Bishop’s letter to the President of the RC, Dr F. Tudjman (Prot. no: 332/95 dated 22 May 1995)

IS IT WITH YOUR APPROVAL THAT WE ARE FACED WITH THE DEFINITE DESTRUCTION OF THE REMAINING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CATHOLIC - CROATS (& OTHERS) IN THE WIDER BANJA LUKA REGION?!

Dear Mr President!

From my many conversations with you personally and your closest associates over the past three years, as well as in the messages and appeals which I have forwarded to the state leadership of the Republic of Croatia and to the political representatives amongst the Croatian people in B-H, via my closest colleagues, or in writing since 1991, you have been continually informed of the actual situation faced by the Catholics - Croats and others in the region of my Banja Luka Diocese. Our situation, especially in those regions in which the Bosnian Serbs have been in control the entire time and which is the major part of my diocese, as well as the Bihac region which is under the control of the Muslims, has been uncertain throughout and at times quite dramatic. And now the drama is reaching its climax!

You are aware that the local Croats, some 80,000 of them, were left without the majority of their legally elected political representatives and with this they were left without any practical protection or orientation. Those political representatives, who have not been killed, banished or who have not fled, as far as I am aware, had no contact, let alone support, from any other party, political or state bodies or institutions representing the Croatian people, neither from the region of the CR of H-B or rather B-H, nor from the Republic of Croatia (!)

All the burden and responsibility concerning our people, unprotected and deprived of their rights has been taken over by the priests, nuns and the local Bishop. With their persistent sacrifice for their faithful and citizens, despite the direct threats to their lives and oppression (the first priest to fall victim was on 16 June 1992, while the latest and sixth in total was on 12 May 1995), as well as their tireless preaching about peace, non-violence and forgiveness, our priests have saved many lives and not only amongst the Croats, but the Serbs and others.

Despite our exceptionally peaceful behaviour, of which our neighbours are quite aware, as are our compatriots in other parts of B-H, in the Republic of Croatia, and you yourself, this entire time since the attack on the Republic of Croatia in the Summer of 1991 until now, we here, as Croats and Catholics, have been exposed to the most varying and brutal terror, ranging from tremendous pressure to go into battle against our brothers in Croatia, to being stripped of our fundamental human rights: the rights to life, a home, to work, social and health benefits and others. As a result of great, frequent and unbearable pressure, some 55,000 Catholics have temporarily left their homes, homeland and gone not only to Croatia but elsewhere in Europe and abroad. Many of them wish to return to their ancestral hearths, via the Banja Luka Vicarage in Zagreb, keeping a close watch on the developments in our region and the right opportunity to return.

By means of our diocesan Caritas, we have invested maximum effort to supply the local people who have remained (and others) with the most basic necessities and medical assistance. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of those few Croat doctors and nurses remaining (for whose work not one state or political institution of the Croatian people has been prepared to pay!) we made room in the Bishop’s Ordinary for a medical clinic where over 70,000 people were treated in the past year.

- Our situation has, nevertheless, dramatically declined through no fault of our own but rather due to the well planned pressure placed upon us by the local Serbian authorities to totally eradicate us from these our ancient lands!

- Many a time indeed I cautioned the Bosnian Serb authorities, as well as the political representatives of the Croatian people in B-H, Croatia and leading European and world politicians and representatives of humanitarian organisations of their obligation to humane and civilised behaviour toward the exceptionally peaceful local Croatian people. At the same time I pleaded with them not to allow atrocities to be committed against us, against mankind, against our fundamental human and civil rights and liberties.

- The most understanding and support we have received has come from the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, the Holy See and representatives of the Catholic Church in other individual countries. Everyone else until now has offered only promises rather than effective action, which, we believe they could and should have done.

-Unfortunately, the dramatic, stormy history of Catholic Croats in this region is being repeated! Due to indifference and their own personal interests, our ancestral neighbours from the second half of the fifteenth century (1460's) turned a deaf ear to the dramatic pleas for help from the leaders of our people before the onslaught of the invaders and exterminators of the Catholics from this entire region.

This had, as your are aware, tragic consequences for the Croatian people and the Catholic Church. We were almost completely annihilated from these regions. This directly affected the general situation of the Croatian people and the Catholic Church in Croatia as well - from those ancient times until the present.

- Some 27,000 remaining Catholics (mostly Croats) in the wider Banja Luka area have in the past few months - due to being totally without protection and due to the merciless pressures on them to leave, in an effort to destroy the small remaining number of our churches, convents, monasteries, shrines, in fact, any traces of the religious, national and cultural past and identity and in an effort to banish and kill their only true leaders, breadwinners and defenders - the priests and nuns, are now faced with forced re-settlement and departure from these centuries-old hearths. Their persistent, peaceful presence till now has given hope to all those who had been banished earlier on and who yearn to return to their own homes. Now that hope is rapidly fading and there is the added threat of the far-reaching and fatal destruction of the Catholic Church and the Croatian National Corps in the region of my diocese, i.e. northwest Bosnia, which until recent centuries was referred to as “CROATIA TURCICA” -Turkish Croatia.

We still wish to remain on our hearths in Banja Luka and the surrounding regions as people - equal to others around us enjoying all our human rights and liberties, i.e. our religious - Catholic and national identity. We consider this one of our inalienable rights which cannot and should not be brought into question by any political decision or order! If we are not assisted in establishing these rights by our brothers in faith, blood and language, we fear that no one else will help!

Mr President, after the first horrible, pre-meditated coup against our existence in these regions (in 1992), I did not come to you nor to anyone else at the head of a column of refugees consisting of my compatriots and diocesan colleagues. They who were then already banished from their ancient hearths were accepted by my closest associates who helped them and recommended them to other brothers in faith and blood - to go to you there in a free Croatia and other circles.

I did the rounds to turn to you and others around you, also into the wide world in an effort to look for bread and clothing for those “Poor souls” left behind. My primary aim though, was to find some understanding and support for our persistent wish to remain on our ancient hearths, not as slaves nor in our graves, but as people worthy of dignity, rights and liberties which are guaranteed to all people in the civilised world.

I do not want anything more for them now! The helm of my ship of life is here and I do not intend to leave it unless a higher power determines differently. Only death or something to that effect will remove me! Together with my priests and nuns we will share in the fate of my suffering people stripped of their rights as we have until now. We will continue to spread love, forgiveness and a multi-cultural and multi-religious spirit which is inherent in our Croatian people and particularly amongst members of the Catholic Church. We will continue to be with our people, our faithful of clear conscience and unbreakable spirit!

However, all this is no longer enough at this particular time! The scales of serious and consistent injustice, dissatisfaction and uncertainty are overloaded! We URGENTLY need correct and effective assistance to regain our fundamental human and civil rights and liberties! Someone competent amongst the Croatian politicians needs to tell these people what is to become of them, are they to be sacrificed or salvaged!

I once again plead; HELP US! We only have a matter of days left! Find some way for the authenticated Croatian political leaders to take over our case and to take into consideration our fate: present and future! Do this before, God forbid, it is too late for us and for you!

I believe that you will help us, not only in words but with actual positive measures! I and my colleagues thank you sincerely!

With respects!

Dr. Franjo Komarica,
Bishop of Banja Luka

c.c.
Papal Nunciature - Sarajevo (Rome)
President of the Croatian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Franjo Kuharic - Zagreb
President of the BC B-H, Cardinal Vinko Puljic - Sarajevo.

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