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Serbia and Kosovo heading for strife over patriarch ceremony
Feb 3, 2010, 7:50 GMT
Belgrade - Serbia and Kosovo are heading for a row over the ceremonial enthronement of Patriarch Irinej, which the Serbian church plans to hold in a monastery in the breakaway province, the daily Press said Wednesday.
The paper said that the government of Serbia did not plan to ask permission from Kosovo officials to hold the ceremony in the Decani monastery on April 25.
Serbia does not recognize the independence of its former province, despite the government of Kosovo being recognized by 65 nations
Kosovo has not yet spoken out on the ceremony Belgrade plans to hold in the monastery.
Sparks already flew this month when Pristina, which declared the independence two years ago, began banning Belgrade officials from entering Kosovo to visit Serb enclaves without permission.
The monastery Decani in southern Kosovo has been the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church patriarch since the 13th century. It has been under the protection of NATO peacekeepers since the Kosovo war in 1999.
Irinej was elected as the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church last month, following the death of his predecessor Pavle in November.
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