Rastovic: The Vatican can help prevent the destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo

The visit to Serbia by the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Pietro Parolin, and his discussions with Serbian officials and Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije, where one of the topics was the position of the Serbian people and the Serbian religious and cultural heritage in Kosovo, can be seen as an encouraging sign, according to historian Aleksandar Rastovic.

"The Vatican understands the need to protect the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, which is not just the land belonging to the Church, but also monasteries, church sites, churches, graves, and monuments. Unfortunately, since 1999, many of these have been significantly damaged, and in many cases, completely destroyed. I believe the Vatican can provide substantial help in this regard," says Rastovic.

He recalls that during the 1990s, the Holy See played an important mediating role when the government of the Republic of Serbia held talks with Ibrahim Rugova about normalizing the education system in Kosovo.

"In recent years, there has been a significant struggle over the property of Visoki Decani, where the Vatican also played an important role in correcting the injustice done to the Serbian Orthodox Church," notes Rastovic.

Kosovo, he emphasizes, is full of cultural and historical monuments, monasteries, and churches, numbering in the thousands, many of which are in very poor condition across various parts of Kosovo.

"Especially when considering the intent of the so-called Kosovo authorities to transform everything related to Serbian spiritual and cultural heritage into so-called Kosovo heritage. This is an obvious historical falsification, a deliberate reshaping and alteration of national, social, and cultural consciousness in Kosovo and Metohija, with the intention of showing an alleged continuity of Kosovo’s history from the earliest periods to today. I believe this is an important moment, and it can be encouraging to see the Vatican and its decision-makers supporting efforts to prevent the destruction of our heritage and presence in Kosovo and Metohija," concludes Rastovic.