BOB ABERNETHY: This week in Kosovo, the Serbian Orthodox Church and its patriarch, Pavle, stepped up criticism against President Milosevic. Pavle has been in Kosovo since the end of the bombing, trying to urge Serbs to remain, particularly at their holy sites. Paul Miller has our report.

PAUL MILLER: Patriarch Pavle said if Serbia could only survive by criminal activity, that it would be better if Serbia disappeared, and it would be best if Milosevic disappeared from politics.

Patriarch PAVLE (Through Translator): The church made a strong appeal to him to leave power in the best interest of his people.

MILLER: Church leaders blame Milosevic for the evil done in Kosovo in the past three months and say he should quit not because he lost a war but because he started one. Father Sava is a priest from the Decani Monastery who has spoken out against events in Kosovo.

Father SAVA (Decani Monastery): Milosevic regime definitely doesn't support Christian values for which we are fighting.

MILLER: Those values include tolerating Kosovar Albanians, but also preserving Orthodox culture and heritage in Kosovo. The United States, trying to keep peace between Albanians and Serbs while seeking Milosevic's prosecution as a war criminal, praised the church for demanding his removal.

Mr. JAMES RUBIN (Spokesman, State Department): This is important, and as I understand, the patriarch's intention is to have all the Serbian Orthodox Church leaders speak to these issues in their churches in the coming days, so that the people of Serbia can begin to come to grips with what was done in their name by the Milosevic regime.