Fewer and fewer Serbs come to the Pristina cemetery for Soul Saturday

At the city's Orthodox cemetery in Pristina, despite bad weather conditions, a few Serbian families visited the graves of their loved ones. The cemetery has been cleaned and partially maintained, but traces of vandalism, destruction, and desecration of monuments are still visible.

Pristina Parish Priest Stanisa Arsic expressed concern about the smaller number of believers and the fact that displaced families from Pristina are increasingly deciding to exhume and relocate the remains of their ancestors.

"Everywhere in Kosovo and Metohija, organized attendance for Saturday of Souls has been canceled. As for the cemetery in Pristina, it's the same story, with very few people visiting the graves of their deceased loved ones. Just like last year, about five to six families nearby come to visit their deceased and read a memorial. I have nothing else to say except to invite people to come to the graves of their ancestors, light a candle, and pray for them," Father Arsic said.

In the past, Pristina was home to 40,000 Serbs. Today, only a few families visit the graves of their ancestors. Among them is Sladjana Vukadinovic, who lit a candle at her husband's grave.

"That is the truth. To my amazement, I never left Kosovo, but in 2000-2001, there were many people here, even when it was dangerous. Now it's not as dangerous, but there are no people. Why people don't come, I don't know. It's not the same, but it's not so terrible that we shouldn't visit the graves of our ancestors. It's sad that our people act this way. Every Serbian could have come today to the graves in Pristina," Vukadinovic believes.

Father Arsic appealed to the faithful not to forget the graves of their ancestors and the Church of St. Nicholas in Pristina.

"The appeal is for everyone, those who have been forcibly displaced in central Serbia, but also those who are in the surrounding areas here, to come and visit the graves and the Church of St. Nicholas, where they were baptized, married, attended the Divine Liturgy, and prayed to God for their health and the salvation of their families," Father Arsic stated.

Serbs have visited the graves of their loved ones on Soul Saturday in other communities in Kosovo where it was possible.