- I -
WITH THE BROTHERS OF THE EPISCOPACY

Letter by Croat bishops to all the bishops in the world
THE DANGERS OF THE VIOLENT IMPOSITION OF COMMU­NIST DICTATORSHIP

The political and ideological tensions which are shaking the European south and especially the peoples of Yugoslavia urge us to turn to you with this letter which presents the conditions our Church and our people face at this moment.
A total of 4,300,000 Croat Catholics live in the Republic of Croatia and in the Republic of Bosnia-Her­zegovina. A smaller number of Catholic Croats live in the Republic of Serbia and in the Republic of Montenegro.
The Croats in Croatia represent virtually 80% of the total population. A little more than 11% consists of the Serb population and the remainder belong to national minority groups, again mostly Catholics in faith. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Croats make up some 20% of the population (more than 800,000 people), the Muslims count over 40% of the population while the Serbs have a little over 30%.
The Catholic Church in Croatia consists of 11 dioceses of which one is a Greek-Catholic diocese while in Bosnia-Herzegovina there are 4 Catholic dioceses. Accepting joint issues which are resolved at the level of the Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia, the Croat bishops, as well as the Slovenes, meet regarding pastoral issues concerning their regions. This letter is forwarded to you from one of these very meetings of Croat bishops.

In the "Dungeon of a nation"
The region in which we were active in 1918 ceased to be a constitutive part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quickly entered into the joint state of the Kingdom of Serbia which had previously been annexed by the Kingdom of Montenegro. For the first time in history we found ourselves under the Serbian Orthodox Dynasty and the Orthodox Church as a "state oriented" Church. What is more, it was as though a bridge had been laid between the historic borders between the east and west of the Roman Empire, between the Byzantine culture which characterised the Serbian state and our regions which were formed in an air of Latin culture.
Politicians in the former Austro-Hungarian section of the new state considered that the new state should be structured on equal constitutive sections and nations which enter into it. Serbian politics, however, acted as though the new state was an expansion of Serbia. These opposing concepts shook the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the 20 years of its existence. In defence of their national and cultural identity, the Croats were hit by huge tribulations. The jails were full and numerous people fell victim to state terror. The most tragic moment was in 1928 when several Croatian Members of Parliament were shot at in the parliament itself, amongst whom was Stjepan Radić, the Croatian leader. The Church suffered with its people; it approached the authorities regarding the oppression and at the same time supported in spirit the just aspirations of its people.
After the assassination of King Alexander in Marseilles in 1934, the regime tried to remedy its position with the Holy See by signing a concordat (1937) followed by certain measures of autonomy to the Croats (The Banovina of Croatia, 1939) - Banovina is a province administered by a Ban, translator's note. The concordat, however, was never ratified due to the fierce anti-Catholic demonstrations organised by the Orthodox Church, while the Banovina of Croatia only began to be consolidated a year and a half after its existence.
World War II tore apart the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in only ten days in April 1941. The peoples who considered this a "dungeon of a nation", saw the disintegration of the state as liberation. All this occurred under the conditions of the occupation of the Axis powers. In this way, the Independent State of Croatia was declared. The leadership of the state, however, was not taken over by the politicians who had been in power till then, i.e. the democratically elected representatives, but rather the leadership was taken over by a group which was dependent on the Axis powers.
The people were exposed to a civil war which was especially brutal in Croatia. The Croatian people suffered from armed Serbian bands (the Chetniks), while the Serbian population was victimised out of revenge by the Croatian regime (the Ustashi). Communist guerrillas began to appear when Germany went to war with the Soviet Union. As a resistance movement, the communists, using their own specific methods, managed to either marginalise or subordinate democratic resistance move­ments, both active and passive ones, thereby implementing their own programme for the estab­lishment of a communist system based on the Soviet example. The efforts by the Church to save lives may be seen in documents which official political lines have until recently ignored or even prohibited from being publicised. 

The special fierceness of communist violence
The Western Allies proved to be powerless, both during and after the war, against those who resisted them in an effort to ensure a democratic order in these regions. The communists, supported by the Soviet Union, broke all the agreements they had reached and eliminated all democratic powers in existence. The rebirth of Yugoslavia, not as a Unitarian state but rather as a federation, was motivated by the solution to ethnic issues by giving sovereignty to each ethnic group on a republic level, yet organising their co-operation on the federal level. However, the centralist and totalitarian monopoly of the communist government excluded any forms of democracy or basic human rights, so that the solution to national rights remained a fiction.
We stand witness that during and after the war, the violence of communism was especially fierce towards the Catholic Church and the Croatian people. This was due to its general ideological orientation but also as a matter of principle of joint guilt for the alliance of Croatia with the Axis powers. This led to massive killings, detention camps, forced emigration, and subsequently atheist indoctrination especially through the education system. All this dealt serious blows to the Catholic Church and the Croatian people both biologically and spiritually. The absorption of Byzantine principles into communist policies towards the Church was evident in the efforts to separate the Catholic Church from Peter's successor in order that the nation lose its cultural identity and be melted down into the cultural circles based on an eastern model. This plan did not succeed but from then on, the Catholic Church was constantly accused of being the inspiration for the self-assertion of the Croatia people and the agent of foreign Western powers (i.e. The Vatican). The most exposed victim, as well as the spiritual symbol of resistance, was the Zagreb Archbishop, Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, one of the several hundred bishops and priests who were detained or killed by the communists.
In such circumstances we were more than grateful when the Holy See showed its support to the local churches in Europe and America, especially through their charitable organisations which assisted us. It needs to be said that the communist system began to release its clutches bit by bit and it was even possible to introduce some reforms in the internal affairs of the Church following the II Vatican Council.
The events which recently enabled the historic turnover in central Europe also gave us freedom in Croatia in 1990, when multi-party elections were held. These were the first elections since the war. The respect of basic human rights, the establishment of civil liberties and of a democratic system based on the Western model of state order is such a novelty that it would not have been possible to believe it just a few short years ago.
Our Church motivated the faithful to liberate themselves from their fear and apathy and to realise their civil rights by participating in free elections. We consider that in so doing we contributed to the non-violent transition of a new, democratic system in our regions. We are grateful to God for this fact.
The free elections opened the way to further development of civil liberties especially in matters of religion, as well as the realisation of freedom and self-determination of our people. The issue of a new historical agreement was opened which would show whether or not equality was finally feasible in these regions of Yugoslavia (created in 1918) or was it necessary for each nation to become an independent state and each on its own accord join with the European Community. The Church had a difficult historical experience in both the first and second Yugoslavias and now looked upon the tendencies of the new political framework, which leaned towards an independent nation as a possibility to act more liberally, as well as a more peaceful coexistence in a pluralistic society which would encompass ecumenical relations. 

The danger of "Lebanisation - a Hew Middle East"
We were faced, nevertheless, with tenacious resistance to democratic changes. Resistance is evident in the political programmes which supported the idea that socialism of a communist type be preserved, that Yugoslavia remain centrally organised so that Serbian interests which were dominant could not be questioned. Those who supported this programme were leading Serbian politicians, military officers (majority Serbs) and, unfortunately, leading figures in the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Communist ideology and Greater Serbian aspirations, as well as the military forces, found a common goal which they aspired to and as such put up a sound resistance to Western cultural traditions and to those republics aspiring to a Western way.
These forces embarked on a merciless propaganda war and threatened military intervention. Propaganda, laced with a dose of vulgarity, is directed towards the Catholic Church, in general locally, but also personally against the Holy Father and the Vatican which is portrayed as a symbol of everything evil. The public and unfortunately, the Serbian Church press, constantly repealed a monstrous and unbelievable formula, namely, that it was the Vatican, the Comintern and Islamic fundamentalists who had instigated a coup against Serbian ideology. Even members of the Serbian Church hierarchy were not tactful in their accusations against the Catholic Church, despite all our efforts to carefully choose our words in this particularly delicate situation for ecumenical relations. Despite being compelled to denounce the accusations we also had to be careful not to insult any one person nor the Christian substance of the Orthodox religion. The hatred toward Catholicism, however, had taken its toll amongst the masses, linking this to the aspirations of Slovenia and Croatia for independence making any tragic repercussion possible. Our faithful, still excited with the aftermath of the free elections and victory over communism the year before, began to feel fear and a will to defend themselves, even with arms. The disproportion of forces between the military leadership which supported the old order, as well as the republic police which stood on the side of the new democratic order just increased the possibility of a breakdown in political dialogue and of a violent imposition of communist dictatorship, all the more so because in the republics of Serbia and Montenegro, the communists (in some cases renamed to socialists) remained in power and elections on a federal level had not yet been held meaning that old federal laws were still mostly in force. Threats of another "Kosovo type incident" i.e. the forceful end to national rights, which has been imposed against the Albanians in the Kosovo region for years, hung over our head as a very real possibility and as such the Lebanisation of our country is not perhaps such a far fetched matter. We recommended prayers for justice and peace which we frequently ask our faithful to participate in. We greet any efforts by the democratic world in an attempt to influence a resolution based on constitutional rights for the current crisis seeking negotiations and not the use of force. May Catholic circles in the world help us in this matter.
It would be a special comfort for me if the Holy Father could come and visit our Church. However, despite the repeated official invitations by the government, the anti-Catholic forces have to date managed to thwart such an event. This is another of a multitude of characteristics of our Church's position in this type of Yugoslavia.
With this letter we intended to describe to our brother bishops the position of the Catholic Church amongst the Croatian people. We consider that this is necessary because we are one Church united with you so "If one part is hurt, all the parts share its pain. And if one part is honoured, all the parts share its joy" (1 Cor 12:26). We would also like to supplement any oversights which may not have added to a better understanding by the world of our circumstances.
Greeting you in the name of the Lord, we ask to be remembered in your prayers and for your brotherly solidarity. 

