communities. Whether this will truly come about and what will be results of what we agreed upon at the conference does not depend solely on us, the Orthodox," emphasized Bishop Teodosije

Religious representatives during the morning session in the monastery
of the Pec Patriarchate (Photo KIM Info Service)
(click on photo to enlarge)

KIM Info Service
Pec Patriarchate, May 3, 2006

Following the morning session, representatives of religious communities taking part in the Interfaith Conference in the monastery of the Pec Patriarchate issued a common statement around noon today. After the reading of the common statement in the conference hall, a brief press conference was held during which participants and present officials answered reporters' questions.

The religious representatives and reporters then visited the Roman Catholic church of St. Catherine in Pec. In the parish church the guests were welcomed by parish priest Don Lorenc Sopi. After visiting the church the religious representatives, accompanied by international officials of the organization Norwegian Church Aid, walked to the Orthodox church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, which was damaged during the March 2004 riots. As part of the process of restoration of Orthodox holy shrines last autumn this church was furnished with new windows and doors although the interior walls are still charred by fire and covered by vulgar graffitti. Those present were welcomed by Vicar Bishop Teodosije, who is appointed by the Serbian Orthodox Church's Holy Assembly of Bishops for the restoration of holy shrines in Kosovo and Metohija. Among the participants in the conference was Presbyter Aleksandar Krstic from the nearby Serb village of Gorazdevac, as the entire Serb population of Pec has been in exile since 1999. There are plans to completely repair the rest of the damage and to resume using the church for liturgical purposes upon the return of the first Serb refugees to Pec.

Conference participants in Roman Catholic church of St. Catherine in Pec
(click on photo to enlarge)

The religious representatives then walked down the streets of Pec to the municipal assembly building, where they were received by Pec mayor Ali Lajci (LDK). The walk was without incident; there were a few unpleasant gestures by passersby but also greetings from several people who happened to be in the street.

After a brief conversation in the municipal building the conference participants were accompanied by the mayor to the Bayrakli Mosque, which was set on fire during the war and restored with the help of the Italian organization INTERSOS. In the mosque the guests were greeted by the host, Imam Nexhmedin Hoxha, who spoke about the restoration of mosques damaged or destroyed in the Pec region during the war.

Visit to the Serbian Orthodox church of St. John the Baptist in Pec
(click on photo to enlarge)

After a luncheon together prepared for conference participants and international representatives by the mayor in the "Art Design" Restaurant in Pec, the guests departed for the town of Decani, where they first visited the local mosque, which was also set on fire during the war and restored thanks to the donations of international organizations. The guests were welcomed by Imam Murat Taqi and Decani mayor Nazmi Selmanaj (AAK). On behalf of the present representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Amfilohije expressed regret because of the destruction of religious sites regardless of the faith to which they belong.

Conversation with the mayor of Pec in the municipal assembly building
(click on photo to enlarge)

"A difficult time is before us which requires courageous steps, a time that also requires great individuals, and what we are doing today is a significant step forward," said Metropolitan Amfilohije. Decani Mayor Nazmi Selmanaj thanked the guests present for their visit, assessing that it is a very courageous step.

Visit to Bayrakli Mosque in Pec - reconstructed after the war
(click on photo to enlarge)

At the end of today's program conference participants visited Visoki Decani Monastery, where they were received by the Decani brotherhood. The guests were welcomed in the Decani church by Bishop Teodosije of Lipljan, the hegumen (abbot) of the monastery, who said that the conference of religious leaders of the past two days had shown that we all share the responsibility for showing that only tolerance, respect for the rights of others and peaceful co-existence lead to a better future.

After refreshments in the monastery refectory the gathering of religious leaders concluded. The general impression of all participants in the conference and international representatives engaged in the preparation of the gathering was that it was an exceptional important event that sent a strong and unambiguous signal to everyone one Kosovo that respect for human and religious rights, and religious and cultural sites, and life in peace and tolerance have no alternative. Since nationalist extremists of all colors and uniforms were liberal in their use of religious symbols, using religion as a justification for hatred and violence, this conference, like all future meetings of religious representatives in Kosovo, in the opinion of the participants, should demonstrate that we can live with differences in language and culture, and even political positions, and that human liberty and the dignity of the human person represent a gift of God that should and must be consistently respected. The participants unanimously expressed the home that meetings such as this one will contribute to the overcoming of prejudices among communities in Kosovo, and a better life for all local residents.

