Church in Suvi Do broken into, Priest Lazic reported the case to the police

Unknown individuals broke into the church dedicated to Saint Petka in Suvi Do during the night, Archpriest Dalibor Lazic confirmed for Kosovo Online. He was the first to find the broken doors and call the police.

Today, the village celebration of Saint Petka Trnova, also known as Saint Paraskeva, is taking place in Suvi Do, and on the very day of the celebration, the villagers were met with broken doors of the church dedicated to this saint.

This is the second incident in just three days that occurred in this mixed settlement near North Mitrovica.

Lazic says that immediately after he saw the broken doors, he called the police, but also that this is not the first time this church has been targeted by vandals.

"For who knows how many times, this has happened, and precisely because of such vandalism, we had to change the doors of the church that were damaged. I informed the police, who arrived after 45 minutes. There was no further disturbance or desecration inside the church. The royal doors and the box containing money and candles were opened," Lazic told us.

He specifically notes that despite all the recent events, a large number of believers came for the liturgy today on this significant holiday.

"Thank God, we knew we would hold the liturgy today, even if it had to be performed outside the church if the investigation took longer. We rely on God and His help to protect us. On August 5th, we had an unfortunate incident when KLA graffiti was written on the health center in Suvi Do," Lazic recalled.

Despite the joyous day that gathered believers in this place, Lazic says that concern and unease can be felt.

"Today is a joyful day for the village, but you can't see joy among the people and children. A few days ago, they mentioned the church in a negative context, and after about fifteen days, they broke into the church itself," Lazic said.

Despite the fact that the incident further disturbed the residents, as two days ago, the graffiti "KLA" appeared in Suvi Do, causing distress among the inhabitants of the settlement, more than thirty people attended today's liturgy and celebration of the village's patron saint.