Cardinal FRANJO KUHARIĆ, Archbishop of Zagreb, Metropolitan
Msgr ANTE JURIĆ, Archbishop of Split, Metropolitan
Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Metropolitan
Msgr ANTUN TAMARUT, Archbishop of Rijeka-Senj, Metropolitan
Msgr MARIJAN OBLAK, Archbishop of Zadar
Msgr SREĆKO BADURINA, Bishop of Šibenik
Msgr ANTUN BOGETIĆ, Bishop of Poreč-Pula
Msgr JOSIP BOZANIĆ, Bishop of Krk
Msgr IVO GUGIĆ, Bishop of Kotor
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr ĆIRIL KOS, Bishop of Đakovo-Srijem
Msgr SLAVOMIR MIKLOVŠ, Bishop of Križevci
Msgr ŽELIMIR PULJIĆ, Bishop of Dubrovnik
Msgr SLOBODAN ŠTAMBUK, Bishop of Hvar
Msgr PAVAO ZANIĆ, Bishop of Mostar
Msgr ĐURO KOKŠA, Assistant Bishop of Zagreb
Msgr IVAN PRENĐA, Archbishop Coadjutor of Zadar
Msgr Marin SRAKIĆ, Assistant Bishop of Đakovo

 Zagreb, 1 February 1991

Message from the Croat bishops of the Republic of Croatia
IN HARMONY TOWARDS GENERAL RENEWAL

 Dear and respected faithful!
The joy of the Croatian people due to the establishment and international recognition of the Croatian State is also the joy of your pastoral bishops and the Church in Croatia. At the same tune we express our gratitude toward the firm and decisive will of the people which was expressed in various ways in the past and once again at the free elections and recent referendums as lawful and democratic methods to bring political stability.
We are convinced that other states which ere emerging in this region of Europe will better be able to realise the spiritual and material progress for their citizens. We therefore send our congratulations to the Slovenian people on the establishment of the State of Slovenia. With its mere emergence, Croatia wishes to establish peace along its borders and within them, and despite its aspirations for freedom for the Croatian people there is an obligation to support efforts to finally establish a lasting civilisation of peace, liberty, co-operation and mutual respect of nations for this part of Europe.
The Republic of Croatia which is embarking on a life of total independence will ask all its citizens especially those who have been chosen to lead our foreign politics, to be wise, unselfish and responsible in their duties and to input as much as they can of their skills towards building a better country These represent those spiritual, legal, cultural, economic and other conditions for a dignified life for each individual, family, community and the society as a whole within the Croatian State which will require continual improvement and development.
The Church is conscious of the fact that its spiritual role is now faced with a new challenge and it will need to undertake new measures. Differing worldly values and secular responsibilities of the more than natural aims of the Church, as well as respect of the secular authorities and the timely obligations of their citizens do not exclude the Church from society but rather put it in a position to co-operate and as such realise its mission: to announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to celebrate the Holy Sacraments, to serve the Holy Mother as our teacher for our moral and spiritual lives. The Church in these regions remains "in Christ as a sacrament or sign and means of the tightest unity with God and the unity of the entire human race" (LG 1).
The nature of the Church is briefly relayed to us by the II Vatican Council when it tells us that the Church is "by its nature of humanity and Godliness; gifted with things that are seen and unseen; fervently in action and in loyal contemplation; present in the world and yet still the traveller (SC 2). It is from the nature of the Church that we find its place in human society, also determining its rights and obligations. The Church, with its evident and historical presence, is confronted with the everyday reality of human beings and their institutions. Methods of co-operation are established on the basis of mutual respect between the Church and secular institution. When talking about relations with the State, the jurisdiction of the Holy See is especially emphasised. Our Church will, on this basis, attempt to be our co-traveller and collaborator toward the salvation of current and future generations of our nation.
Speaking about its place in society, or its rights and obligations, the Church at the same time supports the rights of all others. Respect for every human being and every sincere conscience is the foundation of a just society. It is especially worthwhile to respect the faithful and religious communities so that we can all - according to our personal and religious conscience - participate in the spiritual development of people as equal citizens of the Republic of Croatia. We do not consider it an imposition but rather a testimony if we state that we are sincerely prepared for ecumenical dialogue within the regions we live in and where we meet with Christians of other churches and religious communities.
These pre-conditions will ease the burden of the general revival with which we are faced.
The first difficult duty imposed on us all by the merciless winds of war is to re-build, meaning literally new homes, new villages and towns. We need to re-build our churches which were so brutally destroyed and damaged. It will not be any easier to re-build our spiritual and moral togetherness so that we may revive our love toward our homeland and re-establish our parish communities. Hundreds of thousands of displaced persons have been thrust into a position of total dependence on others and are not capable of re-establishing their homes, farms or businesses on their own. We need to encourage their enterprising spirit and will to live so that, with the help of the government and other institutions, they can once again attain their human value and fill their hearts with joy through the fruits of their own labour.
Those victims who fell, most often in such a cruel way, are a special chapter of our horrific calamity. May the cross of our religion and our prayers preserve their memory. We must support their loved ones and be close to them in order to bring forth the fruits of human solidarity and Christian love.
Our souls are burdened by those whose victims we are. They have caused us great evil and pain. How can we confront them in our lives? We felt our helplessness and it is for this reason that we pray to our Crucified Lord and His Holy Mother standing under the Cross so that in our hearts we can once again feel, though gradually, Jesus' cry: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they are do" (Lk 23:34). We must at the same time, however, accept the prayer Jesus taught us: "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Ml 6:12). In war conflicts, both the attackers and defenders suffer, so it is necessary for them all to offer mutual forgiveness and reconciliation.
From now on we will be presented by our own name and undisturbed will use our own identity to co-operate with other nations and with their multitude of various institutions both in the private and public sectors. This opens new possibilities for us as well as new demands. With a renewed and cleansed culture we will contribute to the treasury of nations. We will receive, but at the same we will give to others. We will rise above the insults and the feeling of second-class citizens as we have been made to feel in the past. Our place amongst the nations of the world will not be any lesser nor any greater than that which we rightfully deserve and can manage as equal builders of a better world.
A source of great help to their homeland are its citizens who have been re-settled all over the world. The respect they have gained with their attitude and work has increased the honour of the Croatian name in the eyes of all those they meet in their lives. Together with their priests they represent the Catholic community using their Croatian language and culture in the local church, and through them our domestic church is present in the everyday lives of the Church in general.
As bishops of the Church amongst Croats we felt in a special way heightened and obligated to co-operate with the Croatian Catholic people in our neighbouring republics who live in their centime s-old homelands. As citizens of their own countries they, together with their co-citizens, are equal and honourable builders of social justice, prosperity and general peace. This, however, requires that the Catholic church community, sharing the same language and history, be united in the many activities of the Church, in its structure and in the promotion of ecclesiastic life.
Where is the power for such a venture?
Mutual respect, solidarity, Christian love have been expressed and experienced in the catastrophes which confronted us all and which were witnessed not only within our own borders but far outside them. They uncovered and developed unimaginable sources of spiritual energy which we sincerely hope will not diminish but rather grow with this new challenge of renewal. Harmony of all our living principles and political views in the duties that await us, is a huge social virtue which ought to grow within everyone's hearts.
It is especially an honour to issue our public gratitude to the Holy See, to the bishops of the Catholic Church and the Catholics of the entire world. Our unity with the Church in general was expressed in these dramatic moments of our history in all forms of support and co-operation: in prayer, charitable aid, the establishment of peace and justice. This was especially evident in our thanks to other religious communities as well as all the people of good will especially those in power for all that they have done to enhance our peace and freedom. We hope that this love and solidarity will continue to be with us in the future.
Despite all the help and all the expressions of solidarity with our suffering, it was our abandonment to God which was expressed in our lasting prayers both individually and as a community. This especially rejuvenated our spirit and supported our hope even in the most difficult of moments. The blessings of God's love towards us turns into a song of thanks as well as being a firm reason for faith that God's hand will lead us on the path we have chosen to go.
"Let us go in the name of God! With hope that a new era is beginning in the history of our people and our Church in these regions, we call on God's blessing for the Croatian State, for ah1 its citizens, for the government in office and its activities so that we can live together each to the gifts and responsibilities entrusted to him, and as such move on in wisdom and mercy before God and his people" (.. Lk 2:23). We place ourselves, our Church, people and its future in the hands of the Holy Virgin, most faithful Mother - and the advocate of Croatia! 

