Serbian Orthodox Church has its rights in Kosovo-Metohija

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle

Belgrade, Feb 18, 2004 - His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle addressed a letter to EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri protesting over the attempt of interim institutions of self-government in Kosovo-Metohija to take away from the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) its right to a land on which the Christ the Savor Church and the Sveti Sava cultural centre in Pristina are being built, read a statement by the SPC Information Service.

In his letter, Patriarch Pavle said that the Serbian Church has no intentions to hassle the Albanian community or the university, but that the activities of the Orthodox Church will contribute to the creation of a multiethnic, multireligious and democratic Kosovo-Metohija.

We sincerely hope that you will protect the rights of our church with your timely official reaction and that you will make it clear with concrete measures that interim institutions of self-government in the province cannot carry out the process of establishment of a legal state to the expense of the Serbian Orthodox Church and its devoted people, read the letter of Patriarch Pavle.