Letter to the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Dr R. Karadzic (Prot. no: 920/93 dated 26 March 1993)

DO OUR ORTHODOX BROTHERS TRULY WISH TO DESTROY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THESE REGIONS?

Mr President!

I just received your letter which is the first reply to my manifold official memorandums forwarded to you and your associates. Thank you! It is a sign of hope for me, but also for many others. It is an indication that our many dramatic cries for help and protection for the faithful in the Banja Luka diocese are in fact reaching your ears and the hearts of those who are currently responsible for the decisions regarding our future which of course includes you too.

1. In your letter you express regret that the reason for my writing to you at all is “the feeling of insecurity and fear for my own life due to the death threats and insults I have been receiving”. You requested that I submit “more details about the noted incidents with the finest details in an effort to disclose the culprits of these incriminating events” in the “aim of protecting not only me, but all the citizens of the Republika Srpska”. These details as you said “are also necessary as you cannot always distinguish from my letters whether these are cases of my subjective observations incited by the current enemy activities or whether they are a true reflection of the current situation as I have presented them, which would then be quite alarming”. In the end you stress that “whether I submit these details to you or not, you would arrange for the matter to be investigated so that the guilty persons be disclosed and brought to justice and as such give us back our peace of mind and security”.

2. With regard to your request forwarded to me, to submit actual details regarding various incidents, criminal activities and true atrocities against the civilian population in my diocese (as well as against other peoples in this part of the Republika Srpska), I take the liberty to relay the following facts for now:

3. As was the situation before, but certainly since the outbreak of this unfortunate war in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992, I have attempted to utilise every opportunity in my frequent meetings with my priests and faithful as well as my frequent contacts with representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Islamic Community, and of course the legitimate local authorities, to contribute to preserving peace and to the untouched co-existence in these regions. In the meantime I conducted several meetings with representatives of the military in the 1^st and 2^nd Krajina Corps. With the good will and intentions of the military, I was able to conduct a visit to almost all the municipalities where my parishes are situated in this diocese. I personally witnessed the situation of the faithful entrusted to my spiritual care. In my many discussions with the most responsible representatives of the current authorities, I informed them of the actual situation faced by the Catholics in individual municipalities, their lack of rights and their oppression. They were usually aware of the disturbances occurring in their terrain as well as the misfortune which has befallen our Catholics about whom the officials themselves have said are peace loving citizens. My collocutors were mostly mayors of various municipalities and deputies of executive committees, presidents of crisis centres, chiefs-of-police and security commanders.

Here are just some of the names of my collocutors in individual municipalities:

1. Banja Luka: P. Radic, President Town Council (TC); A. Ruzic, deputy president Executive Committee (EC); V. Tutus, head of Centre for Public Security (CPS)
2. Laktasi: S. Jovic, President TC/crisis centre; B. Kovacevic, President EC; S. Dobrijevic, head of CPS
3. Bosanska Gradiska: N. Ivastanin, President TC; B. Todorovic, President EC; V. Vesic, head of CPS
4. Prnjavor: N. Vasic, President TC; unnamed, head of CPS
5. Prijedor: M. Stakic, President TC/crisis centre; D. Kurnoga, newly elected president TC; N. Savanovic, deputy president TC; S. Drljaca, CPS; Dj. Taranjac, president crisis centre - Ljubija; D. Bajic, Chief-of-police - Ljubija
6. Sanski Most: N. Rasula, President TC/crisis centre; V. Vrkesa, President TC; M. Vrucinic, CPS
7. Kljuc: J. Banjac, President TC; N. Tomic, President EC
8. Glamoc: P. Subasic, President TC; J. Herceg, CPS
9. Kotor Varos: N. Djekanovic, President TC(crisis centre); Z. Pejic, CPS
10. Mrkonjic Grad: D. Arezina, President TC; Lj. Vasalic, newly elected President TC
11. Bosanska Dubica: D. Krnjaic, President TC; unnamed, deputy president TC
12. Bosanski Novi: D. Kutlija, CPS; M. Vukovic, Chief-of-police; unnamed, Chief-of-police - Bosanska Kostajnica
13. Doboj: unnamed, Chief-of-police - Stanari (for our parish of Dragalovci)