Cardinal FRANJO KUHARIĆ, Archbishop of Zagreb, Metropolitan
Msgr ANTE JURIĆ, Archbishop of Split, Metropolitan
Msgr ANTUN TAMARUT, Archbishop of Rijeka-Senj, Metropolitan
Msgr MARIJAN OBLAK, Archbishop of Zadar
Msgr ĆIRIL KOS, Bishop of Đakovo-Srijem
SLAVOMIR MIKLOVŠ, Bishop of Križevci
ANTUN BOGETIĆ, Bishop of Poreč-Pula
SREĆKO BADURINA, Bishop of Šibenik
SLOBODAN ŠTAMBUK, Bishop of Hvar
ŽELMIR PULJIĆ, Bishop of Dubrovnik
IVAN PRENĐA, Archbishop Coadjutor of Zadar
ĐURO KOKŠA, Assistant Bishop of Zagreb
MARIN SRAKIĆ, Assistant Bishop of Đakovo
JURAJ JEZERINAC, Assistant Bishop of Zagreb
PETAR ŠOLIĆ, Assistant Bishop of Split
MARKO CULEJ, Nominated Assistant Bishop of Zagreb

 The Catholic bishops of Bosnia-Herzegovina join in with a message of joy for the Croatian nation due to the international recognition of the Croatian State.

 VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Vrhbosna
PAVAO ŽANIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno & Trebinje
FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka 

Zagreb, 13 January 1992

Statement by the Croat bishops about the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina
for the Synod of the Bishops' Conference of Croatia,
7 October 1992
DECISIVE PROTEST AGAINST THE VIOLATION OF THE PERSONAL, NATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS DIGNITY OF PEO­PLE

After the referendum held in Bosnia-Herzegovina at the beginning of this year, determining that an independent and sovereign state be formed, it was internationally recognised by other countries and its status was subsequently reaffirmed by its acceptance as a member country of the United Nations. The Republic of Croatia was amongst the first countries to recognise the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, while on 20 August 1992, the Holy See not only recognised the republic but established diplomatic ties with the newly established state.
The Catholic bishops from the Republics of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina kept an eye on significant political and diplomatic activities in the hope that the aggression against the young and independent country would stop. Unfortunately, the war activities which began in October 1991 in some places in eastern Herzegovina began to spread elsewhere in April and caused tremendous repercussions. These were especially felt in the genocidal killing of a blameless population, the fleeing of hundreds of thousands of people from their ancient hearths, the moral humiliation of innocent people, the looting of their property and the destruction of their towns and villages. As a result there is a severe shortage of the most basic needs for life and the people are faced with starvation. This senseless war has caused unheard of suffering to all the citizens of Bosnia-Herze­govina - Muslim, Serb, Croat and other citizens regardless of their faith and nationality.
The Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina is facing the most difficult ordeal and torture in this imposed war. Some bishops have been entirely isolated for months; many of them are not free to move around and meet with their priests and the faithful. The cathedrals in Banja Luka and Sarajevo have been significantly damaged and the Bishop's residence in Mostar has likewise been burnt down. It is totally unusable while the bishops do not have any access to the cathedral in Trebinje. Half the faithful of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese have been expelled. Virtually 60 parishes have been destroyed and more than 100 churches have suffered. Thousands of the faithful have been expelled from the Banja Luka Diocese, 30 percent of its churches destroyed, while 40 percent have been damaged to some extent. Several tens of thousands of the faithful have been expelled from their parishes in the Herzegovina diocese. Some dozen parishes have been destroyed and virtually 40 churches and buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
We deeply sympathise with all the suffering, displaced, humiliated people and decisively raise our voices in protest against the persecution of fundamental human rights, against the abuse of individual, national and religious dignity (general insecurity for life, loss of employment, rape and other atrocities), due to the ethnic cleansing which is being conducted in some regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
With all our hearts we join the countless appeals to Pope John Paul II and the Holy See to stop this senseless war and for the world community to find a way to disarm the aggressor. We ask all charitable organisations to continue offering their humanitarian aid to all those who are in need. We appeal to our refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes. We thank everyone who has expressed their solidarity in our struggle.
Finally, we pray for our countrymen abroad whom we thank at the same time for the tremendous help they have sent to the people of Croatia and that they may continue to help with their Christian love and nobility toward the people and destroyed villages and towns in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
We pray to the Almighty God to shorten our days of pain and suffering. May he bless the sufferings of those who patiently and courageously endured them so that there be a just peace for all. 

Croat bishops
of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina 

Zagreb, 7 October 1992

Letter by the Croat bishops of B-H to the Holy Father
THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE AGGRES­SION AGAINST B-H IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE

HOLY FATHER,
Amongst the daily sorrowful news coming from the battlefields and the concentration camps of our unfortunate Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, we hear news which tears our hearts apart and confuses our brain due to the unprecedented examples of humiliation against human beings and the inhuman mutilations of unarmed civilians. We received your letter (Holy Father) dated 12 November this year as a personal message of truth, love and encouragement, also as your invitation to the Day of Prayer for Peace in Europe, including an invitation directed to us as bishops in Bosnia-Herzegovina to participate at the inter-religion meeting in Assisi.
We Croat bishops of Bosnia-Herzegovina were truly touched by Your love and are grateful for Your pastoral gesture which was expressed in Your message to our regions. For more than a year now we bishops, together with our priests, nuns and the clergy and all our faithful have truly been experiencing the fatherly concern of your Holiness for our nation and all nations which have been expelled in the most cruel Balkan aggression. This began as an armed attack and is being continued by extremists amongst our Serbian neighbours who until recently were our peaceful allies, yet today have turned into deadly enemies.
We are very grateful to Your Holiness, not only for Your Message of Solidarity but for all the countless interventions at an International diplomatic and humanitarian level, both publicly or privately which You have undertaken through various offices of the Holy See, in favour of our people.
We don't know why this storm of atrocities by these armed groups of our centuries-old neighbours, have been continuing so mercilessly against the Croatian Catholics and Muslim neighbours in the past few months. This is an atrocious aggression which is foreign to any human civilisation, let alone a so-called Christian nation which has been confessing the Gospel of peace and love for centuries now. Reliable estimates indicate that more than 200,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the war which ravaged regions of the Republics of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina between 1991 and 1992; some half a million wounded, one million live in sub-human conditions without water, food, a roof over their head, under siege, while there are virtually 2 million displaced persons or refugees from dozens upon dozens of towns which have been destroyed and hundreds of villages burnt. Countless churches and mosques have been demolished or damaged. A true abominatio desolations (Dan 9:27).
Even though international organisations such as the UN Security Council, the European Union and the Conference on European Security and Co-operation clearly announced the attacker and invader - Serbia and Montenegro and the Yugoslav People's Army, which handed its weapons over to the Bosnian Serbs - in practise they make no difference between the victim and the criminal, between the attacker and the attacked.
It is difficult to fathom that today when we are faced with the highest levels of development in human culture and emphasise the fundamental human rights in these regions and indeed in the middle of civilised Europe that the superpowers are virtually indifferent. They look on at this horrific extermi­nation and genocide against the Croatian and Muslim people and unashamedly not one world power can effectively stop it. Are we truly condemned to another holocaust, that a mindless racist Moloch eats up our children, youth and young girls, husbands and wives and uses fire and the sword to take over our hearths where for centuries we had shared the good and the bad?
This is an occasion to condemn the killing of innocent people in these regions whoever the guilty party may be, and we pray to God for forgiveness for the atrocities which have been committed regardless by whom.
We firmly believe that God the Father sent his Son to this world to bring good tidings to the afflicted, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound ... to give the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a fault spirit, (Is 61:1-3). Ws also believe that God is doing all this through his people who are carrying out his will. We are conscience that Your Holiness has not let one occasion go by nor the resources not to utilise it to morally and officially support us and. come to the assistance of our weary people, either with moral support or diplomatic recognition, or with material assistance. We take the liberty to ask Your Holy Father to continue to be with us during our human tragedy and we appeal to those responsible people at the international level that the bloodshed be stopped and that the delivery of humanitarian aid be improved so we can help our suffering people who have been left without a thing. We do not know which is more urgent or necessary: for the war to end or for the basic conditions of life to be reinstated.
1. Our people literally need a roof over their heads, and bread, and clothing, but most of all they need to be ensured the right to life and work, to their own land, to their own factories and fields, where they can live and earn the resources necessary for an existence. We are grateful to the international community for all the humanitarian aid which is being sent to us with great love from all over the world and by various organisations. This aid is still more than necessary. But more than that we need international protection of our human rights against this inhumane aggressor who is stripping us of everything we own and is destroying our lives.
2. We pray to Your Holiness that, in keeping with its possibilities, the Holy See attempts to convince the governments of the superpowers to take upon themselves the duty and responsibility of all that is prescribed by international documents regarding the respect of fundamental human rights, compelling the aggressor and usurper to enable all those displaced to return to their homes in which regard there can be no mention of re-creating state borders.
3. We do not believe that this aggression can be resolved with arms, even of the most modem kind, and distributed equally to both sides. Those who are defeated in this war, especially if they are driven out of their own regions, would continuously seek revenge and there would be no end to it. We would then only be able to expect that these types of conflicts would constantly emerge in the Balkans. We are also of the belief that it is impossible to peacefully stand by and watch the atrocities committed by a nation armed to the teeth as it destroys its innocent victim which is in no way to blame except that it is a living target. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that the enemy be identified and disarmed, the enemy, which for decades has been preparing and amassing arms and is now misusing a terrifying quantity of military potential in this genocide. We are witnesses to the fact that this aggressor cannot be disarmed by international resolutions on paper which are being multiplied rapidly and are bordering on irresponsibility covering up the indecisiveness to do anything effectively. In this situation it is the responsibility of the superpowers and their protectors or military forces who are responsible for the respect of human rights in the world community. It is the humane and moral duty of the international community and those who are in positions of authority to do so, which shows itself to be more than effective in other parts of the world. We are conscience that Bosnia-Herzegovina is neither economically nor politically considered to be amongst the world powers. However, in the name of the lives and dignity of millions of rightless and persecuted people, we appeal for their right to life and a co-existence which should be above any other interests.
We are grateful to Your Holiness for all your efforts and gestures in favour of our people and on behalf of our entire clergy and faithful we forward to You, Holy Father our best wishes for the Christmas festivities as well as for the New Year of 1993. May Christ, the Duke of peace for the entire world, adorn You with peace, the effect of righteousness (Is 32:17) and may he fulfil Your heart's wishes.

