Gračanica, Kosovo, July 1, 2021
Photo: eparhija-prizren.com
In the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, the flag of the Serbian Orthodox Church was stolen from the entrance gate to Gračanica Monastery in Kosovo.
The monastery occasionally places the flag at the entrance to mark major feast days and events. Just the day before, the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrated Vidovdan—the feast of St. Prince Lazar and the commemoration of the martyrs of the Battle of Kosovo. The Liturgy at Gračanica was celebrated by His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije.
A picture of a masked man holding an Albanian flag and trampling on the Church flag later appeared on social media, reports the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raška and Prizren.
“This latest incident demonstrates the increased vulnerability of religious rights and freedoms and, in general, the security of Serbian Orthodox Church facilities in Kosovo and Metohija,” the Diocese writes.
The Church in Kosovo faces constant persecution and intimidation both from local Albanian Muslims and the authorities. A church in Priština was recently vandalized following the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on the feast of the Ascension there. And on Pentecost, pilgrims from Serbia were prevented from celebrating the feast at Kosovo monasteries.
As the Diocese of Raška and Prizren explains, the Serbian Church flag has the Serbian tricolor with a cross and four arrows, symbolizing Christ as the King of kings.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
