SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH NEWS SERVICE--VERY TROUBLING

[dsmatuska]

GERMANS PROHIBIT ARCHANGELS MONKS FROM RETURN

The Diocese of Raska-Prizren received painful and shocking news today from Abbot Herman Vucicevic and priest-monk Benedict Preradovic of Holy Archangels Monastery who met today with the German military commander in Prizren, Colonel Hintelmann. The monks asked Hintelman to enable their return to the ruins of Holy Archangels as soon as possible, saying they would stay under a tent at first and restore the monastery itself over time. Colonel Hintelmann categorically stated that return is impossible "for security reasons", adding that if the monks should try to return on their own "before a political agreement is reached, they will be stopped by force".

The Archangels monks informed the Diocese that the behavior of German KFOR is unprecedented and that the ERP KIM Info Service will soon publish a detailed report how German soldiers observed indifferently as Albanian rioters set fire to Holy Archangels and danced on the very tomb of the Holy King Dusan. Serbian Orthodox Diocese is shocked by absence of any attempt on the part of the German army to protect a single Orthodox Christian site in Prizren. While their colleagues in other contingents were risking their own lives Germans in Prizren let the mob burn the churches, destroy frescoes and loot the Church valuables.

Regrettably, two Germans: KFOR Commander Holger Kammerhof and the chief of UNMIK police Stephan Feller (nicknamed Mr. Fehler) are among the most responsible international officials for such terrible outcome of the last week's pogrom and the Church will insist on their resignation and leaving of the German contingent from Kosovo completely.

"We hoped that Germans will show another face from the one in the World War II. However, we can see that the same pattern of behavior continued now", said one of the Serbs I. Jovanovic who lost his home in Prizren. Under the Nazi Germany in the World War II Kosovo Albanian extremists were organized within SS Skenderbey division and committed many crimes against Serbs and Macedonians under the tacit approval of the Wehrmacht and SS command.

PRIZREN REFUGEES FORCIBLY CONVERTED

Fr. Sava Janjic, personally spoke by phone today with Verica Grigorijevic, one of the 35-odd Serbs evacuated from Potkaljaje, the Serb quarter of Prizren completely burned by Albanian mob last week, who are presently lodged in a building on the German military base in Prizren. Mrs. Grigorijevic stated that many of the present Serbs are shaken and in a deep state of shock as a result of the terror they survived. Some of them were beaten by the Albanian crowd. Several of them are in very serious psychological condition. The Germans are giving them food and drink but people's minds are elsewhere, she said.

Mrs. Grigorijevic informed Fr. Sava that today at about 15:30 a Roman Catholic priest arrived in the building where the Serbs are lodged without any invitation by them and told them he would SERVE MASS. Some Serbs asked why they did not allow their priests to come and serve them an Orthodox Christian service, but the Germans insisted that the R. Catholic mass should be served. The Serbs were asked to hold candles in their hands and at the end of the service the Catholic priest gave several of the elderly Serbs who are in serious psychological condition Roman Catholic communion (wafers). Some of the Serbs refused to take this communion, horrified that they were being forcibly converted to a different faith, even though Orthodox monks and priest-monks from Holy Archangels are only five kilometers away from them but are being denied the right to visit their faithful people even though they have asked to do so. Weeping, Mrs. Grigorijevic reported this sad news with the request that Bishop Artemije and the Patriarchate in Belgrade be informed.

The Diocese most strongly condemns this scandalous action of BLATANT PROSELYTISM on the part of the German military Roman Catholic priest and appeals for the evacuation of all remaining Orthodox Serbs from the base of the German soldiers whose behavior in the past and in this latest provocation have evoked the most difficult memories from World War II when Roman Catholic priests (in Croatia) took advantage of the suffering of the Serbs and pulled them out from under Ustashe Nazi knives in order to forcibly give their communion under the pretext of saving their lives. Forcible communion represents one of the most horrible examples of violence against religious freedom.

One of the Serbs present at this sad event said: "Not only are they trying to kill us but they are trying to take our souls, too."

Mrs. Grigorijevic spoke personally to Fr. Sava, the author of this article on the basis of her testimony and later related her story directly to Hs Grace Bishop Artemije.