Apart from the frequent discussions I have had due to the climactic situation with my faithful especially in the municipalities of Banja Luka, Bosanska Gradiska, Prijedor, Sanski Most, Laktasi, Kotor Varos, Prnjavor, Kljuc, I was compelled to write to several responsible officers in these municipalities (Radic, Ivastanin, Vesic, Stakic, Kurnoga, Rasula, Jovic, Dobrijevic, Djekanovic, Vasic) requesting them to act more effectively towards the protection of rights for my oppressed faithful, religious officials and sacral building in the regions under their authority. After the nomination in September 1992 of Mr Vojo Kupresanin (until then the President of the Autonomous Republic of Bosanska Krajina) as your deputy in resolving issues regarding the faithful in my diocese, I regularly verbally informed him of the actual events in the field, and also submitted several reports about the constantly deteriorating situation faced by my faithful whose peaceful behavior even Mr Kupresanin praised on many an occasion. He must have, as I can only assume, informed you of my actual interventions, appeals and protests!

4. I also regularly informed the commander of the 1^st Krajina Corps, General-major M. Talic about the actual danger to the lives and property of the Catholic Community, especially in some municipalities (Prijedor, Sanski Most, Bosanska Gradiska, Laktasi, Kljuc, Banja Luka, Prnjavor, Kotor Varos, Mrkonjic Grad). I also reported to his deputies or rather assistants, Messrs Bogojevic, Bogdanic, Tesic, Vejnovic, Vukelic, Peulic, Arsic, Simic - requesting that they protect and help all those who were oppressed and stripped of their rights.

On several occasions, I also turned to the Chief-of-Security in Banja Luka, Mr S. Zupljanin and the late S. Markovic regarding the same issue.

All my written interventions to the noted persons were regularly sent by mail to the highest authorities of the RS: the government, parliament and yourself personally!

5. Therefore, when it comes to the Catholics in my diocese - all “the necessary information, including many explicit details relevant to disclosing the guilty parties of the incriminating events” which you requested from me, are held by the relevant persons and officials of the noted municipalities, as we pointed out to them the many and frequent cases where lives and property were in jeopardy, as were the lack of fundamental rights - the right to life, the right to a home, the right to equality regardless of national or religious affiliation, the right to a fair share of the fruits of one's labour, the goods necessary for life, the right to a free conscience, the right to educating and upbringing of one’s own children, the right to the freedom of thought and expression, the right to health and welfare care, the right to freedom of movement, the right to a good reputation, the right to freely associate and co-decide in public life and movements (…) They are obliged to give these to you and are in a position to do so! - If I were to give you the necessary and already known details, these would take up several dozen pages! As this is not my duty, I leave this very significant task to the relevant authorities and organs of law and order.

6. All the competent government officials, both civil and military, as well as the thousands of my faithful and indeed their neighbours are aware of the manifold misfortunes and tragic fate of many Catholics (and other blameless civilians), their families, religious groups, villages, suburbs, entire parishes and deaneries in my diocese. Many are aware of the main perpetrators of these crimes and of those who give them their orders!

They are also aware of the locations and names of those who have been killed, mutilated, tortured, physically abused, all of whom were innocent citizens, particularly in the municipalities of: Prijedor, Bosanska Gradiska, Kotor Varos, Sanski Most, Bosanski Novi, Prnjavor, Banja Luka, Laktasi, Bosanska Dubica, Kljuc, Glamoc, Mrkonjic Grad, Doboj. They know the exact details of those who have been attacked, of the demolished and looted properties, where and who has been dismissed (in some municipalities these number in their thousands) because they or a member of their family refused to be drafted and sent to the front, or whose rights to health and welfare protection have been refused, or where an entire bus load of people was made to disembark or were not given bus tickets because they were Catholics or Croats, or whose children cannot enjoy their own Catholic religious instructions in school like their Orthodox counterparts, or all those thousands of people who have been compelled to depart from their ancient hearths - through no fault of their own - just because someone with a gun and a uniform felt that way at that particular moment and because no one in authority could be bothered to put an end to it, or where are those politically involved persons of Croatian or other non-Serbian nationality who were forcefully removed from office, or where armed men raped women and girls wherever and whenever they felt like it (…)

It is a well known fact that the officials and many ordinary citizens are aware of the entirely unprovoked attacks, which often enough ended in murder (Prijedor, Bosanska Gradiska, Doboj) as well as the confiscation of property from our priests, nuns and other religious staff, as well as the damages and destruction (conducted systematically!) of almost virtually all our sacral buildings in our diocese in the majority of municipalities in this region - 95 per cent of the churches and 40 per cent of other sacral buildings - despite the explicit prohibition of such acts issued by the Commander of the 1^st Krajina Corps.

