Page 775 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

be undertaken against the persons who inflicted damage to the property of the monastery.
The Commission for Religious affairs of the Socialist autonomous Province of Kosovo expressed in its report reassurance that it would continue to follow these and sim- ilar events in the future and that it would undertake ap- propriate measures when needed. We also join in the ex- pression of these reassurances.”82
The Holy Synod forwarded this reply to His Grace Bish- op Pavle.
in regard to the same matter, Milo jovićević, president of the Federal Commission for Religious affairs (act No 48 from april 17, 1970) responded to the Holy Synod of Bish- ops as follows:
“In regard to your correspondence No 253/zap. 45 from February 6, 1970, relating to our intervention in the sense of protecting the property of Gorioč Monastery—Socialist autonomous Province of Kosovo, we have been advised by the Commission for Religious affairs of the executive Coun- cil of the Socialist Republic of Serbia that they have respond- ed to you with assurances that competent officials will un- dertake necessary measures to prevent occurrences such as those described in your petition.”
in a meeting of the Holy Synod of Bishops on june 30, 1970, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch German received the report of archimandrite Makarije, the administrator of the imperial Lavra of Visoki Dečani, No 63 from june 29, 1970, as follows:
“Your Holiness,
in filial loyalty i am so free as to submit to Your Holi- ness my report and also to ask for help if such help can be gotten.
Visoki Dečani Monastery has fallen into serious crisis and insecurity, and as far as i know in the last 35 years we have not been in a worse position. We had various con- flicts and difficulties that we were able to resolve ourselves. We even managed to successfully resolve the great diffi- culty upon the attempted confiscation the monastery for- est but the present situation in which we have found our- selves foretells something even more difficult—lack of se- curity for the monastery itself and its antiquities. From May 28, 1970 to june 19 our monastery cellar was broken into four times. They took a little money, about 550.00 new di- nars and liquor. The first time we noticed the theft we rein- forced the door and locks but the same thing occurred on May 30, june 13 and june 19, 1970. The first two times al- most in the middle of the day at 3:00 p.m. when we were outside the monastery and the other brothers busy with their work, and the last two times after midnight. We have done everything possible to prevent this, from reinforcing locks and doors to building walls in various indirect en- trances and reporting to the police, we are forced to stand watch every night with a rifle in hand.
82 AHSB, Syn No 1538/zap. 230, Apr. 14, 1970.
Serbs and Montenegrins from Kosovo and Metohija complaining to the Yugoslav authorities in Belgrade on discrimination and persecution by the Kosovo Albanians
The first time we caught a young man, Osman Djikokaj, and he gave us the names of accomplices. Nothing more was done. The second time they meandered around the courtyard and broke in again. The third time after mid- night they stole about 10–15 liters of brandy and spilled an equal amount (probably in the darkness and in their haste). The police took fingerprints from the bottles, and the fourth time they brought a search dog all for nothing.
a representative from the Secretariat of internal af- fairs in Peć said that these attempts were just to see the reaction and that they would attack the church itself. Be- cause of this i have come to Belgrade to buy special locks, and also to inform you of the difficulty we are in.
i have also informed His Grace Mr. Pavle in Prizren of this. i ask that you intercede so that the Secretariat of in- ternal affairs from Peć provides us with a policeman who would reside in the monastery itself. This would be our assurance that worse things will not happen. We remain grateful in advance.”
The Holy Synod of Bishops immediately decided to in- form the Federal Commission for Religious affairs as well as the religious commissions of the Socialist Republic of Serbia and the Socialist autonomous Province of Kosovo of this.
On the basis of this decision the commissions were sent a petition of the following content:
The Suffering and Persecution in Kosovo and Metohija from 1945 to 2005
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