Rakocevic on Fotije's expulsion: Unprecedented hate campaign against the SOC, targeting the purest individuals

The aggressive approach of Pristina towards the Serbian Orthodox Church has been a constant for the past 23 years, journalist and writer Zivojin Rakocevic says in his comments for Kosovo Online. He points out that it's not surprising that the Kosovo authorities have "targeted" the abbot of the Devina Voda Monastery near Zvecan, as he considers him one of the "purest individuals in this region with immense love for Kosovo”.

Rakocevic, while commenting on Pristina's decision to deport Father Fotije after 13 years of residence in Kosovo, stated that this man had not been involved in any public life, discussions, politics, or any form of testimony.

"Abbot Fotije is one of the purest individuals in this area, which is why it doesn't surprise me that he has been targeted. His love for Kosovo and Metohija is something absolutely pure. He came to us in 2004, when things were at their toughest, as a miraculous boy with an opera degree from Sofia. He said, 'Here I am in Kosovo, and I want to be here to cook, to clean, to prepare, to serve the great holy sites, from King Milutin to Sopocani'. And now, this happened to Father Fotije, who has no connection to our conflicts, to this region, but he does have a connection to purity, love, loyalty, and his belongingness," Rakocevic said.

He reminded that there were 159 shrines destroyed, damaged, demolished, or desecrated, including 39 during the March Pogrom.

"How could something like that even happen? We've never had anything like it in history. We've had wars and destruction on this and other territories, but such a systematic campaign and such a sharp hatred against the Serbian Orthodox Church haven't been seen before, and it's a kind of continuity," Rakocevic said.

He emphasizes that systems based on bad intentions first target the completely innocent.

"Fotije is absolutely innocent in this story. The most common sentence after the deportation was in all our discussions: 'We can understand anything, but how is it possible that it happened to Fotije, and why Fotije?' Every passerby in this territory of Kosovo could have been deported, but Fotije, he doesn't belong to that context at all, he doesn't even know what has befallen him," Rakocevic said.

According to him, Abbot Fotije was unaware of what was happening until the last moment.

"He was just legally going each year, getting his ID, waiting to be legalized, to receive his ID card, and be able to continue working in his monastery, to pray to God, to live and love people. To be with all of us in a unique way. Because he's unique, and his love for Kosovo is so great, that's why this happened to him," Rakocevic concluded.