A just solution

The proposal of introducing religion classes in the public schools of Kosovo triggered hot debates during the electoral campaign for the local council elections held past November 15. The issue was raised, once again, by Kosovo’s Muslim community. According to this proposal, religion classes ought to envisage the presence of a Muslim religious representative. Muslims represent over 90% of the over two million inhabitants of the young republic that unilaterally declared independence from Belgrade on February 17 2008. The remaining are Catholics (mostly Albanians), approximately 4.5%, and Orthodox (mostly Serbs). To this regard, SIR Europe interviewed Msgr. Dode Gjergji, apostolic administrator of Prizren and minister of Kosovo’s Church, who conveyed his perplexities. What is the Church’s position regarding the teaching of religion? “We think it’s not the right moment to introduce religion in public schools. However, we do believe that a reflection on the subject ought to be undertaken in order to reach a just solution”.What are your perplexities due to?“First of all, we think it is necessary to review the education system in order to purge it from the remnants of Communist and atheist culture. A large number of schoolbooks, at all levels of school establishment, are marked by an indifferent or atheist layout that is detrimental to religion. It is necessary to promote peace, reconciliation and forgiveness as the foundations for sincere and open dialogue among the different realities. There are areas where the conflict caused ongoing divisions between individuals, families, national and religious communities. This is why we believe it is better to avoid all that we consider complicate and ambiguous. We believe that religious teaching in state schools, as it would be provided for today, would not contribute to the peaceful coexistence we are striving to implement”. Then which road should be pursued?“At present, it would be best to envisage a school subject regarding the promotion of religious culture across society, with special attention for religions that have a long-dated presence, such as Christianity and Islam, in their historical and contemporary backgrounds, in order to brief students on the history of religion and give more chances to inter-religious and ecumenical dialogue”. The request of introducing religion in schools had been advanced by the Muslim community. Do you believe this will change Muslim-Catholic relations inside the Albanian community? “I hope not! We openly address everything we are concerned with and we try to convey our position, guided by the truth and in charity. The common good belongs to everyone, not only to a part, even if this part were the majority. The pacific culture passed down across the centuries is not the fruit of uniformity. Rather, it stemmed from the good will of all countrymen to accept one another in their mutual diversity”. One and a half year since independence, what are the themes that, as a Church, you call civil society to reflect upon? “In the editorial published in the last issue of our monthly review, Drita (The Light, ed.’s note), I conveyed a series of basic criteria underlying the choice of local administration leadership, mostly founded on human and Christian virtues such as honesty, sincerity, dialogue, cooperation, community life, the defense of life in all stages and the protection of the family. Indeed, politics should be at the service of man, of the family and of society, and not the other way round. The central theme of all political parties has unfortunately been self-promotion with imaginative and fictional promises”. How is the situation in Kosovo today?“The overall situation is good. Progress has been registered in the communication between different ethnic groups. Also the Serbs gradually become part of society’s daily life, while in the ecumenical field contacts and dialogue have been stepped up, even though not at official level. Infrastructures have also been improved. But the greatest concern is caused by high unemployment rates, the lack of prospects for the youth, starting from education, and poverty. In order to bring about an improvement to this regard it is necessary that Kosovo be granted official recognition by other States in order to join the UN and the European Community”.Have steps forward been made in the ecumenical dialogue with the Orthodox Church over the past one-and-a-half year? “At grassroots level I do believe so, with the faithful, and with a number of Serbian Orthodox priests and with monks of the Orthodox monasteries. But unfortunately we are still at a standstill with the leadership. We pray, we hope and we wait”.