Sarajevo, 18 December 1992

Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Metropolitan
Msgr PAVAO ŽANIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno
and Papal Administrator of the Trebinje-Mrkan Diocese
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop and Coadjutor of Mostar-Duvno 

Christmas greeting from the Croat bishops of Bosnia-Herzegovina
IN CHRIST WE RESOLVE THE MYSTERY OF PAIN

Brother priests and dear faithful!
With our Christian belief and hope in the Mystery of Christmas, which we confess with the words, "Conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary", we offer you our hearts and hands wishing you a Merry Christmas Season, and that all your days in 1993 be filled with mercy, just peace and hope. This mystery of salvation carries with it great godly truths, which cannot be interpreted by human reason even though they are acceptable in fate if our hearts wish so.
God the father, who is rich with compassion towards the wounded man, sends his only born Son to become a man, the Child - Little God to be like man in everything except in sin so that he can raise the fallen man and lead him to salvation. God did this in an unexpected and miraculous way which confuses our human mind and feelings. We people are afraid of poverty and avoid it while Little God - Jesus Christ was in fact born in poverty and placed poverty as the first blessing of the Kingdom of God (Mt 3:3). People scorn suffering and death as an unnatural attack upon their dignity, while Little God - the Son of God and the Son of Mankind through his suffering and a shameful cross, died tragically to arise from the dead and show mankind the road to freedom and offered them the gift of a new life in abundance.
This Christmas mystery began with actual historical events. With a power beyond this world, Joseph, who originally came from David's line, and Mary, who conceived by the Holy Spirit and carried the Child in her womb, were compelled to travel from Nazareth to David's city of Bethlehem in fulfilment of their duty as citizens to be recorded in the population census. In their hearts they were joyful because they were going to the city of their just and praised predecessor, King David. Their joy was very quickly turned into incomprehensible sorrow; they came to see their own but were not accepted. With this they did not accept Christmas nor the peace of Christmas. They were taken in by some poor shepherds in a stable above the fields of Bethlehem under the starry sky.
They were nevertheless visited by some illiterate shepherds who were told the good news by an angel about the miraculous birth of the Saviour of the world. Later, they were joined by some wise men from the East who had followed the star of life which led them to the Bethlehem family. Except for these few Christmas greetings which were brought to them by a ray of light and human joy, they were faced with merciless blows: Simon's prophecy to Mary that her soul would be pierced by a sword - so that the intent of many hearts could be revealed, the murder of innocent children in Bethlehem and the fleeing in the night of Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus to Egypt, the land where their forefathers had once been enslaved. And low and behold, God had arranged even the smallest of atoms and wisely set about the largest movement in the universe of a mass of suns and stars so that it appeared he had forgotten to arrange the birth of his only son on the earth. It is this virtual disorganisation which is the peak of salvation and the miraculous organisation of Christmas and its happening. Even today we witness the miracle of Christmas.
Our holy history and faith teaches us that at the end of all the worldly misfortunes, Jesus' victory of Easter shone above sin, Satan and death itself. We believe in the words of Jesus, for those who suffer with him and for Him, He will be their victory and prize.
We Christians accept the truth expressed in the joy and hope of the Council (no.22): "The mystery of man becomes truly clear only in the mystery of the embodiment of his Word… With Him, through Hun the enigma of pain and death amongst men are solved which without the Gospel would destroy us." May this embodied Word, the Christmas Gospel of life and peace bring an abundance of comfort and joy to all those who believe in Christmas and who experience the Christmas mystery in their hearts and on their skin.
- Merry Christmas to you, our faithful and courageous brother priests, nuns and all the clergy who have, during these terrifying times of war, remained with the faithful entrusted to you to soothe and comfort them.
- Merry Christmas to you fathers and mothers who with your cries of pain are experiencing the murder of innocent children in our "Bosnian Bethlehem" which were then murdered by Herod just as there are our modem day Herods! Our just and merciful God will know how to punish them for their deeds!
- Merry Christmas to you, the thousands and tens of thousands of refugee famines who will see this Christmas from their refugee camps in the tents and stables all over the world because our modem-day Bethlehemians are hesitating to take you into their homes! While we offer our sincere gratitude to all those who have taken you in as their own and offered you help!
- Merry Christmas to the thousands and tens of thousands of little girls, teenage girls and women who are victims of genocidal dishonour of their very human dignity and are detained in concentration camps throughout our imprisoned Bosnia-Herzegovina!
- Merry Christmas to those saddened families who have lost their sons, fathers and husbands hi defence of their birth place. Our defenders have died so that we may live. A great thanks to them and may God grant their souls eternal peace!
- Merry Christmas to all you who do not repay evil with more evil but wish to be valuable builders of a just peace in a war on our bloody and destroyed homeland.
- May the Christmas mystery of pain and suffering, hunger and death which has been multiplied in our faithful displaced and refugee families be transformed into salvation. May it offer you lasting freedom and yearned for just peace. And may God's goodness and care once again lead all our displaced and refugee brothers and sisters back to then: homeland just as the Holy Family once returned from refuge to their Nazareth and made it happy and blessed with their presence and life!  

Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Metropolitan
Msgr PAVAO ŽANIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Apostolic Administrator
of the Trebinje-Mrkan Diocese
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop and Coadjutor of Mostar-Duvno

Statement - Appeal of the Bishops' Synod of the Vrhbosna Metropoly
MORE THAN HALF THE CATHOLICS IN B-H DISPLACED

 We are deeply grateful to the Holy Father John Paul II and the Holy See for their manifold support throughout the entire time of this two year war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We thank the Pope for the diplomatic recognition of Bosnia-Herzegovina, where our four dioceses are located as well as the nomination of the Papal Nuncio, Msgr Francesco Monterisi. This act represents the Pope's personal care for the Catholic Church in these regions which, as a part of the Church amongst Croats, has a history here of over 1.000 years.
We offer our brotherly gratitude to the members of the Croatian Bishops' Conference, who not only in October 1992 when we were all in Zagreb, but again in June 1993 when only one member of our Church province could be present, expressed the Church's position in relation to the war conflicts in the region of Bosnia-Herzegovina. They took a position to put an end to the war and for the respect of human and religious rights for Croatian Catholics as well as other citizens, at the same time condemning any act of dishonour no matter who the perpetrator.
We are also grateful to other bishops' conferences and individual bishops in the world who have taken it upon themselves to try and stop the war suffering and establish a just peace in the entire region of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Even though there has been no shortage of good will and repeated appeals by many ecclesiastic institutions in the homeland and the world in order to stop the worst form of war devastation and "eth­nic cleansing" of blameless people, we must nev­ertheless with great pain assert that more than half the entire Catholic population of our dioceses has been affected or threatened by this war.
- In the Vrhbosna Archdiocese which consists of virtually 500,000 Catholics in 144 parishes, the war has directly affected almost 350,000 faithful who have been expelled from their parishes together with their spiritual pastors: almost 100 parishes have been occupied by the Serb or Muslim armies. The majority have been destroyed. AD three semi­naries (one smaller Franciscan Seminary in Visoko and two larger seminaries, one diocesan and the other a Franciscan - in Sarajevo) were compelled to continue their programmes in Croatia last year. The remainder of the Catholic faithful, mostly Croats, are faced with either being expelled or annihilated.
- The Banja Luka Diocese, which consists of 120,000 Catholics in 47 parishes is experiencing a similar fate. Almost 40 parishes are under Serb control while two are under Muslim authority; unfortunately some of them do not have one Catholic left in them. Even though there were no classic war conflicts in this region, more than half the Catholics have been forced to leave their parishes. More than 40 percent of the churches and church complexes have been totally destroyed, whale another 50 percent have been damaged at least slightly. The Croat Catholic population is continuing to be forced to move out of their ancient hearths despite the local authorities stating that this is not part of the official stance.
- The dioceses in Herzegovina: Mostar-Duvno & Trebinje-Mrkanj with virtually 210,000 Catholics in 81 parishes consists of nearly 30,000 Catholics in exile while some twenty parishes have been occupied by Serbian or Muslim military forces or they are faced with a constant barrage of fire from both sides.
We once again appeal to all those responsible factors in the domestic and world public to undertake even more in their efforts to seek a just solution for the current and future lives of all the peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Experiencing all the suffering and pain of their people during these war circumstances, on behalf of all the persecuted, displaced, re-settled people from these regions and especially on behalf of our Catholic faithful, we demand and appeal for the following:
- to stop the bloodshed, killing of innocent people and destruction of their property;
- to urgently allow the dead to be buried according to their religious beliefs and traditions;
- to immediately release all innocent detainees from the concentration camps;
- to allow displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes;
- to ensure the undisturbed delivery of humanitarian aid to all those who are in need of it.
We appeal to all those who believe in the Master of history and the Duke of peace to join us in our prayers to the Almighty God that he may shorten our days of exile and enable us a peaceful and content life in our ecclesiastic province within Bosnia-Herzegovina, together with all the other peoples who inhabit this region. 

