Mijacic: Seizure of the church in Gornje Vinarce - the madness of Kurti's Government that even Pope Francis has to react to

Beograd_231102_Dragiša Mijačić 04
Source: Kosovo Online

Coordinator of the National Convention on the EU for Chapter 35, Dragiša Mijacic, stated that the proclamation of the Orthodox Church in South Mitrovica as Catholic by the Ministry of Culture in Pristina was one of the most bizarre actions of the Kosovo authorities, jeopardizing any possibility of dialogue.

Mijacic, on the social network "X", reminded that on Christmas Eve, the Kosovo Government had unlawfully seized the Orthodox church in the village of Gornje Vinarce near Mitrovica, with the intention of handing it over to the Roman Catholic Church.

"Pope Francis needs to be informed of this act and react appropriately and in a timely manner. Based on the Ahtisaari Plan, which is included in the Constitution of Kosovo and has not been fully accepted by the Kosovo Government, the Kosovo Government 'guarantees that the movable and immovable property of the Serbian Orthodox Church will be inviolable and will not be subject to expropriation'", he wrote.

He hopes that the Pope will react to what he described as the "madness of Kurti's Government".

"The transformation of the Orthodox Church into the Catholic one during the Christmas holidays is one of the most bizarre actions of Kurti's Government, jeopardizing any possibility of interethnic dialogue", Mijacic wrote.

He congratulated Christmas to the English, American, French, and German Embassies in Kosovo, French Ambassador Olivier Guerot, rapporteur for Kosovo in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Dora Bakoyannis, EULEX, KFOR, rapporteur of the European Parliament for Kosovo Viola von Cramon, EU Special Representative for the Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, with a message to enjoy the holidays and reflect on what is happening with the Serbs in northern Kosovo under their supervision.

As a "Christmas gift" to all those claiming that the church in the village of Gornje Vinarce, as well as other Orthodox churches in Kosovo, belonged to Albanian Catholics, as a "free lesson", he pointed out that the Orthodox and Catholic churches had different orientations, so they were built differently and looked different.

"In addition, the Kosovo Constitution and laws guarantee ownership of these churches to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Kurti's Government has once again violated its own laws, and done something unacceptable in the modern world. His actions will bring nothing but trouble", Mijacic concluded.