Renowned Kosovo newspaper editor Veton Surroi shared his support of Novak Djokovic’s wish to baptize his children in one of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s (SOC) monasteries in Kosovo. He however went on to emphasize that these sites are Kosovo churches.
Surroi’s reaction arrived after the Kosovo Minister of Culture and Sports responded to Djokovic’s desire to baptize his children in Kosovo by saying „No vax, no entry“.
“Everyone is entitled to baptize her/his children in Kosovo churches. It is Novak Djokovic’s right to choose when and where. Mayhis children’s baptism be felt in spirit of Matthew 22:39: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’,” Surroi said in a tweet in which he tagged Novak Djokovic and re-tweeted the reaction of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren.
The Diocese of Raska and Prizren also reacted yesterday, saying that they are “deeply saddened” by the nature of Pristina’s reaction. They stated that the Minister of Culture and Sport’s comment left them wondering what sort of message for peace and understanding the Kosovo government wishes to send with an inappropriate comment on social networks misinterpreting Djokovic’s statement.
In an interview for the Italian Corriere Della Sera, Djokovic mentioned Kosovo when the journalist brought up the fact that his (Djokovic’s) father is originally from there, and that he himself had visited Kosovska Mitrovica.
„And now I want to return to Kosovo, with my wife Jelena, to baptize our children there, eight-year-old Stefan and five-year-old Tara. I know this topic is very sensitive. And that the conflict still exists, not with weapons at the moment, but the tension is evident. I don’t want to be involved in politics, but for every Serb, Kosovo is the heart, it is the center of our culture, our identity, our tradition, our faith,“ Novak said in the interview.
It was this part of Djokovic’s interview for the Italian Corriere Della Sera that caught the attention of the Serbian and Albanian media alike, each of which reported in a manner that reflect their own point of view.
„Novak Djokovic said that he would like to baptize his two children in Kosovo. He provoked by saying that ‘Kosovo is the heart and center of the culture of Serbia’s identity, tradition and religion,’“ Wrote the Pristina-based Koha.
Everyone is entitled to baptize her/his children in Kosovo churches. It is @DjokerNole right to choose when and where.
May in his children’s baptism the spirit of Matthew 22:39 be felt: „Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“. https://t.co/V9Vn80D1am— VetonSurroi (@VSurroi) May 18, 2023
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