The Serbian Orthodox Church near Peć Desecrated

The Raška-Prizren Diocese expresses profound concern over the recent desecration of the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Naklo near Peć.

According to a report by the parish priest in Peć, unidentified individuals broke into and vandalized the church dedicated to the Holy Trinity with graffiti, including messages such as “Allahu Akbar” and in Albanian, “remove this church from here, there are only Muslims here!”, and “we don’t want churches, we want mosques… Islam is the only true faith!”

It is particularly alarming that this incident follows the decision by Kosovo authorities to prohibit the Patriarch and bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church from entering Kosovo. This decision prevented them from performing the Holy Liturgy and starting the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops at the Peć Patriarchate Monastery, a tradition that dates back to the 14th century.

The church in the village of Naklo is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and was burnt down during the March 2004 unrest. Restoration began in 2020 with the cleaning of the churchyard and cemetery. Later, the churchyard and cemetery were fenced, fixtures were installed, and the roof was rebuilt. Before 2004, the village was home to 300 Orthodox Serbs, who initiated the church’s restoration.

Attacks on Serbian Orthodox holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija have been ongoing and have especially increased in recent months. These attacks on churches and private property are largely ethnically and religiously motivated, specifically targeting the Serbian community and the Serbian Orthodox Church.