Mostar, 2 August 1993

Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Metropolitan
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno

Message from the bishops of the Vrhbosna Metropoly to the local and world public
"WE CANNOT AGREE TO THE LOSS OF MORE THAN HALF THE ORGANISED CATHOLIC CHURCH IN B-H"

 From the Bishops' Synod in Zagreb of 1 September 1993, we the bishops of the Vrhbosna Metropoly, with gratefulness to God for the mercy with which he comforts us in all our miseries, we forward this message to our entire priesthood, diocesan and others, as well as to all the faithful entrusted to our pastoral care and to all people of good will.
The horrific war events hi the Bosnia-Herzegovina regions of our dioceses of Vrhbosna, Banja Luka, Mostar & Trebinje, as well as sections of the Church amongst Croats, lead us to experience, with all our being, the truth of the word hi the prayer to the Virgin Mary, the mother of mercy to whom we pray each day "we cry, we sons of Eve, saddened and weeping in this teary valley". She who also experienced exile while on this earth and who suffered, confides in us God's hope for life and peace.
These days special efforts are being undertaken towards peace and state order in Bosnia-Herze­govina as a union of three republics. For this reason, on 28 August 1993, the Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna was established. As Catholic bishops in the dioceses of Bosnia-Herzegovina we stress that according to the Gospel, the Church's mission is to announce Christ's salvation and peace to all men in these regions regardless of what the borders may be. We rejoice at all just resolutions which will protect all men and people with their human, religious and national rights. We are deeply disturbed by the waves of rumours about events which lead us to the conclusion that the planned demarcation of the republics could incite unrest and violent ethnic showdowns or ethnic cleansing, which would be contrary to God's law and any form of human rights. With this assumption we can never agree to the possible loss of more than half the organised Catholic Church i.e. our dioceses within the historical and current region of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The fortune of one man or nation is not built upon the oppression of human dignity nor fundamental human rights of other men or nations. One of these fundamental rights is the right to live on one's ancient hearth.
With pain and disapproval we assert that numerous world and domestic media sources have, especially recently, simply and tendentiously shown the various war calamities and atrocities in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Reporting such as this unfortunately is just being used to stir up rather than calm the current tragic situation.
We unambiguously stress that in these war circumstances we cannot approve, without prior consultation with the bishops, of the transfer of an individual from one religion to another. It is our duty to caution that these transfers bring into question legal and church validity if they are not undertaken with the proper preparations and steps and with complete freedom and consciousness. As such we decisively discard any decision if it be passed by a civil or other authority which would in this way be an interference with the free will of any man.
We sincerely thank all those who have so far expressed their human and Christian hospitality towards our displaced persons, refugees and countrymen. We fervently appeal to our Catholic brothers within the homeland and abroad to open their hearts and homes even more to all displaced persons and those oppressed people from Bosnia-Herzegovina, firmly in the belief that God, the judge of good and evil, will judge us by the way we act toward the hungry, sick and rightless.
Once again we invite all our priests and faithful to even more sincere prayers to God for just peace amongst all men and peoples within Bosnia-Herzegovina and we ask for God's blessing for you all.

Zagreb, 1 September 1993

Statement by the Catholic bishops of the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina
CATHOLICS ARE WILLING AND CAPABLE OF A COEXIS­TENCE

1. Our pastoral duty ties us to all those people who are suffering. As such we once again took the opportunity at this meeting to discuss the fate of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been affected by the war in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Terrorist attacks are still continuing in some regions of Croatia. Civilians are being wounded and killed. Towns and villages are being destroyed. The residents of these towns have no electricity or water. Even though Croatia has been internationally recognised within her actual borders, there are still areas which are under occupation and from which the last remaining Croat citizens are being expelled! Of the multitude of displaced persons not one has been able to return home, albeit destroyed.
Virtually 130 parishes in Croatia are still not accessible to their pastors. These parishes barely exist because all their inhabitants (together with their priests) have been driven out and their churches destroyed.
Nevertheless, we have focused our attention on the position of the Catholic Church in Bosnia-Her­zegovina. In some areas of Bosnia, the Church is faced with total extinction.

2. War circumstances in Bosnia-Herzegovina have been especially felt by the Vrhbosna Archdiocese and the Banja Luka Diocese, whereas the Mostar-Duvno Diocese has not fared much better. Of some 830,000 Catholics, more than hah7 have been expelled from their hearths. The majority of ecclesiastic buildings has been destroyed or damaged. Extermination and destruction of anything that remotely resembles Catholicism is continuing. This is not only happening in those regions directly affected by war conflicts but in those regions where there were no battles whatsoever. A prime example is the case of the Banja Luka Diocese.

3. The political resolutions which are being suggested with the assistance of European and world politicians must take more heed of the natural and historical rights of each man, including the Catholics, so that they be enabled to remain on their hearths. The Catholic dioceses in Bosnia-Her­zegovina have represented a lasting and organised presence and operation for the Catholic Church in these regions for over a thousand years.

4. We once again decisively raise our joint voices against all forms of atrocities and violence against the Catholic population in the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as against members of other religious or national groups. We cannot come to terms with any political solution about the future of the suffering land. This would legalise the destruction of more than hah" the faithful and the property of the Catholic Church and Croatian people in the Republic of B-H. This would bring about the closing of two dioceses and the greater part of one of the largest Archdioceses in this part of Europe. We demand greater and more effective protection of our lives and property as well as the return of our displaced persons with a guarantee that the rights and liberties which have been stripped away from the Catholic population in that republic be reinstated.

5. We are deeply grateful to the Holy Father John Paul II and the Holy See for their lasting support and actions in regard to the difficult situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and for then tireless efforts to stop the war conflicts and to establish just peace for all the residents within these internationally recognised countries. We thank our brothers of the episcopacy, who, as representatives of various charitable and humanitarian organisations, have shown their benevolence and sent aid to try and ease the dramatic situation faced by us Catholics and other peoples in Croatia and Bosnia-Herze­govina.

6. Nevertheless, regretfully we must assert and decisively protest against all the superficial, unreliable and unfounded reports by various media sources - some have even been Catholic sources - which seem to be serving the biased propaganda machine rather than truth and justice. Many have been duped to come to false conclusions and realisations about the actual situation in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

7. Once again we unambiguously state that the Catholic faithful are willing and capable of living with their neighbours in peace and with respect for the members of other religious and national groups. This must be taken into consideration by all those who are attempting to find a political solution to this crisis. Whatever we ask for the members of the Catholic Church in the territories of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, we ask it to be also granted to all other peoples living in these regions which is the joint homeland for all of them.
While we continue to pray for a just peace together with our suffering people, our devoted priests and nuns, we ask all those who carry peace and justice in their hearts to join us in our prayers. 

Split, 15 October 1993

Cardinal FRANJO KUHARIĆ, Archbishop of Zagreb and President of CBC
Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop  & Metropolitan of
the Vrhbosna Archdiocese on behalf of all the bishops of B-H

Statement by the bishops of the Vrhbosna Metropoly
THE HUMAN RIGHT TO LIFE AND COEXISTENCE

The bishops of the Vrhbosna Metropoly Synod met al the Vrhbosna Divinity College, which is temporarily situated in the Dominican monastery of Bol on the Island of Brač, on the occasion of the ordination of our priests - future candidates for deacons, with God's providence and care from the Holy See. Two days ago we saw our professor and the principal of the Divinity College, Dr Pero Sudar being nominated as the Assistant Bishop of Vrhbosna. With this act, the Holy Father has once again shown his pastoral care and fatherly love toward the Church of Vrhbosna. We diocesan bishops offer our sincerest brotherly welcome to the newest member of our Synod, who himself is present.
The heavy tragedy of the Croatian Catholic people in Bosnia-Herzegovina continues even now and in some areas these people have found themselves in the most inhuman circumstances. Instead of the cessation of horrific bloodshed, killing of innocent people, destruction of towns and villages, church property and cultural monuments, these continue to occur even more fervently in some areas of our country. The violent ethnic cleansing of people from their centuries-old hearths is continuing almost as if the people themselves agreed to some sod of "humane re-settlement" in the most peaceful of times. There is still a significant number of those who were killed or died who have not been buried or whose corpses are floating down the rivers of Bosnia. Prisoners of war are still being detained and kept in inhuman conditions in concentration camps, instead of being taken to court and if not proven guilty being released to freedom. Innocent detainees are still living in inhuman conditions despite the daily agreements and pledges that this situation will be changed. We are not aware of "one case" where the local authorities have allowed any refugee or displaced person to return to home. Every day we are witness to the inhuman measures undertaken to prevent the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian goods to the civilian population.
We condemn all injustices and inhuman actions committed during this war. In the name of God's Law and human dignity we condemn any method or practise which strips a man or a people of their rights: expelling civilians, ethnic cleansing, genocide, destruction of places of worship, regardless of which nation or political community may be guilty of such. We, the representatives of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, Banja Luka, Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje-Mrkanj Dioceses do not agree to any re­drawing of our centuries-old ecclesiastic borders nor to the writing off of our church regions without the prior approval of our Catholic clergy and the faithful who have, as Croats, for centuries been a constitutive people in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We condemn the bias of the media in this war and any manipulation which may be detrimental to the truth and justice or the reporter's intentions to incite hatred and revenge.
We are deeply disturbed and disappointed with the ineffectiveness to date of international political factors to stop this horrific slaughter and expulsion of people from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Is it possible that political and military international forces, with the power and responsibility to protect general human rights in the world community, are capable of only issuing dry resolutions or holding unsuccessful conferences and can remain indecisive up to the point of denial of human rights, freedom and life itself?
Once again, hi the name of the dignity of a million rightness people, whose lives are under threat in these regions, we demand that their fundamental human rights to life and coexistence be placed before any other possible interests or calculations. Once again, we raise our voices and demand that international organisations such as the UN Security Council, UNPROFOR, UNHCR, the ICRC and others objectively investigate and report on any details regarding the massacres regardless of who may have committed them, all the attempts of ethnic cleansing, the concentration camps in which civilians are being held and tortured, and especially those camps where the humiliation of women has assumed unheard of proportions.
We Catholics are conscious that it is Christ's suffering that our path in life ought to follow but Christ himself invited us not to bring pain and Buffering upon others but to remove it and to ease any physical or spiritual woes which may exist in our midst and from the lives of our loved ones.
We invite all our priests, nuns and clergy and all God's people to join us in prayer to the newly born Christ, the Duke of peace. May his peace rule our hearts, our entire homeland and the world.

