Kosovo Metropolitan Church Pelted with Bricks Following Statements by Archbishop Nikoll Xhufka

On 21.07.2026, at 12:57, it was reported that the Kosovo Metropolitan Church had been attacked with bricks. Kosovo Police have launched an investigation to identify the individuals suspected of carrying out the attack.

The incident was recorded one day after Archbishop Nikoll Xhufka spoke on Klan Kosova about the registration of Albanian Orthodox believers.

Hoda said that investigative work to identify those who threw bricks at the Kosovo Metropolitan Church was still ongoing. According to him, the attack followed public statements made by Archbishop Nikoll Xhufka on “Kosova Today.”

He added that a day earlier, Xhufka had spoken about the registration of Albanian Orthodox believers with the Orthodox Church and the Kosovo Metropolitan Church, an issue that had led to several conflicts. However, Hoda stressed that it was still not known who had carried out the attack.

In a statement published on 21.07.2026 at 12:58, Archbishop Nikoll Xhufka said that the incident had occurred at around 03:00 in the morning. He emphasized that this was not the first time they had faced incidents of this nature.

Xhufka said that after waking up and stepping outside the building where he lives, he initially did not think it was anything serious. Only after seeing the windows and the bricks did he realize that someone had tried to break the glass.

The Archbishop described experiencing such incidents in this day and age as painful and said that such an act was not normal. He said the police had been notified and appealed for help from God and the relevant institutions, reiterating that this was not the first such incident.

According to Xhufka, the violence occurred just one day after it was made public that Albanian Orthodox believers now have their own Church. He said that, apparently, identifying as Orthodox in Kosovo poses a risk.