orthodoxrights.org

May 7, 2019 – the Saint Parascheva Church in village Gojbulja (Vučitrn Municipality, Kosovo) was burgled.

Namely, some time around 4 p.m. the faithful noticed that the door of the church was burgled, and that the donations in the amount of around 20 Euros, left after the liturgy served a day before, were stolen. The police was informed and responded soon after. The investigation is in progress.

The village of Gojbulja is predominantly populated by the Kosovo Albanians, while only around 50 Serbian families still live therein, after they started leaving this area in June 1999.

However, this is one of many and continuous incidents targeting the Serbian Orthodox holy sites. The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija expressed its concern over the continuous attacks, and called the Kosovo Police to properly investigate and find the perpetrators of this and all previous incidents which remain unresolved until today. Bishop Teodosije particularly noticed that attacks of the Serbian Orthodox churches additionally discourage the return of the faithful to Kosovo and Metohija, and that local institutions must provide better protection of the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church and local population, particularly in isolated enclaves.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija of the Serbian Government and local political representatives of the Kosovo Serbs joined in condemning the incident, also noticing that none of previous incidents had been resolved so far and that personal and property security of the Kosovo Serbs have been seriously endangered in absence of any progress in investigation of those incidents.

Sources:

1. Website of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija – 8 May 2019, “Obijen hram Sv. Petke u Gojbulji kod Vučitrna”
2. Radio Television of Serbia – 8 May 2019, “Obijena crkva Svete Petke u Gojbulji kod Vučitrna”
3. Radio Television of Vojvodina – 8 May 2019, “Obijena vučitrnska crkva”
4. TANJUG Agency – 8 May 2019, “KiM: Obijena crkva Svete Paraskeve u selu Gojbulja kod Vučitrna”
5. Serbian Daily Newspaper “Novosti” – 8 May 2019, “IŽIVLjAVANjE NA KOSOVU: Obijena crkva Svete Paraskeve u selu Gojbulja”

Related publications:

The orthdoxrights.org has been reporting on the incidents against the Serbian Orthodox churches and cemeteries and inertia of the local police in this regard, on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, since January 2015. Herewith is the list of over 15 reported incidents (burglaries, desecration, vandalism, robberies, etc.) with more details:

-Babljak Incident:

http://orthodoxrights.org/st-trinitys-church-was-burgled-for-the-19th-time-since-1999.html

-Babin Most Incident:

http://orthodoxrights.org/for-the-15th-time-within-the-last-four-years-the-church-was-robbed-and-no-perpetrators-had-been-found-yet.html

-Continuous Security Incidents:

http://orthodoxrights.org/comminique-of-the-diocese-of-raska-prizren-regarding-a-series-of-incidents.html

-Absence of the Intervention and Control:

http://orthodoxrights.org/russian-permanent-envoy-to-osce-says-kosovo-authorities-enables-attacks-on-churches.html

– Priština Incidents:

1. http://orthodoxrights.org/othodox-chapel-and-cemetery-dececrated-in-kosovo.html
2. http://orthodoxrights.org/in-kosovo-vandals-set-on-fire-church-of-christ-the-savior.html
3. http://orthodoxrights.org/vandalism-and-desecration-of-an-orthodox-church-in-the-diocese-of-raska-pizren.html

– Prizren Incident:

http://orthodoxrights.org/robbery-in-an-orthodox-church-4.html

-Sušica Incidents:

1. http://orthodoxrights.org/vandalism-of-an-orthodox-church.html
2. http://orthodoxrights.org/vandalism-of-an-orthodox-church-in-kosovo.html

-Orahovac Incident:

http://orthodoxrights.org/an-orthodox-church-was-stoned-in-kosovo.html

-Drsnik Incident:

http://orthodoxrights.org/desecration-of-an-orthodox-church-in-kosovo.html

-Kruševac/Donji Livoč Incidents:

http://orthodoxrights.org/two-serbian-orthodox-cemeteries-desecrated.html

-Kosovska Mitrovica Incident:

http://orthodoxrights.org/chapel-at-orthodox-cemetery-destroyed-graves-desecrated-busts-stolen-in-northern-kosovska-mitrovica.html

-Lipljan/Djakovica Incidents:

1. http://orthodoxrights.org/communique-of-the-raska-prizren-diocese-on-the-christmas-incidents-in-lipljan-and-djakovica.html
2. http://orthodoxrights.org/an-orthodox-church-in-lipljan-vandalized-with-kla-graffiti.html