Coric: We are concerned about Pristina's announced new measures on religious pilgrimages; they are also an attack on the Serbian Orthodox Church

Ivana Coric, a pilgrimage tour leader from Belgrade, stated that the announced changes requiring religious pilgrimages in Kosovo to be conducted, as of August 1, in the presence of guides licensed by the institutions in Pristina will certainly affect the organization of pilgrim groups traveling to Kosovo from central Serbia and the wider region.

"These changes will undoubtedly affect the organization of our trips, but we still do not know exactly how this decision will be implemented or what will actually change. Our trips are religious pilgrimages, not tourist excursions, and they should not be subject to the requirement that they be led by tourist guides, especially those licensed by the institutions in Pristina," Coric said in a written statement to Kosovo Online.

She added that both pilgrims and organizers are concerned and view the measure as yet another form of intimidation.

"We are certainly concerned, as are the pilgrims who travel with us and who have always preferred organized group pilgrimages over traveling on their own in order to visit our holy sites. News of these new measures has caused fear, concern, and anger because it is clear to everyone that their purpose is to create yet another form of intimidation and to discourage our groups from coming, especially as their numbers have recently been increasing. I believe this would also have a negative impact on our people living in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as on the monastic community and clergy, for whom our visits and support mean a great deal," Coric said.

Referring to the recommendation issued by the Raska-Prizren Diocese that organized church pilgrimage groups should, whenever possible, travel accompanied by a priest or a member of the monastic community who would serve as the group's spiritual and ecclesiastical leader, Coric said that this has already been their regular practice.

"Our clergy and monastics already travel with us, and they are naturally the spiritual leaders of these pilgrimages. However, there have been occasions when, for justified reasons, they were unable to accompany certain groups. This is now also an attack on the Serbian Orthodox Church, which, under the leadership of the Raska-Prizren Diocese, has genuinely been making every effort to engage in all the necessary dialogue. Nevertheless, there is also a sense of concern within the Church regarding these announced changes. Although it is the holiday season, groups are scheduled to visit the monasteries over the coming weekends, so we will see whether they encounter any problems when crossing into the territory of Kosovo and Metohija," Coric concluded.

Yesterday, the Raska-Prizren Diocese stated that religious pilgrimages must be distinguished from commercial tourism activities following reports that the Kosovo Police had distributed leaflets informing organized groups that, as of August 1, foreign tourist guides who do not hold a Kosovo license must be accompanied during their stay by a local tourist guide licensed in Kosovo.