After Another Break-In at the Church of St. Archangel Michael in Rakitnica Near Podujevo

The Diocese of Raška-Prizren Files New Criminal Complaint Against Fake Priest Nikolla Xhufka

The Diocese of Raška-Prizren of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as the aggrieved party, filed a criminal complaint today in Podujevo through its representatives and in the presence of EULEX officials. The complaint was lodged with the Kosovo Police against Nikolla Xhufka, an Albanian citizen with a purported temporary residence in Priština, as well as against unidentified persons whose identities are to be determined during the investigation. The complaint is based on Article 141.3 of the Kosovo Criminal Code (inciting discord or intolerance) and Article 320 of the Criminal Code (illegal occupation of another’s property).

The criminal complaint against Nikolla Xhufka, who falsely presents himself as an “Orthodox clergyman,” and his accomplices was submitted due to his recent repeat break-in at the 14th-century Church of St. Archangel Michael in the village of Rakitnica near Podujevo. According to Xhufka’s Facebook post from May 18 of this year, he forcibly entered the church (after the Diocese had previously changed the lock) and performed a so-called religious service in the church, which he this time proclaimed as the “Monastery of St. Alban.”

It should be noted that, together with about twenty accomplices, Xhufka first illegally entered this church on November 28, 2023, at which time he announced that it would henceforth be called the “Fan Noli Church.” Together with his collaborators, Xhufka conducted a kind of “service” using the Albanian national flag, with which they subsequently posed for photographs in front of the church. The entire event was documented on Xhufka’s Facebook page with photos and a subsequent video statement confirming the occupation of the church and its renaming. By order of Metropolitan Teodosije, the clergy of our Diocese reconsecrated the church and celebrated the Divine Liturgy, installing a new lock in the presence of the police and representatives of the OSCE and EULEX.

At that time, the Diocese attempted, both independently and again in the presence of EULEX, to file a report with the Kosovo Police in Podujevo, but was refused by the police on both occasions. The Diocese then immediately filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office for inciting discord and intolerance, as well as for intrusion into another’s property, i.e., a religious site belonging to the SOC. It is important to note that the Church demanded the identification of all twenty individuals who entered the church, which was not done, although photographs were submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office.

On May 27, 2024, the Prosecutor’s Office issued an indictment against the accused, and on October 14 of the same year, the first hearing was held at the Basic Court in Priština, where the accused, together with his lawyer, denied all the facts. Although the Diocese of Raška-Prizren filed a criminal complaint against Xhufka and his accomplices, the Diocese’s representative was not invited to the mentioned court hearing as the injured party. Thus, the Diocese only learned from the media that, by a decision of the Basic Court in Priština on December 14, 2024, the indictment was dismissed, and that on December 13, 2024, the Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal against this court decision. Therefore, this criminal process is not over, and the accused Nikolla Xhufka and his collaborators remain under criminal proceedings. Although the Diocese requested a clear legal explanation as to why it was excluded from this process, the Prosecutor’s Office responded only with a brief note.

Despite this, we have witnessed that Xhufka, just a few days ago, dared to break into the Church of St. Archangel Michael again. Immediately upon learning of this new criminal act, committed by a person already under judicial proceedings in the appeals phase, representatives of the Diocese of Raška-Prizren replaced the illegally installed lock on the church and removed several images that had been affixed to the walls with adhesive, which caused damage to the 14th-century church.

It is important to emphasize that Nikolla Xhufka falsely presents himself as a clergyman of the so-called “Albanian National Orthodox Church” and claims to lead what he calls a catacomb church in Elbasan. He is a problematic individual whom the canonical Orthodox Church of Albania has previously described as a self-styled priest and fanatic, not belonging to any Orthodox Church. At the end of last year, Xhufka went so far as to proclaim himself “Bishop of Kosovo” with the help of certain non-canonical “clergy”, and this year for Easter, on May 20, in a private house in Priština, he “declared” the establishment of the so-called “Kosovo Metropolis” of his self-proclaimed “church,” with himself as the primate. This so-called inauguration was merely a gathering of civilians in a private home and has no legal significance.

We consider this latest criminal act to be a consequence of the inadequate response of Kosovo’s judicial authorities, who failed to investigate all persons previously involved in the illegal entry into our church, did not name the SOC as the injured party or enable its participation in the court proceedings, did not properly present the facts relevant for correct legal qualification, and ultimately allowed the process to be turned into an inquiry into the SOC’s property rights over its own religious sites, thereby attempting to further downplay the incident. Unfortunately, such failures have created an atmosphere in which individuals may commit violent acts against the Serbian Orthodox Church, recognized under that name in Kosovo law, without concrete legal consequences—even though the person in question is already under criminal charges and represents no one but himself. According to his own statements and media appearances, Nikolla Xhufka is known for his extreme nationalist views and threats, and by his actions, he seriously endangers religious freedoms and the rights of our Church to maintain its places of worship.

By this statement, the Serbian Orthodox Church calls upon local and international institutions to pay full attention to this case at all stages, so as to prevent further failures by competent authorities that could encourage extremist and nationalist elements, who have long made no secret of their intentions to appropriate SOC cultural and religious sites.