Source: B92
December 29, 2015
Belgrde-based Vecernje Novosti daily writes on Tuesday that the meeting was held amid preparations for the resumption of dialogue with Pristina.
According to the announcements coming from the Serbian
negotiating team, the government intends to nominate
precisely the question of the status of the Serbian Orthodox
Church and its property in the southern province once the
talks have resumed.
The SPC announced that the president and the patriarch
discussed the problems of the Church and the people in
Kosovo, "with special emphasis on the perspective
that can be expected after the opening of chapter 35 in
(accession) negotiations with the EU."
In his first platform on Kosovo three years ago Nikolic
envisaged that the SPC should, within the essential
autonomy of Kosovo and Metohija, have the same position
that the Roman Catholic Church, i.e., the Vatican, has in
relation to Italy.
Then SPC at the time "informally rejected this
proposal, because there had been interpretations that the
relation toward the Kosovo authorities could be
interpreted as an announcement of a recognition of the
province's independence." Instead, the Church
"informally proposed international guarantees for its
status and property in the province."
According to this article, "this proposal, unless it
is changed" should be the platform for future talks
in Brussels on the topic of the position of the
SPC.
The Church at the time rejected "the Vatican
model" believing that the example is not adequate
when it comes to situation of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren
in Kosovo, as "the Vatican, Italy and the city of
Rome are not burdened by the past, national conflicts and
religious differences that exist in the southern
province."
For that reason the Church found the authority of the EU
or the UN to be more acceptable, as "a pledge to
define the status, the assets and the mission of the
Church, without making direct contact with the authorities
in Pristina and without concluding any kind of
agreement."
According to the newspaper, when explaining "the
Vatican model" as a solution, the president nowadays
usually points out that it would not mean the SPC should
have "the status of a state in Kosovo" - but
instead that it should "present its stance and talk
with Pristina, without depending on it."
The article also noted that the document regulating
relations between Italy and the Holy See was signed in
1929 and is known as the Lateran Treaty. Italy recognized
the sovereignty of the Holy See over the area of the
Vatican City State, which became a separate subject of
international law. The contract also regulates the
position of the Catholic Church in Italy and a financial
settlement regarding the claims of the Holy See for the
loss of its property.
