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Kosova

Two Albanian priests mass in Kosovo, the prosecution charges: They incited national hatred

Politiko 2024-05-29 17:18:55

Two Albanian priests mass in Kosovo, the prosecution charges: They incited

The Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office announced on Tuesday an indictment against two Albanian Orthodox priests - Niko Blazhde, better known as Nikolla Xhufka, and Lejdi Zagalli - on charges of inciting national, religious and ethnic hatred stemming from an unauthorized entry into a unused Serbian Orthodox Church in November last year.

Blazhde and Zagalli allegedly held a liturgy in the church in northeast Kosovo and warned the Serbian Orthodox Church that it risks "the fires of hell" if it tries to intervene.

After the event, Blazhde announced on Facebook that "the 500-year-old church now bears the name 'Fan Noli' and is under the jurisdiction of the Albanian National Orthodox Church 'Saint Kozmai' of Elbasan". Blazhde was born in Elbasan, in central Albania.

The Raskë-Prizren Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church denounced their actions, saying that the teaching was a "criminal act" and "another in the series aimed at usurping the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo."

"The Diocese of Raskë-Prizren has been emphasizing the process of cultural appropriation of our heritage for years," it says. "This latest incident confirms our claims, this time in an undeniable and extremely disturbing way."

In a statement to Kosova Online, three days after the liturgy, the Albanian Orthodox Church distanced itself from Blazhda, calling him "a fraud and a person who is not a priest".

According to prosecutors, both people have denied the charges./BIRN

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