Letter to the leader of the Bosnian, Dr R. Karadzic (Prot. no: 578/92 dated 12 August 1992)

“WE CANNOT AND MUST NOT ASSENT TO ANY FORM OF ETHNIC CLEANSING NOR TO THE PERMANENT OPPRESSION OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS”

Dr Karadzic!
As the Catholic Bishop of Banja Luka, i.e. the religious leader of more than 110,000 Catholic faithful who live in the north-west section of Bosnia-Herzegovina, I take the liberty to write to you.

This unfortunate war, which I am sure the majority of the faithful of my Banja Luka Diocese did not want, has engulfed many of our parishes in the past three months and has caused enormous damages and misfortune with tragic repercussions.

Even though there was no reason or motivation, i.e. no armed attacks or battles which were commenced by the Catholics in any organised manner, nevertheless - as far as we are led to believe - more than 150 civilians have been killed, including women, children and elderly persons. Churches have been burnt and destroyed despite there not being any battles waged anywhere nearby: in Glamoc, Kotor Varos, Bosanska Dubica, Bosanska Kostajnica, Bosanska Krupa, Donja Ravska, Prnjavor, the Greek-Catholic church in Kulasi, Brisevo, Catrnja, Kozarac and Liskovica, while a further 25 churches have been damaged to varying extent!

Without any guilt, as was even said to them, my parish priests have been detained in concentration camps, where they have been heavily abused (actually tortured!). One was detained for 12 days and another for 62 day. A third has been detained in a camp since 15 June this year (!), while a fourth was taken from his presbytery on 16 June this year and we still know nothing of his whereabouts or indeed if he is still alive. Of the numerous cases of abuse against priests and nuns and a large number of faithful, I will only mention the latest continuous armed attacks against the convent in Bosanski Aleksandrovac as well as the sadistic orgying by armed, uniformed persons against the sisters in Nova Topola on 16 & 17 June this year.

Following several serious and unsavoury incidents which I experienced from armed, uniformed persons and some civilians in their company, when they wanted to kill me, the commander of the 1st Krajina Corps, General-major Momir Talic offered me an escort of military police, so that I could visit a number of my parishes from which I have not received any news for quite some time. I managed to visit some ten parishes in the Prijedor, Kotor Varos, Bosanska Gradiska and Prnjavor regions and can now say the following:

Catholics are quite frightened in all these regions due to the frequent cases of abuse and the not infrequent massive killings (Brisevo, Kotor Varos), as well as many people being carted off to concentration camps (Stara Rijeka, Vrbanjci, Kotor Varos, Mrkonjic Grad, Sanski Most, Brisevo), and the looting and arson of houses (Ravska, Brisevo, Kotor Varos, Vrbanjci).

2. Many people have been located in refugee camps for several months now (Surkovac, Ljubija, Sanski Most, Liskovica, Vrbanjci).

3. As a result of the torture or the actions of violence and lawlessness many people are in a state of panic and are moving out or wish to re-settle anywhere just so they can save their own lives. This is the case in Kotor Varos, Vrbanjci, Sanski Most, Sasina, Surkovac, Prijedor, Prnjavor, Dolina, Bosanska Gradiska, Kulasi, Dragalovci, Mrkonjic Grad, Liskovica, Kljuc, Bosanski Novi, Mahovljani, Nova Topola, Bosanski Aleksandrovac, as well as a large number of faithful in the Banja Luka region where there are ten parishes. In some parishes (Dolina, Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Aleksandrovac, Kotor Varos) various uniformed persons, who presented themselves as officials from the government issued the Catholics with an ultimatum to move out.

4. Feelings of complete insecurity, no rights and oppression of fundamental human rights have compelled too large a number of my faithful from the said parishes, as well as others, to feel like animals being hunted down and driven away from their ancient hearths. This the infamous Ottoman Empire did not succeed in doing.

I am obliged to inform you of the painful fact, which will have far reaching repercussions, that the majority of my Banja Luka Diocese (following the catastrophe of the Second World War, when more than one-third of our parishes were completely destroyed), will now all disappear if the current lawlessness and self-will of certain individuals and gangs is not stopped in this region.

- You are surely aware of the extremely good mutual relations here in Banja Luka and the entire Bosanska Krajina region between the highest officials of the Catholic Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church as well as between the larger part of our faithful!

- I am sure that by now you have become convinced of the extreme peacefulness of the Catholic section of the population in this entire region, which has frequently been stressed by leading military and government figures!

- You will also easily comprehend that I, as the most responsible person in the Catholic Church in this region, and as a man as well, in addition to so many other Catholics in this region and beyond, can no longer remain indifferent to the fate of our parishes, i.e. the Banja Luka Diocese!

We cannot and must not accept any form of ethnic cleansing or permanent oppression of fundamental human rights not only for the Catholic faithful but also for the other peoples around us, particularly the Serbian or rather Orthodox people who could then easily be accused of imposing acts which reflect fascism, racism and genocide.

- I am convinced, based on my familiarity with my faithful, and I believe I am very familiar with them, that the majority of them truly wish for peace and are prepared and capable of living as they have until now with members of other nationalities and religions, respecting foreign beliefs, rights and specific qualities.

- The future of the faithful in my diocese is largely dependent on you and your humanity and providence. This has been confirmed often enough by my collocutors who are representatives of the local civil and military official bodies.

I take the liberty then, on behalf of tens of thousands of my faithful who expect a reply from me (all political activity of these people has been completely disabled!), to ask you to reply to the following:

1. What does the institution, which you represent, intend for us Catholics in the region under your authority?
2. What rights are guaranteed for Catholics (Croats, Ukrainians, Poles, Italians, Czechs and others) in the region under your authority?
3. What do you expect of me, as the bishop, of my parish priests, nuns and faithful to do, so that this horrific mess of a war in which we have taken no part nor want to, may come to an end as soon as possible. May some sense of equality and peace be established to calm the shaken human relations between our peoples?

I expect your reply and thank you in advance!

Respectfully yours!

Dr. FRANJO KOMARICA
Bishop of Banja Luka

c.c.
- Papal Nunciature - Belgrade
- Dr Branko Djeric, Prime Minister of the Serbian Republic of B-H
- Secretariat of the BC B-H
- Secretariat of the CBC

Next: CONSTANT OPPRESSION AND GREAT UNCERTAINTY FOR THE CATHOLICS IN THE REGION OF BOSANSKA KRAJINA - TILL WHEN?