The Kosovo ombudsman’s deputy, Srđan Sentić, visited the Visoki Decani monastery last night, where he met with the abbot of the monastery, Sava Janjić. They discussed the current situation in Kosovo, including the state of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Sentić underlined that the decision of the Constitutional Court on the return of the Decani monastery land must be implemented without delay.
„The SOC should enjoy constitutional and internationally recognized guarantees that will enable unhindered service to the faithful and protection of property owned by it as an inviolable right. Unfortunately, reality leads us to a different conclusion,“ declared the deputy of the Kosovo Ombudsman.
According to Sentić, the visit to the monastery and the conversation with Father Sava confirmed his concern, primarily because of the non-implementation of the Constitutional Court ruling from 2016 regarding the return of land to the monastery.
„It is a true indicator of the government’s attitude towards the Serbian Orthodox Church, its believers, the rule of law, human rights and international standards on religious freedom and property rights. Visoki Decani Monastery, which is part of the world’s cultural heritage, is rightly protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).“
He stressed that this court decision must be implemented without delay:
„Given that the principle of legal security is one of the fundamental aspects of the rule of law.“
In his words, „all those“ who, especially at the international level, speak about the rule of law, human rights and democracy daily as the „principles of their rule“, must accordingly begin to believe in it indiscriminately and start implementing the mentioned judgment – so that their voices are more responsible, inclusive and serious.
The Serbian Orthodox Church is not „Serbinized“, said Sentić, recalling that this „dangerous falsehood“ was heard from a certain address.
„The SOC has been in existence for 805 years in this region with its identity unchanged, and this extremely inappropriate branding and discrimination has no place in European and Western values.“
He expressed concern over the fact that „recently, we have witnessed polarization, antagonism and hate speech, which are not only fueled, but also institutionalized.“
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