Gudzic: Increased activity between the Vatican and Kosovo, Osmani continues with a familiar narrative

Historian Aleksandar Gudzic pointed out that over the past two years there has been increased activity between the Vatican and Kosovo, but that it is difficult to predict whether the Holy See will recognize Kosovo’s independence. Commenting on a statement by President Vjosa Osmani that the “Dardanian land has produced many great figures,” Gudzic says it is, to put it mildly, ridiculous to claim that the Roman Emperor Constantine was a “great Albanian.”

“Since 2008, when Kosovo declared independence, the Vatican has not recognized that independence, and the situation remains the same to this day. Despite persistent attempts by Kosovo politicians over all these years, this has not happened. The Holy See has still not officially appointed a nuncio for Kosovo. However, since 2023 there has been noticeable increased activity on both sides aimed at recognition, but whether it will actually happen is difficult to predict,” Gudzic told Kosovo Online.

As he noted, Osmani’s statement about great figures from the “Dardanian land” is a continuation of a narrative that Kosovo Albanians are Catholics who have been present in these areas for a thousand years.

“I get the impression that her statement is a continuation of a narrative that is dominant in Kosovo’s political and academic public, namely the narrative of the thousand-year continuity of Albanians in these areas and of the Catholic identity of Kosovo Albanians. The essence of that narrative is – ‘we, the Albanians, have been in Kosovo for thousands of years; at some point there were Serbian or other occupations, but we were always here.’ Another narrative is the Roman Catholic identity of Kosovo Albanians – ‘we, the Albanians, are Roman Catholics; at some point the Serbs arrived, destroyed our churches and monasteries, and built their own churches and monasteries on their foundations.’ In that context alone do I view Vjosa Osmani’s appearance on social media, and this is not a narrative that emerged yesterday,” Gudzic said.

Such a narrative, Gudzic adds, is important in order to justify everything they are responsible for, namely the uprising of the 1990s, the ethnic cleansing during Operation “Broom,” when more than 200,000 Serbs were expelled, the destruction of more than 150 Serbian Orthodox Church churches and monasteries, and so on.

According to him, Osmani’s statement that the Roman Emperor Constantine was a “great Albanian” is laughable.

“There are certainly great and successful people among Kosovo Albanians, but not in this way. To claim that Constantine the Great, a Roman ruler who recognized Christianity, was of Albanian origin is truly, to put it mildly, ridiculous,” Gudzic concluded.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani was received on Saturday at the Vatican in an audience with Pope Leo XIV, and after the meeting expressed hope that the Holy See would recognize Kosovo.

Yesterday, the Kosovo president was awarded the “Boniface VIII” prize in Anagni.