Finding a healthy solution for Kosovo and Metohija
Only when we realize our own guilt will we be in a situation to understand and acquaint ourselves with others, said Bishop Amfilohije
"The most important thing is finding a healthy and long-term solution for Kosovo and Metohija because that is the prerequisite for resolving all problems. If a wrong and unilateral solution is made, and such a tendency exists, then we will have a long-term tragedy in this region," warned Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral in a conversation with reporters upon the conclusion of the Interfaith Conference on peaceful co-existence and dialogue.
The gathering of religious leaders in the Pec Patriarchate was not political but the fact that it was held at the same time as delicate negotiations in Vienna is inescapable. Some participants in the conference, such as Kosovo Mufti Naim Trnava, did not pass up the opportunity to remind Serbs that they must accept "the new reality in Kosovo and bind their fate to the land in which they live".
To what extent do gatherings such as this one create room for various political manipulations?
"There is always that possibility but it depends on the people [involved]. The Serbian Orthodox Church does not want to misuse the interfaith conference for political purposes. We are the hosts and this is not in the nature of our church. We have been invited here to testify about ourselves, our being. This testimony will be received by him who has ears to hear and eyes to see and a heart to understand," said Bishop Amfilohije, who headed the SOC delegation at the Pec Patriarchate on behalf of Serbian Patriarch Pavle.
Will this conference influence the final solution of the status of Kosovo and Metohija?
"A meeting of this kind and dialogue create a more healthy climate in human relations. I do not know to what extent it can contribute to the solution of the final question of the status of Kosovo and Metohija but in any case it can contribute to our mutual acquaintance with both what is good in us and with the fears we all have with respect to the others. We feel our wound [because] it is closest to us but frequently we are not in a situation to see the wound of others. We always have a tendency to transfer guilt to someone else, which is our legacy from Adam and Eve. Only when we realize our own guilt will we be in a situation to understand and acquaint ourselves with others."
Metropolitan Amfilohije formally opens Interfaith Conference in Pec Patriarchate
on May 2, 2006 on behalf of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle
If the decision is made to give Kosovo independence, what can the SOC do in that case?
"First, let us wait and see what the decision on the status of Kosovo and Metohija will be. Whatever it is the Church will continue to do what she has done for centuries to protect her people and her own. After 2000 years of experience she knows what she has to do."
How will decisions and the Common Statement be implemented when the diocesan hierarch, Bishop Artemije, did not attend the conference?
"Serbian Patriarch Pavle, who is also the Archbishop of Pec, has sent his blessing and prayers for the success of this conference. The Holy Synod of Bishops is also represented here through its members. Everything that is said here carries weight. God willing, all the decisions we have made will be implemented."
Is the Church afraid of a new pogrom [against the Serbs and their church]?
"We hope that this will not occur because the purpose of this conference is to prevent such senselessness, which contribute nothing to anyone. Previous acts of senselessness have not brought good to anyone, either."
Why is it that a single church has not been built since March 17, 2004?
"It is not easy to rebuild. The Kosovo Mufti also mentioned that during the war in 1999 218 mosques were destroyed. But what is more tragic is that our churches were destroyed during a time of official peace and in the presence of international military forces. All in all, far more important than the rebuilding of religious sites is the creation of conditions so that refugees can return to their ancestral homes."
By M. Pesic
Serb returnees leave their homes again
Serbian Press Agency SRNA
07-05-2006 13:15:17
Pristina - Six Serb families who returned to the hamlet of Vidaci in the village of Slivovo near Gracanice at the end of last year have again left due to pressure by KFOR members, Slivovo community leader Ljubinko Pavic told SRNA today.
Pavic explained that Swedish KFOR troops in the past month have on a number of occasions carried out searches of returnee houses, exposing their owners, most of them elderly people, to psychological pressure and torture, which is why they decided to leave last week.
He added that the newly rebuilt houses have already been looted since the Serbs left and that local residents of Slivovo have requested that the KFOR commander, general Giuseppe Valotto launch an investigation into the responsibility of the Swedish KFOR contingent.
Pavic emphasized that Stojadin, Sava and Zivko Ristic and Leposava Stosic have been hospitalized due to their psychological state and that their houses and two others have been completely looted.
"The windows and doors have been removed, the electrical and plumbing system has been destroyed and the furnityre stolen. Everything has been destroyed," he emphasized.
Pavic said that the Swedish soldiers have agreed to compensate only the damage to the broken doors. Damages for their stolen furniture and destruction of their houses will have to be pursued by the Serbs in court - if they decide to come back again.
