Serbian Orthodox Church: Claims of negotiations on SPC’s legal status in Kosovo are fabrications

The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) today dismissed media reports alleging negotiations regarding its legal status in Kosovo, calling them fabrications.

“Among the dozens of slanderous attacks and falsehoods being spread against the SPC — and especially against the spiritual leader of millions of Orthodox Serbs, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije — by a particular media conglomerate and then disseminated across social media, yet another defamation has appeared. This time it mentions the Archbishop of Novi Sad and Metropolitan of Backa, Irinej.

It is not hard to see that the false claim about alleged talks held by Patriarch Porfirije and Metropolitan Irinej regarding the status of the Church in Kosovo and Metohija was released on the basis of the old 'blame-the-victim' tactic. Those who fabricated and circulated such slanders against the SPC are attempting to further destabilize the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija in service of Kurti’s clique,” the SPC said in its statement.

The Church recalled the message delivered by Patriarch Porfirije during a scholarly conference on Kosovo last year, where he clearly stated that the SPC cannot be part of any negotiations or agreements regarding the status of Kosovo.

“For the sake of the Serbian people and all our faithful, we reiterate the words of the Patriarch spoken on March 26, 2024, which also reflect the position of Metropolitan Irinej on this matter:

‘It is said that the legal status of the Serbian Orthodox Church is the “most complex political issue” in the Kosovo and Metohija dialogue. After eight centuries of uninterrupted presence in the region, the SPC cannot be a part of any political negotiations or agreements concerning the status of Kosovo and Metohija. The respect and protection of human and particularly religious rights are universal civilizational values — they belong to everyone and must be guaranteed to the Serbian Church and its faithful.

Therefore, universal human and religious rights and freedoms cannot be subject to status negotiations or political agreements — they are presumed and guaranteed by international legal instruments.’”

The SPC emphasized that the international community, embodied by the United Nations and the European Union, is obligated to ensure full respect for all human and religious rights in Kosovo.

“The Serbian Orthodox Church does not seek ‘special rights’ anywhere, including in Kosovo and Metohija. Moreover, universal human and religious rights must not be treated as ‘special rights’ only when applied to the SPC.

The protection of the Church’s cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija — including its immovable and movable sacred treasures of great civilizational, cultural, spiritual, and historical significance — cannot, in this case alone, be considered a ‘special right’ of the SPC,” the statement underscores.

They further stressed that “special rights” do not include the right to life, freedom of movement, freedom of expression, the right to peacefully enjoy one's property, or other universal rights guaranteed to all people by binding international legal acts.

“There is no doubt that the rights and freedoms of the clergy, monastics, and faithful — as well as the Serbian Orthodox identity, and the sacred and other property of the SPC in Kosovo and Metohija — are under threat.

The SPC cannot accept any legal or political model that runs counter to the Gospel and its eight-century-long presence in Kosovo and Metohija. The Serbian Orthodox Church has been, is, and will remain the Church of Christ in Kosovo and Metohija and everywhere under its canonical jurisdiction,” the statement concludes.

The SPC's response follows media speculation that Church representatives might sign a "fundamental agreement" with Kosovo authorities and that such a document already exists, allegedly negotiated by Patriarch Porfirije and Bishop Irinej of Backa on behalf of the Church — though no counterpart was named.