Disappearance of the bell from the church of Saint Kyriake in Brnjača near Orahovac requires an urgent investigation

Statement of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raška and Prizren

The Diocese of Raška and Prizren has received with deep concern the news that the church bell has disappeared from the bell tower of the Church of the Holy Great-Martyr Kyriake in the village of Brnjača, near Orahovac.

The faithful from Orahovac and the surrounding area, who gathered this morning for the Holy Liturgy on the occasion of the church’s patronal feast, discovered upon their arrival that the bell was missing. The Kosovo Police were called and attended the scene, while all the circumstances of this incident remain unclear.

A church bell is not merely an item of Church property, but a consecrated liturgical object that calls the faithful to prayer and worship. Its disappearance on the very day of the church’s patronal feast has caused deep distress among the small number of Orthodox faithful who remain in this area, particularly bearing in mind that no Serbian population lives in the immediate vicinity of the church and that the church itself was already attacked during the violence of March 2004.

At this stage, the Diocese refrains from drawing premature conclusions regarding the perpetrators or their motives. It nevertheless expects the Kosovo Police to conduct a thorough investigation without delay, secure all available evidence, establish what occurred and, should it be confirmed that the bell was unlawfully removed, identify those responsible and bring them to justice. It is particularly important to determine whether this incident involved elements of religious or ethnic intolerance.

Given that many previous attacks, break-ins and acts of desecration against Serbian Orthodox Church sites have not received an effective police or judicial response, we also expect international representatives to monitor closely the conduct of the competent institutions in this case. Only a prompt, professional and impartial investigation can demonstrate that the holy sites and rights of the Serbian Orthodox Church are genuinely protected in practice, rather than merely in public declarations.

Prizren, 20 July 2026
Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raška and Prizren