Rakovic: Xhufka has Pristina's backing, goal is to permanently expel the Serbian Orthodox Church from Kosovo

Commenting on claims by Nikolla Xhufka, who presents himself as an Orthodox bishop, that the so-called Orthodox Church of Kosovo had won a court case against the Serbian Orthodox Church, thereby enabling Orthodox Albanians to register with that church, historian Aleksandar Rakovic said that Xhufka enjoys Pristina's support and that the intention of "Albanian separatists in Kosovo" is to permanently expel the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Rakovic said that Pristina, in cooperation with certain external actors, had devised a multi-pronged plan aimed at destabilizing the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, with one of its elements being Nikolla Xhufka, whom he described as a "self-proclaimed cleric" and whom, he believes, is supported by the institutions in Pristina.

"When you also have the backing of the institutions, then you can do whatever you want, especially because the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija do not have the numbers they had in Montenegro, where they were able to defend our holy sites. As a result, the Serbian people will depend on Western support, and the question remains how willing they will be to stop the intentions of the separatists in Pristina," Rakovic told Kosovo Online.

Another line of action is, he said, the Albanian Roman Catholic Church in Kosovo, which, according to him, is an even more dangerous adversary.

"This is probably being done to serve their interests, because they are the ones most eager to appropriate our medieval holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija. There is a whole range of developments threatening to destabilize the entire area, while Serbia is not in a position to respond in any way other than through diplomatic and political means. This creates great uncertainty among Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, because they find themselves dependent on others and their goodwill, and unfortunately that goodwill has generally not been demonstrated," Rakovic said.

He added that any rash move by official Belgrade could further complicate the situation.

"Not through Belgrade's fault, but because they are looking for a mistake by Serbian institutions in order to harm Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. The intention of the separatists in Pristina, or rather the Albanian separatists in Kosovo and Metohija, is to permanently expel the Serbian Orthodox Church," Rakovic stressed.

He also recalled previous attempts to appropriate Serbian holy sites in Kosovo.

"There was the well-known case at UNESCO in 2015, when they fell short by two votes. They have not raised that issue again because they would not have a majority, but as we can see, through various forms of systemic pressure they are working to make life more difficult for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, encouraging people to leave and relocate to other parts of Serbia so that there are as few Serbs as possible. That would make it easier for them to achieve their goals - seizing church property, while also forcing Serbs to leave Kosovo and Metohija under pressure or bringing about a repeat of 1998, 1999, or 2004, namely armed conflict and widespread violence against the Serbian people," Rakovic concluded.

The Eparchy of Raska and Prizren previously stated that Xhufka, who presents himself as an Orthodox bishop, made a number of, as they put it, demonstrably false claims about the Serbian Orthodox Church in an interview with Kosova Press, along with statements which, according to the Eparchy, may constitute the criminal offense of inciting national, racial, religious, or ethnic hatred, division, and intolerance.

The statement adds that if the Kosovo institutions truly respect their constitutional and legal obligations to provide equal protection to all religious communities, "these statements cannot remain without investigation."