Kosovo and Croatia, March 11, 2021
Photo: pravoslavie.ru
Three Serbian Orthodox churches were vandalized and robbed on the night of Memorial Saturday, March 5 to 6. Two of the churches are in Kosovo and Metohija and the third is in Croatia.
The Church chancellery for Kosovo and Metohija reports that the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in the town of Klokot was attacked. It was first noticed by a local who helps in the church. Arriving in the morning to open the building, he found that thieves had taken some money and the chalice. They likely entered through a window opened by a crowbar, reports Pravoslavie.ru.
“This is one of many cases of desecration and attacks on Serbian Orthodox shrines on our land, and not a single (!) crime has been solved. No one was held responsible for this,” the locals commented with frustration.
There have been more than 80 incidents of Serbian Orthodox churches, cemeteries, and property being targeted over the past year, despite Kosovo’s pledge to protect Serbian Orthodox sites in an agreement signed with Serbia in September.
Later that month, His Grace Bishop Teodosije of Raška and Prizren made an impassioned plea to the Serbs in Kosovo not to abandon their homes and their churches, monasteries, and cemeteries with them.
The Church of the Holy Trinity in Parteš was also robbed. Locals who came for Liturgy in the morning found the door was broken open, all the cabinets were open, and money was stolen from the cash box. A hand-sewn golden shroud and an icon of the St. John the Baptist were also stolen.
Though violence against Orthodox churches is common in Kosovo, this is the first time it has been encountered in Parteš, leaving locals outraged.
“The church was always open to everyone—anyone could come, pray, leave a donation or commemoration lists for the living and departed. It was safe to leave the church unlocked during the day, and it never occurred to anyone to steal anything from the church!” one local explained.
“It’s a shame that the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija don’t know peace even on Memorial Saturday and their churches are desecrated and attacked even as people are remembering their departed loved ones,” the Church report reads.
“They didn't desecrate the church—they desecrated themselves. To be honest, I feel sorry for them and am afraid for them. And we will still go to the church,” one Parteš parishioner commented.
Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Šibenik, Croatia, where about 1,500 Serbs live, was also attacked. An unknown criminal broke open the front door and all the locks and scattered the church inventory.
Police are investigating the incident, which, “caused outrage and regret among local residents—both Orthodox and Catholics, who often visit this holy church for talks and prayers,” reports the Dalmatia Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
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