 Bol, on the Island of Brač, 29 November 1993

 Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Metropolitan
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno
Msgr PERO SUDAR, newly nominated Assistant Bishop of Vrhbosna

Christmas message from the bishops of the Vrhbosna Metropoly
THE DISPLACED AND HUMILIATED AWAIT THE DAYS OF TOTAL FREEDOM

 Brother priests, nuns, all the clergy and our dear faithful,
all who have been displaced either within our dioceses or out of them:
God's blessing and peace be with you!
Walking through the period of Advent we have come to our dear feast day of Christmas. This year, as it was last year, we celebrate Christmas in hardship and an air of war.
We are reliving the fete of the exiled Holy Family, experiencing their pain because we too have been stripped of our right to stay in out homes and homeland just as the Holy Family did not find any room in Bethlehem in which to stay with the new born King, the Son of God. He came to his own, yet they did not take him in, even though he became a man so that man in his dignity could recognise him and live with the gift of God.
This ever so important event - God's son becoming one of us, one for all - is what we as believers wish to celebrate once again this year. We do not want our souls to break down but with the help of the great gift of God, the small weak Little God to whom we bow, we wish to rise from our pain and helplessness and from our heavy reality so that we can carry the belief that God is near us and that he is like us.
We know that it is difficult to speak words of comfort while so many people are suffering, while we continue to witness so much bloodshed, so many bitter tears. But while we are celebrating the coming of the Saviour of the entire human race, during this joyous occasion of Christmas, we do not feel abandoned but rather as if God himself were with us. He encourages us, strengthens us and comforts us. This is why we too comfort you with our words in the confidence and security of our belief in the embodied God. We therefore invite you, now while we are celebrating Christmas, to relive God once again now while we are suffering, through our poverty and through our wounds to our body and soul. While in the mystery of Christmas we see the Holy Family fleeing the hand of evil, we feel God's closeness for he too lived a similar life of exile and suffering.
In the Bible we read that Herod predicted a horrific end but the Holy Family escaped his bloody hand to a foreign land, once again returning to their home. As part of God's large family, His Church, we know from her long history that all the persecutor's of God's family sooner or later came to their downfall and end, while the innocent, humiliated exiled family lived to see freedom and just peace.
We inspire and encourage all our priests who had to leave their parishes together with their faithful, and are now seeing their faithful being strewn across the globe in exile, to find a source of comfort in the Christmas mystery and to try and maintain some sense of unity amongst the faithful entrusted to them either in writing or by personally visiting them. We fervently pray to God that the calamities end as soon as possible and that everyone be enabled to reinstate their own right - to return to their hearths.
The international community has proclaimed 1994 as the Year of the Family using the example of the Holy Family and the Church. We invite all our dear colleagues together that we may help the many families who have lost touch with their loved ones to once again find them which is more than important for the lives and future of our entire community. Let us especially focus on those families who have experienced all the horror of losing their dear ones so that in the spirit of the embodied God they can find a source of love, peace and fortune for their every day lives. While this war is destroying everything in its path, even our Christian morale, we renew our Christian consciousness and responsibilities in life towards our Catholic principles no matter where or when that may be.
We appeal to those in authority in the regions of our dioceses, or rather wherever our faithful may be to decisively carry out their responsibilities worthy of caring for each man so that he may realise his fundamental rights and liberties which were guaranteed to him by God himself in the embodi­ment and in God becoming a man himself.
By showing our closeness as pastors, we especially wish to forward our greetings and blessings to you dear children who have not been allowed "a childhood of peace". We wish this for you too, dear youth, inviting you to give thanks to the light of God and with its rays may you build a happier future. We forward our blessings and greetings to you dear parents, who are living this war in a similar way to the Holy Family caring and afraid for your children and to all those whose souls and bodies have been wounded, may this year's Christmas be a comfort and remedy. We forward our blessings and greetings to you, brother priests, so that in spite of the pressures you are experiencing, you remain faithful to your priestly vocation; you too dear sisters and clergy and may you continue to live and be a picture of poverty and blessing just like the child of Christmas.
May you all have a righteous Christmas! May the coming of this year's new-born Jesus be a blessing to you in the New Year, the year of the family. God giving it will be a year of just peace and a happier future.
With our greetings and wishes we call on God's blessing upon you all!

 Bol, Advent 1993

Your bishops:
Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Metropolitan
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan
Msgr PERO SUDAR, newly nominated Assistant Bishop of Vrhbosna

Appeal by the bishops on the occasion of the Bishop's inauguration in Sarajevo
"THIS WAR IS AN ACCUSATION AGAINST MODERN CIV­ILISATION"

 Today is the Feast of the Epiphany by which the Church celebrates God's proclamation of salvation to all nations and all men. God is love. God is Light. God wishes to shine upon all men with his truth, love and mercy.
We are gathered here in Sarajevo, the centre of the Vrhbosna Metropoly on the occasion of the inauguration of our new Assistant Bishop, Msgr Dr Pero Sudar. No other bishop's inauguration in modern history has been conducted in similar circumstances. During the liturgical celebration we could hear the explosions and mortar shells which have been mercilessly showering our city for two years now.
The city is without food, without electricity, without water as are many other towns in Bosnia. Residents of this city live their days and nights with the threat of death at every moment. This is the setting in which we are celebrating the bishop's inauguration to Assistant Bishop of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese.
Personally experiencing the misfortunes faced by Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina as a whole, we bishops gathered here once again to raise our voices from this suffering city and suffering country in a dramatic appeal to the world. Asserting that this war, which has not yet ceased and which is constantly costing more and more lives, multiplying the wounded, increasing the number of refugees and those expelled from their hearths, is not only a misfortune but rather an accusation against modern civilisation, which it seems cannot find a way to stop it and ensure a just peace to those suffering, regardless of their nationality or religion. The outcome of the coexistence between the Serbs, Muslims and Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina is the fate of Bosnia-Herzegovina!
Peace cannot be created by force by those who are stronger, nor through the imposition of various interests, nor the privilege of rights for the strong. A just peace is one which will guarantee every human being his dignity, freedom and security. A just peace is one which will harmonise relations between the various nations and states so that the human being will be the primary interest of all those responsible for the fate of these people.
For this reason on behalf of the Church we represent, we forward a decisive invitation to all politicians, all participants in negotiations, all military commanders, to be conscious of how their names are being written in the pages of mankind's history and indeed European civilisation! Do they accept the principle of the unalienable right of all human beings and all nations to live in just peace or are negotiations being held with the principle that power and force will determine justice?!
The Church has the moral strength to brighten human minds and consciences with principles of justice, truth and love so that the respect of human rights and dignity becomes a measure for all our aims and decisions.
We send this invitation to all those who believe in the Almighty God and on behalf of the eternal God who will be the judge of all consciences and histories! WE forward this invitation to all people of good will to use their moral affiliation to energetically stand up against this war, which is causing indescribable pain to thousands of families. We also join in with prayers to which we are invited by Pope John Paul II on 23 January this year, when the entire Church will pray together with all people of good will for just peace in these regions and the entire world. We also accept the call to fast on 21 January with the same intent.
We wish to take this opportunity to send our Christmas greetings and prayers to our Orthodox brothers so that Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, grants us peace in our tunes, a just peace, liberty and love for all people and nations.
We all pray together so that 1994 may truly be a year of reconciliation and peace so that an environment of security may enable the physical and spiritual wounds, caused by this war, to heal. We call on God's protection and love for all people!