Conference participants visit mosque in Decani - reconstructed after the war
(click on photo to enlarge)

BISHOP TEODOSIJE - WE HAVE DONE WHAT'S UP TO US
In his commentary for the KIM Info Service Bishop Teodosije said that "the SOC at this gathering has shown that it is open to cooperation and dialogue, and the monastery of the Pec Patriarchate has shown that it is a hospitable Serbian house that opened wide the doors of its heart to all people of good will". "It is up to us as Christians to do all that we can to build peace and understanding among all communities. Whether this will truly come about and what will be results of what we agreed upon at the conference does not depend solely on us, the Orthodox," emphasized Bishop Teodosije.

He explained that it is especially important that the initiative for this gathering came primarily from the Serbian Orthodox Church and that the first such event in Kosovowas held in the spiritual center of the Pec Archdiocese itself. "We sincerely hope that the messages we have sent from this conference will reach the hearts of political leaders and ordinary people, and contribute to the building of a better society for all," concluded Bishop Teodosije.

In addition to responsibility for the restoration of destroyed Serbian Orthodox churches in Kosovo and Metohija and maintaining contacts with international representatives in the Province, especially with regard to negotiations on the future status of Kosovo, Bishop Teodosije has recently taken part with the blessing of the SOC Holy Synod of Bishops in in two important interfaith conferences in the past several months: in Constantinople and in Tirana. In addition to Bishop Irinej of Backa, a member of the Holy Synod of Bishops, Bishop Teodosije has been directly encharged by the Synod to work on preparations for the interfaith conference in the Pec Patriarchate.

Refreshments in the refractory at Visoki Decani Monastery
(click on photo to enlarge)

Enclosed is the official Common Statement published in three languages for the press. In the event of differences in the translations, the English version is definitive.

MS Word copy is enclosed in the attachment of the message together with the History of inter-religious dialog in Kosovo

INTERFAITH CONFERENCE ON PEACEFUL

COEXISTENCE AND DIALOGUE

MAY 2 3, 2006
MONASTERY OF THE PEC PATRIARCHATE

COMMON STATEMENT

On May 23, 2006 the leaders and senior representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Islamic Community of Kosovo, the Protestant Evangelical Church and the Jewish Community gathered at the historical Pec Patriarchate Monastery for an Interfaith Conference on Peaceful Coexistence and Dialogue.

Serbian Orthodox Church representatives and Rabbi Yitshaak Asiel during conference
(click on photo to enlarge)

The Conference was held at the initiative of religious representatives in Kosovo, hosted by the Serbian Orthodox Church, and organized and sponsored by Norwegian Church Aid.

On behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Pavle, the Conference was opened by His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral. The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the International Community, local authorities and other dignitaries.

Gratitude is herein expressed to those who helped facilitate this Conference, notably: The sisterhood of the Pec Patriarchate Monastery, the brotherhood of Decani Monastery, the staff of the Kosovo and Metohija Office of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the international moderators, KFOR, and in particular the Italian contingent at the Pec Patriarchate, UNMIK and local municipal authorities.

The goal of the Conference was to provide an opportunity for the respective leaders of the religious communities to discuss key issues and values shared by their communities, and to identify desired joint initiatives to promote reconciliation and peace, mutual respect and acceptance, common life and cooperation through an institutionalised form of dialogue and concrete project activities.

Conference participants during a pause in the program
in the monastery of the Pec Patriarchate
(click on photo to enlarge)

Therefore, we, the religious leaders, are convinced that hatred and war represent defeat and tragedy for all, while reconciliation and forgiveness lead to freedom for all and for everyone. A person who hates is never free. True freedom exists in serving God by serving every human person regardless of their faith, nationality and every other adherence.

Faith in the God of peace, justice and love deem it unworthy only to tolerate one another as a necessary evil. Neither is it enough as persons and communities to merely co-exist one next to the other. Rather, we are invited by our faith and conscience to live one with the other. Ultimately, we desire and pray that we be enabled to live one for the other. In so doing, we respect the identity and dignity of every person and every community by accepting the principle of unity in diversity.

In coming to terms with the past we acknowledge that all communities have suffered. We express sorrow for one anothers suffering, praying that this suffering will no longer be a stumbling block. We must move towards an open future with interaction and profound responsibility for each other before God.

