Kosovo and Metohija: Our spiritual and cultural heartland,

A Statement of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church

The Diocesan Assembly is the legislative body in external matters of church administration and includes representatives of every parish and monastic community of the Diocese of Western America.

Gathered in Assembly with our spiritual father Bishop Maxim, at the historic Saint Sava Church in Jackson, California, we the priests, monastics and faithful of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church, strongly affirm our emphatic and unequivocal opposition to the proposed partition of Kosovo and Metohija—our spiritual, historic and cultural heartland to which we are indivisibly bound.

We oppose any consideration of partition or recognition of Kosovo as a separate political entity — whether official or de facto — and resolutely object to any pressure to create or recognize any such entity whether advanced by external forces or the Serbian government.

We also express our deep concern over the continued public attacks and campaign of slander directed against the bishops and clergy of our Church by those advocating partition.

We remind all parties wishing to silence the voice of the Serbian Orthodox Church that the Church has been central to preserving and defending the Serbian people’s Christian faith, fundamental identity and statehood through centuries of subjugation and persecution; and that the church is duty-bound to advance and advocate for the spiritual and moral welfare of the Serbian people on every front where it is in peril.

Moreover, the Church is a central and rightful stakeholder in the resolution of the continuing Kosovo crisis — more so than any governmental or other political entity, and its voice cannot and will not be silenced. Therefore, we reaffirm our steadfast support for the Message of the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church on Kosovo and Metohija passed unanimously on May 10, 2018, by all the diocesan hierarchs of our Holy Church.

We call on the Holy Synod of our Church to take a more vigorous and explicit stance against all individuals, parties, non-governmental and governmental groups, both domestic and foreign, that advocate for partition or that surreptitiously seek to advance it.

We call upon the Holy Synod to take every opportunity via social media, television, radio and other means to create initiatives to explain the importance of preserving Kosovo and Metohija as an integral part of Serbia. We appeal to the Holy Synod to mobilize all available clergy and laity to advance and articulate the case worldwide for preserving Kosovo’s historic inclusion in Serbia.

We express our gratitude for all philanthropic efforts for the suffering people in Kosovo and Metohija which have been offered by our Diocese, our Diocesan KSS, as well as by others. Such efforts have provided meaningful humanitarian and educational assistance to the endangered Kosovo Serb population since 2008, and we call upon all our all Dioceses and organizations in the Diaspora to increase their support and launch new initiatives to assist our communities in this sacred land, especially in the enclaves.

As time is of the essence and the Serbian people are under pressure as never before to surrender Kosovo without the approval of the Serbian people, we strongly affirm that the ultimate status of Kosovo and Metohija is fundamentally not a mere political question, but rather, an existential and moral question for all Serbian and Orthodox people, both in Serbia and abroad.