Page 764 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

Protopresbyter-stavrophor Savo B. jović
the albanians lacked professional cadres that are only now maturing, presently and from now on no Serb will be able to get a job until the quota allotted to the albanians is met. The Serbs, it is understood, will have no other option than to seek jobs in other areas or abroad, which will further reduce their numbers. But in addition to these economic reasons, there is also organized pressure by the element whose majority has for centuries, to this day, viewed theft as the best economic model and understood its only free- dom only as the possibility of mistreating others.
These are the reasons why most peasants, farmers and even retirees are moving, although laborers and intellectu- als are moving more out of the former motives. But in the end the result is the same: With every passing day there are fewer and fewer of us.”61
Bishop Pavle by act No 162 from February 28, 1968, for- warded to the Holy Synod of Bishops a copy of the petition addressed to the executive Council of the autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija regarding a report by the administration of Gorioč Monastery that the monastery forest had practically been destroyed by locals, who had cut down 300 trees. First, they did this at night, then they began to do it by day as well, and suddenly 10 or more men with wagons were coming together. When the nuns attempt- ed to stop them, they pelted them with rocks until the nuns fled. They reported this to police but in vain.
The Holy Synod of Bishops submitted a copy of this report to the Commission for Religious affairs of the au- tonomous Province of Kosovo.62
The administration of Dečani Monastery (act No 41 from april 3, 1968) wrote His Holiness Serbian Patriarch German: “a month ago the albanians from Dečani beat up for- ester Milivoj Lakićević just because he had filed complaints
against some of them for the stealing of timber.
at the same time an albanian conductor stabbed a Serb bus driver seven times and seriously wounded him just be- cause he would not drive an overloaded bus as the alba-
nians ordered him to do.
Recently in Labljani in Kosovo the anniversary of Sk-
enderbeg was celebrated in a Serb village. a Serb man asked why it was being celebrated in a Serb village and as a result he is laying in agony in Priština hospital.
a week ago an albanian from Ratiš (parish of Dečani) chased Stanica Pešić [a Serb woman] from her house and property. She has appealed to all possible authorities here without success.
The following families from Dečani had their land and forests usurped: Zarije Pavlović, Mirko Stevanović, Milo- rad joksimović, Blagota Nikčević, Milorad Djašić, Pavle Djašić and the abramović family from Drenovac. These people have no one to whom they can appeal and if they did, such an appeal would not help.”
61 AHSB, Syn No 1121/1968.
62 AHSB, Syn No 1036/zap. 146,19.03/68.
Upon the recommendation of His Holiness Patriarch German the Holy Synod of Bishops decided (Syn No 1409/ zap. 208 from april 4, 1968) to send a photocopy of this letter to the following:
- President of the Federal National assembly, Mr. Mi- lentije Popović,
- President of the Federal executive Council, Mr. Mika Špiljak,
- Federal Commission for Religious affairs,
- President of the Socialist Republic of Serbia assem- bly, Mr. Miloš Minić,
- President of the Socialist Republic of Serbia executive Council, Mr. Djurica jojkić and
- Socialist Republic of Serbia Republic Commission for Religious affairs.
at the same time, everyone was asked to give their full and urgent attention to this matter and that it be investi- gated in order to protect the faithful of the Serbian Ortho- dox Church in the region of Kosovo and Metohija.
in support of this, all the aforementioned individuals and bodies were provided with a copy of the letter of the Provincial institute for the Protection of Cultural Monu- ments (No 02–2641 from april 3, 1968) stating the following:
“This institute is the frequent recipient of written and oral petitions and appeals by the administrations of indi- vidual monasteries and churches (Gorioč, Zočište, St. Mar- ko of Koriša, Buzovik, Dečani, the Peć Patriarchate, etc.) with respect to damage inflicted by unknown persons and illegal forest cutting.
On our part we have sought protection from the Com- mission for Religions of the autonomous Province of Ko- sovo and Metohija and the Provincial Secretariat for inter- nal affairs. We wish to also make you aware of this prob- lem and ask that measures be undertaken on your part both through ecclesiastical and through state bodies, in order to protect endangered cultural monuments, their property and the source of their existence.”
Miloš Minić replied to this petition (april 17, 1968) to His Holiness Patriarch German:
“Today I received your letter No 1409/zap. 208 from April 4, 1968.
in accordance with my authority i will forward your letter with the attachments to competent bodies respon- sible for determining the actual situation and undertaking measures according to need for which they are empow- ered by law.”
The Holy Synod of Bishops acknowledged this infor- mation.”63
in connection with this, Milo jovićević, the president of the Federal Commission for Religious affairs (letter No 154 from May 29, 1968) wrote the following:
“With regard to your petition describing cases of illegal cutting of the monastery forests and some illegal acts to-
63 AHSB, Syn No 1632/zap. 246./68.
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