We condemn the destruction of all churches, mosques, cemeteries and other religious sites, and we rejoice in the restoration process, which is now under way and we anticipate its completion. We appeal to the wider community to join us in our endeavour to rebuild not only our religious sites, but also to rebuild our lives, our hearts and our minds.

As religious leaders and representatives, we commit ourselves to the following:

-To hold regular meetings between religious communities at the level of senior religious leaders, between the advisors in the Working Committee and at the municipal level;

-To intensify inter-religious dialogue and cooperation;

-To call upon all to contribute towards the betterment of life and prosperity in order to help facilitate the return process of all displaced persons;

-To promote exchange between religious communities, such as: visits to religious sites, exchange of lectures between theological faculties, as well as enabling the Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius to resume its place in Prizren;

-To invite the media to communicate our shared inter-ethnic and inter-religious values;

-To facilitate communication and exchange of information between the religious communities: For instance, the compilation of a common address book;

-To continue engaging as responsible religious leaders in the drafting process on the Law on Religion; and

-To convene a seminar at the Nansen Academy in Lillehammer, Norway in order to strengthen the local religious leaders in their commitment to peace and reconciliation.

In conclusion, we state that Kosovo is our common home and we commit ourselves to preserving it as a common inheritance for future generations.

The next conference will be hosted by the Islamic Community of Kosovo, in Pristina during the course of this present year 2006.

(The English text of this Common Statement was adopted as the official text of this Conference.)

Walk together in the streets of Pec to the municipal assembly building
Bishop Teodosije, Rabbi Yitshaak Asiel, Fr. Nektarije Vorgucic, Italian Carabiniere
(click on photo to enlarge)

Political provocations fail to undermine conference's dignity

In response to a question by an Albanian reporter to what extent religious representatives are truly representatives of God, Metropolitan Amfilohije replied that that is up to God to decide based of everything we say and not only on what we say but also what we do

KIM Info Service
Pec Patriarchate, May 3, 2006

At a press conference following the conclusion of the Interfaith Conference on Peaceful Co-existence and Dialogue Pec Mayor Ali Lajci addressed reporters and took advantage of the opportunity to promote the idea of independence. When asked by a reporter how he would protect the Pec cemetery, he replied that in an independent state all cemeteries would be protected.

According to a statement by reporters who were present, on another occasion Lajci openly said that Kosovo and Albania are two parts of one Albania, which resulted in a rather uncomfortable atmosphere among many conference participants including Kosovo Albanians.

When asked by a reporter at yesterday's press conference how the Serbian Orthodox Church views the statements of certain Albanian religious and political representatives that Kosovo should be an independent state, Metropolitan Amfilohije replied that "we have not gathered here to address the issue of the status of Kosovo but to see how we can live in peace and tolerance".

Especially interesting was a question by KIM Radio reporter Zivojin Rakocevic, who asked Don Lush Gjergji, the general vicar of the Roman Catholic Bishopric in Prizren, to comment on the statement of his colleague, Don Shan Zefi (recently cited in the Albanian language press in Kosovo) that Orthodox holy shrines were, in fact, "old Catholic churches". Don Gjergji replied that we should not always look at the past but he did not respond to the reporter's request to clarify whether he himself agreed with this view. Metropolitan Amfilohije explained that the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches share a common history for the first eleven centuries but that in this region the Pec Archbishopric is the canonical successor of the early Christian church, which is obvious from the numerous holy shrines and uninterrupted continuity of church life through the centuries. Don Lush Gjergji added that "the Catholic Church has no pretensions toward the churches of the Serbian Orthodox Church".

REACTIONS FROM THE DAILY PRESS

Politika daily, Belgrade, May 5, 2006

OUR REPORTER IN PEC

"Metohija Hotel" now becomes "Hotel Royal"

Every twenty meters or so one and the same graffiti is repeated - "Jo negociata Vetevendosje" (No negotiations - Self-determination)

(Photo selection and captions by KIM Info Service)

Conference participants in front of the Pec Municipal Assembly Building
'No negotiations - Self-determination' graffiti dominates building facade
(click on photo to enlarge)

PEC The white UNMIK bus escorted by Italian carabinieri wound its way slowly through the narrow streets of Pec. Religious leaders have set out from the Pec Patriarchate to show by their own example that common life and tolerance in Kosovo and Metohija are not an impossible mission. The first stop is the Roman Catholic church of St. Catherine. Parish priest Lorenc Sopi tells the high guests from the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Islamic Community, the Evangelical church and the Federation of Jewish communities that they have "gathered here in God's name because the Lord does not take differences into account". The host explained that this church, built in 1928, has an active Youth Center, and the sisters of Mother Teresa led aid to the old and infirm. After group photos the convoy of church and religious high officials, escorted by reporters, set out through the rain for downtown Pec.

