Patriarch Porfirije said that the holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija are the heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church, but also the cultural heritage of the entire world, which is why it should not be surprising that they are under UNESCO protection.

“These are our holy sites. They belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Dečani, the Patriarchate of Peć, Our Lady of Ljeviš, and, again, all of the holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija, are the heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church. However, anything that is spiritual should ever be limited to only one man or one people, not if it is authentically spiritual,” said the Patriarch in his statement to the media following a visit to the Visoki Dečani Monastery.

The leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church said that “precisely because it is spiritual, even though it is ours, its beauty and significance transcend the boundaries in which we exist and where we belong” and that those “are the holy sites which form the cultural heritage of the entire world”.

“For that reason it should not be surprising that all of the aforementioned holy sites are under the protection of the UNESCO,” said the Patriarch.

He called upon the people to make an effort, “monks do, the Church does, as well as all the other actors on a local scale and beyond, but also globally, to protect holy sites such as these as part of the cultural heritage from the 14th century, the most heightened and most beautiful that the human race could have given us, and it has, in these holy sites.”

“All benevolent actors should make an effort not only to protect and preserve these holy sites, but to uphold the significance they have had throughout history; significance for us, as they are our heritage, Serbian Orthodox, but for all other peopl eas well,” said Patriarch Porfirije, as communicated by the Information Office of the Serbian Orthodox Church