Following the atrocities against the lives and property of members of the Catholic Church (as well as other similar cases in this region), official commissions were supposed to conduct investigations and record the relevant details which should have been submitted to the authorities!

The authorities, therefore, know very well of these incidents. The people know as well, and so do we. Everyday we hear of new incidents with the most dramatic repercussions! I once again wish to stress from this position that - differing to other regions in Bosnia-Herzegovina - there were no war conflicts in this region between the Catholics and other peoples except in a few isolated cases as you are more than likely aware of! We Catholics have not threatened anyone here! “We hold hope for peace, yet there is no goodness” (Is 8:15).

- Why is this happening to us, when we are not guilty of anything? Why are we being oppressed and banished without trial or justice?

- Can or will anyone finally put a stop to the anarchy, the law of violence, brutality and disregard shown by individual tyrants who have dragged tragedy upon their own people as well as others in this region?

These and many other questions of existence are forwarded to me by my faithful and as such I forward them to you!

7. In my previous correspondence I have informed you of that fact that many members of my diocese (as well as many others) have turned to their parish priests, or rather, to me - as their bishop and their only “comfort” seeking my intervention, assistance, protection with the local authorities as well as higher government levels because their legally elected political delegates have been killed, abducted, or detained, or have been forced to flee as is the case in Prijedor, Sanski Most, Bosanska Gradiska, Kotor Varos, Mrkonjic Grad and Laktasi.

We are conscious of our eminent spiritual mission and activities amongst the faithful. However, the manifold misfortunes which have stricken our faithful and the heavy injustices which they have been suffering all these months through no fault of their own must not be left unseen and their cries for help and protection to save their bare lives cannot go unheard! After all, throughout the history of our Church, we too today, as the spiritual representatives of the faithful who have been entrusted to us, must and wish to share with them (and others) “joy and hope, sadness and fear” (Second Vatican Council GS 1). Jesus Christ himself obliges us to this, as does his example, his teachings and his commandments (Mt 28:20).

You were certainly aware even earlier that I regularly in my cited discussions (as well as on many other occasions) tried not to overdramatise the situation but rather to calm down the actual, very tragic situation faced by my faithful. I considered it necessary that I caution my collocutors that they would sooner or later need to be informed of every criminal incident and that these would be condemned, tried and so it would be better that these be prevented by legal means. The Holy Bible tells us, “They who do evil, breed evil!” (Job 15:35).

I believe that there were good intentions on behalf of my collocutors to stop the anarchy. However, this was not sufficient and certainly not expressed in the same manner everywhere! Evil such as this was not only not prevented, but in the past week or so has been significantly increased - in some regions - murder of the innocent (Prnjavor, Sanski Most, Bosanski Novi, Doboj, Banja Luka), in some places - the destruction of churches and homes of civilians or looting of property (Banja Luka, Bosanska Gradiska, Prnjavor, Kljuc, Sanski Most, Prijedor) and everywhere - fear for one’s own life and the oppression of being under the constant threat of massacre, displacement, ethnic cleansing, which has been perfidiously relayed over the public media, more recently with perfidious lies and slander on account of the Bishop and the Catholic Church, as though the Bishop himself and the Catholic Church (!) were preparing some form of scenario by which we wish to move all the Catholic faithful out of their ancient homes and take them somewhere completely unknown!

8. Experiencing and suffering the many calamities in all our parishes, not to mention the repression, displacement, being forced to flee also the frequent violation of human rights, many of the faithful in my decimated diocese urgently and desperately ask me, or rather you, the inevitable question, “in these conditions can there be any normal, humane, civilised life for the Catholics of the Banja Luka Diocese in the municipalities of Banja Luka, Laktasi, Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanska Dubica, Srbac, Prnjavor, Bosanski Novi, Prijedor, Sanski Most, Bosanska Krupa, Kljuc, Bosansko Grahovo, Drvar, Bosanski Petrovac, Glamoc, Mrkonjic Grad, Sipovo, Jajce, Celinac and Kotor Varos, namely, in those regions where our forefathers preserved their hearths, roots, faith and identity - both religious and national, throughout the turbulent ages, living with the other nations and religious communities of this region?”