Polished windows of boutiques, shops and coffee houses float by the bus. The signs "Malibu", "Mamb", "Jack Daniels", "Little Big" and "American Poker" are just some of the new urban toponyms on the oriental face of this Metohija city where not one Serb has lived since 1999. Every twenty meters or so one and the same graffiti is repeated - "Jo negosiata Vetevendosje" (No negotiations - Self-determination) . This clear political message is written on the very entrance to the Pec Municipal Assembly.

The bus stops again in the city center in Queen Teuta Street. The terraces of the coffee shops are full of men but there are no provocations. To get to the medieval Orthodox church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, one passes through a muddy passage between buildings. The church itself was last renewed after World War I but it was seriously damaged again in 1999.

Bishop Teodosije and Rabbi Yitshaak Asiel lead participants of the Interfaith Conference
through streets of Pec. This symbolic gesture also pointed out the fact that Pec should remain
a free city for all and that Serbs and others forced to leave their homes here after 1999
should be enabled to return (click on photo to enlarge)

"A month after the arrival of NATO troops in Kosmet, the church was desecrated and looted. During the March 2004 pogrom the altar (sanctuary) and iconostasis were set on fire," said Bishop Teodosije. The former seat of the Pec Metropolitan is deserted. In the courtyard, garbage and weeds. The windows on the parish home, where two priests lived until seven years ago, are broken. Presbyter Aleksandar Krstic, temporarily residing in Gorazdevac, expects to return to Pec when the church is repaired. In order to protect the church from further damage, recently new windows and doors have been installed, and the roof has been covered with tin. Bishop Teodosije, charged by the Serbian Orthodox Church's Holy Assembly of Bishops with the restoration of holy shrines in Kosmet, said that this church is scheduled to be restored in 2006.

The religious leaders, among them four bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Mufti of Kosovo, representatives of the Roman Catholic Bishopric of Prizren, the Rabbi of Serbia-Montenegro and pastors from the Evangelical church, headed on foot to the municipal building, across the road from the former Metohija Hotel, which is now called the Royal Arda. We learn that the Pec landmark was purchased by a local auto mechanic for 1.5 million euros.

Mayor Ali Lajici, who attempted to misuse the Interfaith Conference by declaring that "Kosovo and Albania are two parts of one Albania", greeted the representatives of religious communities with a more conciliatory tone. The office is dominated by a portrait of Ibrahim Rugova (Lajici belongs to the League of Democrats of Kosovo) and four flags: Albanian, United States, United Nations and European Union. On one of the walls is a flyer in English: "The independence of Kosovo is the only road to peace in the Balkans."

In his brief welcoming remarks the mayor expressed pleasure that the Pec Patriarchate, a symbol of the city, was host to such an important gathering and wishes for success to all the religious leaders in establishing peace, prosperity and cooperation in Kosovo.

Serbian Orthodox bishops exchange greetings with Decani mayor Nazmi Selmanaj
and imams in front of Decani mosque. SOC participants in the conference suggested
visit to this religious site set on fire in the 1999 war in order to demonstrate their solidarity with Islamic community which lost many of its religious sites during the war. (click on photo to enlarge)

Thanking him for his hospitality, Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral said that if we behave as God behaves towards us in giving us enough sun, water, earth and air, many problems will be resolved. "We need a renewal of minds and hearts so we can use God's wealth with less selfishness. That means not snatching for ourselves but sharing what we have like brothers," said Bishop Amfilohije.

The Mufti of Kosmet Naim Trnava also thanked the Pec mayor, who said that with this conference "a new wind has begun to blow that will create a favorable climate for all who live in Kosovo".

The last stop in the promotion of interfaith solidarity and dialogue was the restored Bayrakli Mosque from the 15th century. This cultural monument was set on fire during the 1999 war. The host, Imam Nexhmedin Hoxha, especially thanked the Italian organization Intersos, which financed the reconstruction of the mosque. There are 22 mosques in Pec and many of them were damaged during the war.

Upon leaving the mosque an Albanian man began to loudly shout and swear, complaining because of the SOC bishops' presence in Pec. But several policemen immediately surrounded him and so it all ended with verbal provocation.

By Milenko Pesic

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