Statement of the Diocese of Raška and Prizren Concerning Recent Reports on the Application of Tourism Regulations to Religious Pilgrimages in Kosovo

The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raška and Prizren has received reports from pilgrimage groups returning from visits to our holy sites in Kosovo that the Kosovo Police distributed leaflets containing a notice issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism concerning the implementation of the Law on Tourism. Full enforcement of the stated rules, including the imposition of penalties for non-compliance, has been announced as of 1 August 2026. The notice states that persons who professionally provide tourist guide services and lead organised groups for tourism purposes must hold the appropriate licence. It further states that organised groups arriving with a foreign tourist guide who does not hold a Kosovo licence must, during their stay, be accompanied by a local tourist guide licensed in Kosovo, with financial penalties envisaged for failure to comply with these requirements.

At the same time, concerns have been expressed in certain media reports that organised pilgrimage groups of the Serbian Orthodox faithful may in future be unable to visit monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church without fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements concerning tourist guides licensed by the Kosovo institutions.

Since these reports have understandably caused concern among the faithful, it is necessary to distinguish clearly between commercial tourism activities and religious pilgrimages, which constitute one of the essential forms through which freedom of religion is exercised.

The monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo are, first and foremost, living holy places, places of worship, prayer and monastic life. The overwhelming majority of those who visit these holy sites do not come as tourists, but as pilgrims wishing to participate in divine services, venerate holy relics, seek spiritual guidance and visit monasteries as an integral part of their religious life.

Freedom of religion directly encompasses the right of the faithful to visit their holy sites freely, participate in worship and organise pilgrimages. The Constitution of Kosovo and the Law on Freedom of Religion contain specific guarantees for religious communities, including the Serbian Orthodox Church, protect its status and expressly guarantee free access for pilgrims and other visitors to religious sites.

We particularly emphasise that Article 8.2 of the Law on Freedom of Religion expressly guarantees unhindered access for pilgrims, guests and persons residing permanently or temporarily in religious institutions, and requires that this guarantee be respected in the application of regulations governing travel and residence. In addition, Article 7A of the same law prohibits the arbitrary prevention of the entry and residence of clergy, candidates for the priesthood, monks, nuns and visitors of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The Diocese does not call into question the right of the competent institutions, within the framework of the applicable legislation, to regulate the professional activities of tourist guides and the provision of commercial tourism services. However, regulations governing commercial tourism services cannot be interpreted in a manner that equates religious pilgrimages, the pastoral accompaniment of the faithful, participation in divine services and the ordinary religious life of monasteries with the professional provision of tourist services.

Likewise, no interpretation of tourism regulations may diminish the right of the Serbian Orthodox Church independently to regulate religious life within its monasteries, nor may it interfere with the Church’s authority concerning worship, pastoral ministry, spiritual instruction and the presentation of its own spiritual, historical and cultural heritage. These rights are protected by the Constitution of Kosovo, the Law on Freedom of Religion and the guarantees afforded to the Serbian Orthodox Church under Annex V to the Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement, commonly known as the Ahtisaari Plan.

On the basis of the applicable legal provisions that are publicly available, the Diocese is not aware of any statutory provision establishing a general rule that every organised pilgrimage group must be accompanied by a licensed tourist guide merely in order to enter an active monastery for prayer or participation in worship. Assertions suggesting that such an obligation exists therefore require careful legal examination and should not be accepted as an established fact.

In view of the urgency of the matter, and in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and practical difficulties when pilgrimage groups enter Kosovo, the Diocese recommends that organised Church pilgrimage groups, whenever possible, travel in the company of a priest or a monastic, either a monk or a nun, who will serve as the spiritual and ecclesiastical leader of the group. The role of such a person should be pastoral and liturgical, not that of a professional tourist guide. It is also advisable for groups to carry an appropriate written confirmation issued by a parish, monastery or the Diocese, attesting to the religious character of the journey and to the capacity in which the accompanying person provides spiritual leadership to the group.

This recommendation constitutes a temporary practical measure intended to establish clearly the religious character of the pilgrimage. It must not be construed as recognition that the presence of a priest or monastic is a legal requirement for pilgrims to enter Kosovo, nor as acceptance that religious pilgrimages may be equated with commercial tourism programmes.

The Diocese remains committed to constructive dialogue with the competent institutions and expects that any application of tourism regulations will be carried out with full respect for the constitutionally and legally guaranteed rights to freedom of religion, freedom of movement and free access by pilgrims to religious sites, as well as for the specific legal status and rights enjoyed by the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and the autonomy of religious communities. Only such an approach can ensure both the lawful regulation of tourism activities and the unhindered exercise of fundamental human rights and freedoms.