 Sarajevo, 6 January 1994

Cardinal FRANJO KUHARIĆ, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Zagreb, President of the CBC;
Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Vrhbosna;
Msgr ĆIRIL KOS, Bishop of Đakovo-Srijem;
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka

Appeal by the Catholic bishops of the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS MUST PROTECT THE IN­DEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM OF EVERY INTERNATION­ALLY RECOGNISED STATE

 The bishops of the Republic of Croatia and the bishops of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina who are present at the meeting in Zagreb on 26 January 1994 once again forward an urgent appeal to the domestic and world public on behalf of all the victims of violence, who are under siege (in towns which have virtually become concentration camps) and are living without food or medicine, without freedom of movement and are under constant threat of death. It is an attempt to awaken the consciences of all people of good will and especially the consciences of those responsible for political decisions, in order that they use their moral resources in defence of the human rights of hundreds of thousands of families.
Firstly we wish to thank the Holy Father John Paul II from the bottom of our hearts for his call to the entire Catholic Church in the world and all people of good will to fast and pray for peace in the Balkans or rather Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as Croatia. All his calls, all his efforts aiming to stop this imposed war of aggression and invasion in our regions deserve our deepest respect and our lasting gratitude. We give love in return for love on behalf of all the victims for whom the Pope prays with unselfish love.
We warmly thank all the bishops of the Catholic Church and all the priests, nuns and the clergy as well as all the faithful and members of other religious groups who have joined in this fast and prayer for our peace.
We sincerely thank all our benefactors who have so greatly and lastingly witnessed with their own solidarity and empathised with our suffering and that of the victims of injustice, by gathering and sending humanitarian aid via various charitable and humanitarian institutions or even through private initiatives. Unfortunately, the violence is so ruthless that even this humanitarian aid cannot be delivered regularly to those who need it most and as such they feel abandoned and left to the mercy of the stronger and hence feel forgotten.
Humanitarian roads to all those people who need help to save their bare lives must be opened, protected and secured with resources in order to prevent any violent attacker from barricading the road, looting or destroying the convoys.
It is a well known fact that in some towns in central Bosnia and in Sarajevo itself people are dying of hunger, sometimes whole families. We cannot turn a deaf ear to the cries of desperation and hope which are being received from our priests in towns in central Bosnia in which the majority of the population is Catholic. The fact is that in this part of Europe, at the end of the XX century, the Sarajevo and Banja Luka dioceses are faced with total extinction together with their six hundred thousand Catholic Croats. We sympathise with the suffering of each person and each family regardless of his or her nationality or religious affiliation.
It is high time to decisively take a stance and put a stop to the violence which is ravaging hundreds of thousands of blameless civilians: children, women, elderly, disabled and sick, as well as the wounded who have no access even to the minimum of medical help. The war which was imposed on Croatia virtually three years ago and is now raging in Bosnia-Herzegovina (another internationally recognised country) is a great atrocity against all human rights, for which are responsible not only those who embarked on such a venture because of their own egotistical aims, but also all those who remain indifferent to the atrocities, especially those who in some way or another support these actions by neglecting legal paths available to stop the horror.
No one will be able to excuse themselves, neither before God nor before history, for not stopping the violence when they could and were obliged to do so.
"Europe is dying in the Balkans!" The United Nations is being rendered ineffective in these regions. European civilisation has been slurred and cannot be repaired in this part of Europe. Armed power mongers are creating the law and are killing, destroying, expelling people from their homes and ethnically cleansing these regions for themselves. They are being allowed to do this without having to answer to anyone, counting on open or discreet support by some forces which are actually protecting them. Arms traders are choking in wealth; the black market is profiting; human blood and tears are items for trade. Where the power of force rules, those who are weak are by far the worst off and cannot be expected to defend themselves. In these circumstances it is understandable that in their desperation these people too may turn to violence themselves, especially if they are constantly exposed to violence which denies them their rights and respect. Even in these cases, the atrocities cannot be allowed and we condemn any crime no matter who commits it. The chain of evil must be broken by legal means in an effort to ensure dignity and rights to a free and secure life for every human being in his own home, his own homeland, his own community, either national or religious.
For this reason we consider it our duty to once again forward a truly dramatic appeal to the world public to harness all the power amongst people of good will and especially to awaken the consciences of international institutions and of all those responsible for a just peace so that the bloodshed can finally be stopped.
Pope John Paul II is warning us through his high moral authority, and invites us to protect these people against injustice and violence. We join him in this voice with the hope that it will not be a cry lost in the desert. This desert represents the stagnation of our conscience, the power of selfish interests of the strong at the expense of the weak which may become a direct support to those who grab from others simply because they are stronger.
We righteously expect international communities which are responsible for the order of freedom and rights within Europe and the world, to protect and ensure all human rights for each human being and to ensure and protect the independence and freedom of every internationally recognized country within its borders, to ensure the return of all refugees and displaced persons to their hearths which is the unalienable right of all men. International institutions are obliged to monitor the situation so that the respect of rights and liberties for minority groups are respected as they are in other countries. Whatever is sought for minority groups within a country, must be guaranteed and ensured for minority groups in every country.
We do not wish our consciences to be held responsible, because of our silence, for a single drop of human blood, or a single tear of those who are persecuted, stripped of their rights, helpless, without protection and have been left to the mercy of this unjust violence.
We call upon our brothers in the faith to continue with their ardent prayers for justice and peace! Without hate or wishes for revenge they use all their confidence and faith in our Merciful God to shine his light upon every heart and every conscience, so that they can be open for God and each other for forgiveness, reconciliation and justice.
We place our hope in the advocacy of the Holy Mother of God!
We have once again spoken as bishops of the Church amongst the Croatian Nation on behalf of all our universal moral principles; we have spoken from the depth of our consciences in support of all good not only for our own people but for the good of every man regardless of nationality or religious affiliation. We speak by our faith to God the creator and saviour of all men.
We must, however, express our deepest regret that some powerful world media outlets, either because of the lack of objective information or due to the influence of subjective politics, are not relaying an objective analysis of all the causes and all the elements of this tragic conflict in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and in this are committing injustice to the truth. This especially distresses the victims of all this violence. Truth and justice are indivisible.
These are the pre-conditions for just peace for all people, nations and countries. This peace needs to be created, protected, maintained. A peace which would not remedy the injustice and which would recognise the effects of violence would be neither just nor lasting. A politics which would not adhere to the principles of a just peace for all peoples and nations would not be humane and would not serve the aim of peace. "Peace can only be a result of justice" (Is. 32:17)

 Zagreb, 26 January 1994

 Cardinal FRANJO KUHARIĆ, Archbishop of Zagreb, Metropolitan
Msgr ANTE JURIĆ, Archbishop of Split, Metropolitan
Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Metropolitan
Msgr ANTUN TAMARUT, Archbishop of Rijeka-Senj, Metropolitan
Msgr MARKO CULEJ, Assistant Bishop of Zagreb
Msgr JURAJ JEZERINAC, Assistant Bishop of Zagreb
Msgr JOSIP BOZANIĆ, Bishop of Krk
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr ĆIRIL KOS, Bishop of Đakovo-Srijem
Msgr SLAVOMIR MIKLOVŠ, Bishop of Križevci
Msgr ŽELIM1R PULJIĆ, Bishop of Dubrovnik
Msgr SLOBODAN ŠTAMBUK, Bishop of Hvar
Msgr ĐURO KOKŠA, Assistant Bishop of Zagreb
Msgr IVAN PRENĐA, Archbishop Coadjutor of Zadar
Msgr MARIN SRAKIĆ, Assistant Bishop of Đakovo

Appeal by the bishops of the Vrhbosna Metropoly
KILLING WITH WEAPONS AND HUNGER

 We diocesan bishops of the Sarajevo Archdiocese and Banja Luka, Mostar-Duvno & Trebinje dioceses are grateful for God's providence which has enabled us to meet in Banja Luka between 11 and 13 February this year. As all our other meetings which were held last year, in Mostar in August, in Zagreb in September and in Bol in November as well as In Sarajevo in January this year, once again at this Synod of the Vrhbosna Metropoly, anxious and hopeful, we considered the current fate of our Church i.e. the fate of Croats and other Catholics in B-H. We once again point out the lasting principles by which any resolution to the dramatic situation in the regions of our dioceses may be found and call upon everyone to motivate themselves to continue trying to prevent the evils of war.
1. We are conscious of our thirteen century long Catholic and Croatian roots on the soil of Bosnia-Herzegovina where our faithful and clergy have remained steadfast in their faith in Christ's Gospel and remained loyal to St. Peter's Papal See in Rome. Throughout our entire past, the Catholic Church in these regions has been distrusted, persecuted, struck down and killed just like its founder Christ our Lord. During some periods, the number of its faithful decreased to only a few tens of thousands. However, despite all this the Church managed to raise itself each time just like the Resurrected Lord and with His help the Church experienced a renewal and flowered in the Spirit of God.
2. At this particular moment, the Church is faced with a series of tests full of pain and hope. In the past few years and especially in the past few months, we have, with deep anxiety and concern, been experiencing a bloody drama together with the faithful who have been expelled, as have our priests, nuns and the clergy. Our churches, monasteries and convents are being destroyed. Our children, women and elderly are being killed with weapons and hunger. All out Croatian Catholic remnants are being uprooted throughout our entire Metropoly. Nevertheless, we are not losing our evangelistic hope that the Almighty God will use his mercy and justice to heal the wounded, raise the ruins and resurrect the dead.
3. It is not our duty as representatives of the Church to offer conclusive solutions for the internal political order of Bosnia-Herzegovina. With respect for the historical framework of our Vrhbosna Metropoly which mostly conforms to the historical borders of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which were recognised by the Holy See and the entire world, we are open to any reasonable political option which includes general standards of rights and justice. Once again we emphasise the urgency of stopping the senseless destruction this war has brought and establishing all human and civil rights and liberties, equality for all three constitutive nations in the regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina, of stopping the expulsion, enabling the return of displaced persons to their hearths and of allowing the undisturbed delivery of humanitarian aid to all those whose lives are being threatened.
4. We appeal to the lawful Croatian political representatives in Bosnia-Herzegovina to successfully undertake measures in these fateful times and establish the aforementioned rights for the entire Croatian Nation and to jointly seek a just political solution and at the same time to preserve the all important national unity.
While we hope that the rightless are reinstated with their human rights and dignity as soon as possible, we also call upon all our faithful to pray to the Almighty God so that He may shorten our days of temptation and suffering. May He give us His mercy, a just peace and an all-encompassing renewal.

