Hilarion: Albanians want to expell Serbs from Kosovo
Albanians in Kosovo do not seek co-existence with Serbs, but their complete expulsion from the southern Serbian province with support from the outside, chairman of the Department of External Church Relations the Patriarchate of Moscow Hilarion Alfeyev said on Saturday.
(KosovoCompromiseStuff) Saturday, December 08, 2012
In an interview, Hilarion said that he visited Kosovo on two occasions and "saw with his own eyes how the local Serbs' daily routine looks like."
"The Serbs in Kosovo live in an unpredictable and very hostile environment, in constant threat of robbery and beating, in the fear of losing their connection with central Serbia," the metropolitan said.
In ancient monasteries, he added, the Serbs "pray behind barbed wire," and the few monks spend their lives as "prisoners,
under the protection of armed foreigners."
The metropolitan qualified as disturbing the recently announced intent of the management of the Kosovo university in Pristina to either bring down or turn into a Kosovo Albanian museum the Church of Christ the Savior, which is located on its territory.
"Attempts to take away a centuries-long history from the Serbian people and to suppress their historical memory do not stop," Hilarion stressed.
Many churches in Kosovo have been desecrated by vandals or completely ruined, Hilarion said, and added that he is happy that the Theological School in Prizren is reopened. The Russian Orthodox Church assisted in the restoration of this school by granting EUR 200,000.
With the blessing of Patriarch Kirill, monasteries across Russia have begun fundraising to help churches and monasteries and soup kitchens in Kosovo, Hilarion announced.
"The Serbs in Kosovo live in an unpredictable and very hostile environment, in constant threat of robbery and beating, in the fear of losing their connection with central Serbia," the metropolitan said.
In ancient monasteries, he added, the Serbs "pray behind barbed wire," and the few monks spend their lives as "prisoners,
under the protection of armed foreigners."
The metropolitan qualified as disturbing the recently announced intent of the management of the Kosovo university in Pristina to either bring down or turn into a Kosovo Albanian museum the Church of Christ the Savior, which is located on its territory.
"Attempts to take away a centuries-long history from the Serbian people and to suppress their historical memory do not stop," Hilarion stressed.
Many churches in Kosovo have been desecrated by vandals or completely ruined, Hilarion said, and added that he is happy that the Theological School in Prizren is reopened. The Russian Orthodox Church assisted in the restoration of this school by granting EUR 200,000.
With the blessing of Patriarch Kirill, monasteries across Russia have begun fundraising to help churches and monasteries and soup kitchens in Kosovo, Hilarion announced.
