Why doesn't the Vatican recognize the state of Kosovo?

He is also among those who assess that one of the main obstacles to the recognition of Kosovo by the Holy See is ecumenism, or inter-church dialogue for reconciliation between Christian churches: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant.

The division of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches occurred about ten centuries ago, while the Protestant Church split from the Catholic Church in the 16th century. Ecumenism finally gained momentum in the second half of the 20th century and continues today.

The Russian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church oppose Kosovo's independence. In this context, Don Shan Zefi estimates that the Holy See takes into account all world politics and may have its own reservations about recognizing Kosovo as a state.

"Of course, from the Orthodox [Orthodox Christian world] side, there are objections that Kosovo should not be recognized or that it is still too early to recognize it. It is expected, from a diplomatic point of view, that Serbia should recognize Kosovo, have relations with Kosovo, and then intervene," says Don Shan Zefi.

Publicist Engjëll Koliqi, who lived in Italy for two decades since 1990 and was a journalist for Vatican Radio for several years, has a similar opinion. He says that the Vatican knows the reality of Kosovo and proof of this is the constant communication that the Holy See has with the country's institutional leaders.

Koliqi expresses his belief that the current lack of formal legal recognition for Kosovo is related to the Vatican's avoidance of consequences in the ecumenical dialogue.

"Inter-church dialogue is underway for the unification of Christians, and with this recognition [of Kosovo by the Vatican], the Serbian and Russian Orthodox would be enraged and everything would fail," Koliqi emphasizes in a written response to Radio Free Europe.

Albert Prenkaj, former ambassador to Rome from 2008 to 2012 and former political director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo in the period 2013–2022, also sees ecumenical dialogue as one of the causes of the Vatican's non-recognition of Kosovo.

He says that in the first communications between the Vatican and Kosovo, the latter was told that the Vatican only recognizes countries that are members of the United Nations.

"Kosovo is not a member of the UN yet. Meanwhile, the Serbian Orthodox Church or the Belgrade Patriarchate is always a problem during this journey. So, we know what the position of the Belgrade Patriarchate, but also the state of Serbia, has towards Kosovo," Prenkaj emphasizes.

Serbia opposes Kosovo's independence and considers it part of its territory, even according to its own Constitution. In this context, the Serbian state has had and continues to have the support of the Russian Federation.

However, according to Prenkaj, Kosovo has continuously insisted on receiving recognition from the Holy See, presenting its arguments./ REL