Wrote: Festim Rizanaj
The Serbian-language daily "Politika.rs" published an article on May 27 with the title "Kurti offers Serbian temples in Kosovo to the Vatican."
The newspaper article is based mainly on statements by Aleksandar Raković, from the Institute for New History of Serbia, and former journalist and politician Ratko Dmitrović.
Despite the claim in the headline that Prime Minister Albin Kurti is offering Orthodox churches to the Vatican, the sources used in the article do not provide any concrete facts to support this claim.
Link to the article published on "politika.rs":
https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/616545/Kurti-nudi-Vatikanu-srpske-hramove-na-KiM (archive)
This article was featured on the front page of the May 27 newspaper, and was also shared by other Serbian-language media and Telegram channels. (here, here, here, here)
The newspaper article with the claim in the title is based mainly on the statements of Aleksandar Raković from the Institute for New History of Serbia and former journalist and politician Ratko Dmitrović.
Raković expresses concern about the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, but does not provide evidence for the accusations that Kurti has proposed handing over Serbian churches to the Vatican. Ranković cites texts claiming that Serbian shrines were built on Catholic ruins, but does not provide details about the publications or their connection to the decisions of the Kosovo government. Neither Raković nor the newspaper “Politika” provide additional information on these claims.
In one part of the text, Raković claims that “the Roman Catholic hierarchy has long been the mastermind in Kosovo and Metohija of all operations aimed at seizing Orthodox monasteries and churches,” but he offers no evidence for these claims. Furthermore, no official statements from the Kosovo government or the Vatican were cited.
In relation to these claims and the statute of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Ahtisaari Plan, on which the Constitution of Kosovo was also drafted, protects the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and its properties. This is stated in Chapter 2, Point 6 of the Ahtisaari Package.
“[…] ensuring the unrestricted and unhindered existence and operation of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo. The Church and its internal organizations shall be officially recognized by the Kosovo authorities, its property shall be inviolable and shall enjoy privileges in taxes and customs duties. Protected areas shall be established in more than 40 key religious and cultural areas. Without prejudice to the ownership of property in the protected areas, specific restrictions shall be applied to activities within these areas to guarantee the existence and functioning of these religious and cultural areas […]”. (here)
In 2008, based on this document, the Law on Specially Protected Areas was adopted. This law ensures the protection of Orthodox monasteries and churches, as well as other religious sites in Kosovo. It also protects cultural and historical sites that have special significance for the Serbian community in Kosovo. (here)
Even in Article 7 of the European proposal for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which was accepted by Kosovo and Serbia on February 27, 2023, it is stated that “the parties will formalize the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and will provide a strong level of protection for Serbian religious and cultural heritage sites, in accordance with existing European models.” (here)
"Politika" also quotes former journalist and politician Ratko Dmitrović in the text, who makes a series of claims that have no documented basis. He claims that former president Ibrahim Rugova, former prime ministers Ramush Haradinaj and Hashim Thaçi are Catholics and that Albin Kurti is hiding his religion, with some claiming that the latter has accepted the Catholic faith. The claims made by this journalist, who does not provide documentable facts, may sound like conspiracy theories.
In the absence of evidence and official statements, the spread of the claim that Albin Kurti has offered the Vatican the Serbian Orthodox churches in Kosovo can be considered a conspiracy theory.
Analyze:
The article in the daily newspaper "Politika" claiming that Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, allegedly offered the Serbian Orthodox churches in Kosovo to the Vatican was published without facts.
The Ahtisaari Plan, on which the Constitution of Kosovo was drafted, the Law on Specially Protected Areas adopted in 2008, and the Franco-German plan accepted in February 2023, protect the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo.
Allegations that Rugova, Haradinaj, and Thaçi are Catholics and that Albin Kurti is hiding his religion, claiming that he has accepted the Catholic faith, sound like conspiracy theories without documentable facts.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info considers these claims to be "conspiracy theories".
Reasoning:
"Conspiracy theories" are media reports that disseminate a false or unverifiable description of a phenomenon, event, or person, presenting it as part of or the result of a secret plan ("conspiracy"). A characteristic of these reports is that they present a series of claims, presented as facts, between which cause-effect relationships are established, without providing any credible evidence.