Visit of the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches to Kosovo and Metohija

Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, the Secretary General of the World Council of Churches (WCC), accompanied by Dr. Andrej Jeftić, Director of the Commission on Faith and Order of the WCC, visited Kosovo and Metohija on September 4-5.

Their visit began at the Serbian Orthodox Theological Seminary in Prizren, where they were welcomed by Fr. Andrej Sajc, the diocesan deputy, Fr. Isidor Jagodić, deputy Rector of the seminary, and other faculty members. Rev. Prof. Dr. Pillay and Dr. Jeftić also visited historical Serbian Orthodox churches in Prizren, including the 14th-century Cathedral of the Holy Virgin of Ljeviš, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Continuing their visit, the WCC representatives arrived to the 14th-century Visoki Dečani Monastery, also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the evening, they had a discussion with the Monastery’s Abbot, Fr. Sava Janjić, focusing on the current challenges facing the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija.

The following day, after attending the Holy Liturgy at Dečani Monastery, Rev. Prof. Dr. Pillay and Dr. Jeftić visited the Peć Patriarchate Monastery, where they were received by the Patriarchate’s monastic community. The guests had the opportunity to explore the historic churches of the Patriarchate, which has been the spiritual center of the Serbian Orthodox Church since the 13th century and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Before concluding their visit to Kosovo and Metohija, the delegation was welcomed at Gračanica Monastery by Mr. Aleksandar Radovanović, Head of the Legal Department of the Diocese, and Mr. Miloš Perić, the Secretary of the Cabinet of the Metropolitan, and Mr. Živojin Rakočević. They toured the 14th-century Gračanica church and engaged in a working lunch with Diocesan representatives. During their visit, the WCC delegation was thoroughly briefed by Mr. Radovanović on the ongoing legal challenges faced by the Diocese in Kosovo and Metohija.

The diocesan representatives expressed their gratitude to Rev. Prof. Dr. Pillay on behalf of Metropolitan Teodosije, thanking the World Council of Churches for its ongoing commitment to promoting human rights and peace, as well as for its continued interest in the well-being of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija.