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Published
by the Standing Conference
of Orthodox Canonical Bishops in the Americas,
March 24, 2004
SCOBA Hierarchs Call Upon UN and NATO To Restore
Peace and Order in Kosovo
Dearly beloved in
Christ,
As Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of
Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, we
deplore the terrible and senseless outbreak of
violence and intolerance witnessed this past week
in Kosovo.
We have heard the pleas of the Holy Synod of
Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church. We join
them in praying for the victims who were murdered
or forced to flee from their homes while 18,000
international peacekeepers watched this wanton
violence against the minority Serbian population
and the destruction of the centuries-old cultural
and spiritual heritage of the region--including
UNESCO-protected sites. More than 3,000 people
have been left homeless, 28 persons killed, and
many injured. Furthermore, 30 churches and
monasteries were destroyed, bringing the number of
churches destroyed in Kosovo over the past four
years to approximately 145. In addition, numerous
villages were torched and leveled to the ground.
Terrorizing civilian populations, like terrorist
activity in other parts of the world, must be
confronted openly and directly. Ethnic cleansing
is wrong, no matter who is doing it. Such
intolerance, and hatred cannot and must not be
rewarded.
We call on the United Nations and responsible
Western governments to intervene swiftly and
forcefully to restore a safe and secure
environment in Kosovo, to protect the rights and
property of minorities, and to preserve the
remaining centuries-old religious sites throughout
the region.
Having called upon our government to take
appropriate measures, we call upon you also, our
spiritual children, to let your voices be heard in
the media and in the offices of your elected
officials. We ask you, during this Lenten season,
to intensify even more your prayers for peace in
the world. Pray that our Lord will comfort and
offer solace to the homeless and eternal rest to
the victims of this violence.
To learn more about this crisis, tune in our radio
program Come Receive The Light, on Saturday,
March 27, where you will hear a radio interview
with Fr. Irinej Dobrijevich at the Patriarchate of
the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade. In areas
not reached by the broadcast, you will find it on
www.receive.org.
For those wishing to help the immediate needs of
those displaced, including food, shelter and
medical care, please know that our agency,
International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
has been working on the ground in Kosovo since
1993. It is providing continuous humanitarian
assistance to the refugees and persons displaced
by this great tragedy. Donations can be sent to:
IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225;
or call toll free 1-877-803-4622.
We urge you to express in every God-pleasing way
your support for our brothers and sisters in
Kosovo.
With paternal blessings and love in Christ,
+Archbishop DEMETRIOS, Chairman
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
+Metropolitan HERMAN
Orthodox Church in America
+Metropolitan PHILIP, Vice Chairman
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
of North America
+Archbishop NICOLAE
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in
America and Canada
+Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER, Secretary
Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States
and Canada
+Metropolitan JOSEPH
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church
+Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Amissos, Treasurer
Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA
+Metropolitan CONSTANTINE
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
+Bishop ILIA of Philomelion
Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America
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