A meeting of leaders of the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Churches, in which Muslim and Jewish exponents in Kosovo also took part, was held in the Serb Orthodox monastery of Peja (Pristina). The meeting was held to promote peaceful multiethnic and multi-religious co-existence in the country, and ended with the signing of a joint declaration that the Orthodox bishop Teodosije hoped would touch the hearts of local political leaders and all citizens in the search for peace in the region. “For the first time – said Father Lush Gjergji, vicar general of the apostolic administration of Pristina in an interview with Vatican Radio – we have analysed the past together”; that was a “hard and difficult task for all of us” so that “we all suffered”. “We said that we wanted to respect each other not only as individuals but also as communities, both national and religious”, because “hatred represents a defeat for us all”.
