The church’s role is not to divide people. Our role is not to provoke revolutions, justify or condemn the powerful people of this world. It is our job to join in suffering and help those who suffer. To help them bear their cross, and not judge and condemn them – reads Bishop Teodosije’s Easter message.
„If we sometimes react, we should do it not for the sake of political or ideological confrontation, but to help our faithful people and preserve the life of the Church. Christianity is not a formula for ending all wars and economic crises in this time and space,“ the bishop said in his Easter interview for Politika daily newspaper.
According to the bishop, the presence of the SOC in Kosovo presents a great consolation to the Kosovo Serbs.
„Regardless of the hard political and historical realities that our faithful people have been going through for centuries, we survive and remain only if we are bound to Christ and aware of the significance of the Kosovo Covenant of the Holy Prince Lazar,“ he said.
Bishop Teodosije stressed that the real meaning of life is not only reflected in material things, while emphasizing the responsibility born by the monks in Kosovo monasteries.
„That is why we feel a special responsibility to defend our faith, fatherland and St. Sava’s tradition, because we know that only by our example and life can we be a consolation and encouragement to our people.“
In the interview, the bishop highlighted that his 19 years of service as the abbot of Visoki Decani built him up spiritually and inextricably linked him with that holy site and the brotherhood of the monastery.
„At the same time, as the bishop, I now feel a spiritual vocation and duty to apply everything I learned in Decani throughout our diocese – a great brotherhood in which we should all feel part of the whole and work for each other, serving God by serving our fellow men.“
Citing the problems that this diocese, along with the Serbian people in Kosovo, has faced immediately after the war – the destruction of approximately 150 monasteries and churches, their reconstruction in cooperation with the Council of Europe, private and international donors, which is often slow, and recently intensified problems – robberies, the unsatisfactory work of the police, administrative pressures and usurpation of property, the bishop also stressed that they are optimistic about the continued survival of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo.
„New life shone from Christ’s tomb. Thus, despite all the difficulties, our Church has preserved its vitality and hope that stems from the crucified and risen Lord Christ,“ he pointed out.
Kosovo and Metohija are of great importance, not only for Orthodox Serbs, but also for all Orthodox people in the world – the bishop reminded.
Speaking about other problems, the bishop confirmed that the coronavirus pandemic posed a special challenge.
„The pandemic has changed the pace of our lives. Many of our dear people have left this world, some have gone through difficult days of illness, and there is almost no person who has not lost a loved one.“
„Our primary goal is to show responsibility in the time of suffering and help those who are in need. We need to behave responsibly toward those who are vulnerable and know that neither sickness nor war can destroy in us the joy of life given in Christ in its fullness.“
Special prayers were read in monasteries and many parish churches during the pandemic, the bishop adds, noting that the church respects science while warning that the „physician of the soul“ should not be forgotten.
„We respect medicine and get treatment when necessary, each according to his conscience and needs. But we must not forget Christ – the true physician of our souls, who heals us from the most dangerous diseases, from death which is the separation of man from God and who helps us become aware of the Kingdom of God.“
However, life goes on, Bishop Teodosije says, recalling previous pandemics, as well as wars and other sufferings. In his words, the Church „lives and continues its path with the hope of resurrection“, that is, in the belief and „higher consciousness“ that human life is not spent only in this time and space.
Without a spiritual perspective which offers a different point of view, as the bishop explains, a man’s life would be very tragic.
Quoting the Bible – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid,” the bishop concluded that “the truth of Christ is only truth and light, and lies and darkness are the absence of that truth and light“.
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