I do not personally believe that any human being could want to destroy us, we who have no guilt at all - and to banish us from our ancient hearths. I cannot accept this form of completely inhuman and uncivilised method of ethnic cleansing - not for anyone and certainly not for my Catholic faithful because this would mean accepting an atrocity not of this century but of this millennium, i.e. the complete destruction of the Catholic Church in this region, where it has existed for more than 17 centuries. The Church has lasted here despite the efforts to devastate it and to banish its members during the non-Christian battles and attacks by the Huns, the Avars, the Mongols, the Turks and most recently the Communists and now it appears it could truly disappear because this is what our Christian Orthodox brothers apparently want, i.e. our neighbours, friends and in some cases, relatives!?

As such I consider, and this is not only my belief, but that of my priests and nuns, as well as the majority of my faithful, that a negative reply by the current political leader in the Republika Srpska and beyond would be very painful for us all and horribly defeatist and deeply immoral and inhumane for those who would support such a negative reply or indeed defend it at the point of arms and lawlessness!

9. Your words towards the end of your letter, when you promised that you would do “everything in you power to investigate the entire matter of the possible (?!) culprits and that they be brought to justice and to return peace and security to us” are truly comforting! I sincerely thank you for them! Without any true reason or motivation there has been too much evil and injustice committed against our faithful, priests, nuns and surely this cannot be allowed to continue. As far as I am concerned, as the Bishop of Banja Luka, and the threats to myself and the slander via the public media which is certainly not as you stated fictive, but rather real, ugly and infamous, and well known to the civil and military authorities in Banja Luka, I do not personally wish to comment. This is just further evidence of the immorality of those who stand behind these actions. I believe that you have no part in these deeds and as such I just wish to caution you of the possible negative repercussions for you and others around you, if these actions - God forbid - were to continue!

In this case I share your sentiments that it is truly high time that a joint commission be established to investigate the entire situation in which the Catholics are in the said regions - each municipality and local community at a time, and if need be from one parish to another, from individual representatives of religious communities to perhaps individual families and individuals themselves. I soundly expect that the competent authorities in the Republika Srpska will finally give us reliable assurances that we too have a say in our future and are worthy of respect and fundamental human and civil rights and liberties. We are not merely subject matter, things or goods as we are, unfortunately, thought of even by some of the ministers in your cabinet R. Bodjanin (“Glas Srpski”, Banja Luka dated 20 March 1993. pa. 1). This is something I ask for all of us who still remain here on our hearths, also for those who through no fault of their own have had to leave their homes and flee from the lawlessness which has existed in this past period and now yearn to return to their homes! All the people of this our only homeland, surely have the right as civilised people to a just state and a life worthy of a dignified civilisation.

Once again as I have each time until now, when I legitimately looked for help and protection for my faithful and the nation I belong to, I raise my voice so that the rights we have had stripped away from us be reinstated, which are the rights of every human being and every member no matter their religion or nationality, including members of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian nation!

As a Christian, you must surely be aware of Christ’s words, our Saviour and the Judge of all men, “Treat others as you would like them to treat you!” (Lk 6:31)

We justly expect that these words of Christ be taken into consideration and be shown in action amongst us and with you too!

As you managed to once again allow free delivery of humanitarian aid - via our diocesan Caritas - for which I sincerely thank you on behalf of several tens of thousands of people who depend on this help, I also believe that you will try and stop this evil which has overcome us all, and of which I was obligated and took the liberty to advise you of, and as such to attempt to comfort the blows and as such confirm love for humanity according to the Gospel!

Respectfully yours!

Dr. Franjo Komarica,
Bishop of Banja Luka

c.c.
1. Papal Nunciature - Belgrade
2. Secretariat of the BC B-H - Sarajevo
3. Secretariat of the CBC - Zagreb
4. Synod of the SOC - Belgrade

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