Cardinal Says Vatican Does Not Recognize Kosovo's Independence Out of Respect for Serbia

Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is a member of the Pontifical Council, said the Vatican has not recognized Kosovo's independence out of consideration for the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC).

In an interview this week with the Catholic News Agency, Kathpress, Kasper said that "We, of course, know that Kosovo is a heavy wound and pain for the SPC. We also know that Kosovo is the cradle and center of Serbian Orthodoxy. We understand that and wish to have consideration for it."

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians -- who are mostly Muslims -- unilaterally declared independence when it seceded from Serbia on February 17, 2008. Belgrade opposes Kosovo's secession and has taken the case to the International Court of Justice, where a decision is expected to be made this summer.

Kasper said, "In Kosovo, significant historical, cultural, and religious monuments have been destroyed. This must not be so. One cannot erase history in this way."