 Banja Luka, 13 February 1994

Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Vrhbosna & Metropolitan
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan

Statement - Appeal by the bishops of Bosnia-Herzegovina to the priests, the faithful, the local and international public
FOR  THE CONSISTENT IMPLEMENTATION OF AGREE­MENTS REACHED

 1. The Washington Agreement of 18 March 1994 on the political solution to the crisis in Bosnia-Her­zegovina according to which a federation between the Muslims and Croats was established in order to bring about the cessation of the war activities in the regions controlled by the Croats and Muslims also enabled a more regular delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to the imperilled population.
We express our support for any agreement which leads towards a just and lasting peace in the regions of the entire internationally recognised state of Bosnia-Herzegovina. We call upon all the leaders in political authority to wisely search for, reasonably accept, decisively and consistently implement the agreed accord to the benefit of all the people who live in these regions. We once again call upon the Catholic faithful to humble and lasting prayer, so that by the mercy of God they be given sufficient light to find and implement the best possible solution for the estab­lishment of a just peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
2. Unfortunately the said accord for now divides our Metropoly into two regions, one under the supervision of the Croats and Muslims while the other is under the control of the Bosnian Serbs. Painfully we assert that tens of thousands of Muslims and Croats have fled or been expelled from these regions controlled by the Serbs, while those who despite all the hardships do not wish to leave their hearths and have remained behind are faced with serious discrimination and the threat of ethnic cleansing. This brings into question the further existence of more than 40 per cent of the faithful of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, virtually 80 per cent of the Banja Luka Diocese and about half of the Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje Dioceses, which we, as the bishops of these dioceses, and the Catholic Church as a whole, cannot accept.
3. We once again raise our most decisive pastoral voices in defence of the fundamental human and civil rights and liberties - not only for the Catholic faithful but for all those who have been stripped of their rights in the regions of our Metropoly. We especially regret that manifold discrimination against the non-Serb population is continuing in a large area of the Banja Luka Diocese and demand that this be stopped immediately! We ask the current authorities there to decisively and effectively undertake measures to stop all forms of discrimination and injustice towards the Catholic popula­tion. We also expect the representatives of the Croatian people in Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as in the Republic of Croatia to undertake even more to have these rights reinstated.
4. In those regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina where it is possible for displaced persons 1o return, we ask the appropriate authorities:
-to ensure their free return home;
-to decisively secure the delivery and just distribution of humanitarian aid to the most imperilled sections of the population;
-to start with reconstruction and in so doing to create conditions for employment thereby enabling people to support their families;
-that all influential factors (civil authorities, public media, religious leaders and cultural attaches) be more decisive in creating a more favourable climate in which it will be possible to successfully heal the deep physical and psychological war wounds.
We know that many Catholics who have been expelled or have fled from those regions controlled by the Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina wish to peacefully return to their hearths. We ask the Serb authorities and the international community to enable this as soon as possible.
5. Once again we thank all our priests and nuns who have often with heroic effort, under direct threat to their own lives, remained with the faithful entrusted to them, feeding them both with real and spiritual food, protecting them, motivating them, raising them from this sin filled and poisoned desert created by this horrific war. We call upon them to lean upon the strength of the Holy Spirit and to last in faith in Christ and his Church there where they are most needed.
6. We thank members of the Croatian Bishops' Conference and other Bishops' Conferences around the world for their love and solidarity with which they have kept an eye on our suffering and have tirelessly motivated people and themselves gathered and sent humanitarian aid, as well as all their efforts for the support of a just peace in our suffering homeland. We pray that they do not forget us in the future.
7. We recommend all our priests, nuns and all the clergy as well as God's people entrusted to their pastoral care and all people of good will and our friends and benefactors to accept the Love of God and protection of the most Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Church and the Queen of Peace. 

Bol on the Island of Brač, 6 May 1994.

 Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Vrhbosna & Metropolitan
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan
Msgr PERO SUDAR, Assistant Bishop of Vrhbosna

Public release to the media by the Catholic bishops of Bosnia-Herzegovina
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF THE POPE'S VISIT IS ANOTHER PAINFUL EVENT IN A SERIES OF SO MANY

 During the period of their pilgrimage "ad limina Apostolorum" in January 1993, the Catholic bishops of Bosnia-Herzegovina forwarded Pope John Paul II an invitation to visit Sarajevo, the centre of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Metropoly and one of the city-symbols of the war horror which raged in this country. In March 1994, the Holy See invited the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Msgr Vinko Puljić to the Vatican in order to discuss in detail the possibility of the Pope actually visiting Sarajevo. If his health had served him better the Pope would have conducted a pastoral pilgrimage last June. In the meantime, the Holy See advised the Archbishop that the Pope's pilgrimage was being postponed for better times. At the beginning of August, a special delegation of the Holy See came to Sarajevo to investigate the actual conditions regarding a possible pilgrimage by the Pope which was later confirmed would take place on 8 September, the Feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary. In the latter half of August a schedule for the Pope's one day visit to Sarajevo was sent from the Vatican. The Papal Nuncio to B-H, Archbishop Francesco Monterisi came to Sarajevo at the beginning of September to be involved in the direct organisation regarding the Pope's trip. Even though news from the Vatican indicated that the Pope had stated his "heart was in Sarajevo", while his visit "was in God's hands", an official announcement was left until a sure decision was made, while prepara­tions in Sarajevo intensively continued. Hope in the Pope's visit grew day by day especially amongst the Catholics of this city and country. The people, however, were already so full of disappointments with all the failed cease-fire agreements, political plans and accords to stop the war and establish a just and lasting peace. The suffragan bishops, Msgr Franjo Komarica from Banja Luka and Msgr Ratko Perić from Mostar, came to Sarajevo on 6 September, by invitation from the Archbishop. The same day at 17:00 hours, the State Secretary in the Holy See advised the Papal Nuncio that the Holy Father's visit was being postponed for the time being but not cancelled.
The public was advised of this decision at 19:00 hours.
The time of preparation for the Pope's pilgrimage even though it was short and in war circumstances showed all people of good will and all those interested in just peace, just how much our Holy Father wished to visit Sarajevo. Based on evaluations by the Holy See it was thought that since security could not be guaranteed by the UN forces this might lead to the bloodshed of innocent people and for the second time the Pope's visit was postponed for a city of dying hopes in ever securing peace. The impossibility of the Pope's pilgrimage turned the world's attention to the entire tragedy of this city and B-H as a whole, a tragedy which is being watched with unbelievable indifference towards the suffering of innocent people and towards guarantees to maintain a man's dignity. The impossi­bility of this pilgrimage is just one more plea and call to the conscience of mankind, especially of those who started and are continuing this war as well as all those responsible for peace, to enable the people of Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina as a whole to finally come out of this inhuman horror. The impossibility of the Pope's visit is just another painful event in a series of so many.
The Catholic people in Sarajevo and our entire country, were spiritually prepared and "in their hearts" they could already see and feel the Holy Father amongst them in Sarajevo. They saw him as their torch bearer and peacemaker in the darkness and war surroundings of our time. We still, nevertheless, nurture a strong belief that our great God, who holds the fate of the Pope's visit to Sarajevo in his hands as well as our own lives, will bless us with his grace and enable the Pope's plans to be realised. This is the fervent wish of all our bishops, priests, clergy and nuns as well as the entire Catholic Church in B-H. As such we call upon all the faithful to continue with their prayers so that God willing the Pope's words, "You are not abandoned. We are with you and will be more and more", will come true not only in spirit but in reality with the Pope's personal presence in Sarajevo.

 Sarajevo, 6 September 1994

Msgr VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Vrhbosna & Metropolitan
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan
Msgr PERO SUDAR, Assistant Bishop of Vrhbosna

Dramatic appeal by the Catholic bishops of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina
WE CANNOT ACCEPT THAT WE MUST DISAPPEAR

 We, the Catholic bishops of the Vrhbosna Metropoly in Bosnia -Herzegovina, the Archbishop of Sarajevo VINKO PULJIĆ, with his assistant bishop PERO SUDAR, the Bishop of Banja Luka FRANJO KOMARICA, the Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Apostolic Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan RATKO PERIĆ, gathered in Rome on the occasion of the nomination of the Archbishop of Vrhbosna to Cardinal, once again forward a fervent appeal to the entire Catholic Chinch and the world public to stop the three year war tragedy and to revive the regions of our four dioceses.
1. The Catholic Church, which is deeply rooted in the Croatian people since the beginning of their settling in the region of Bosnia-Herzegovina more than 13 centuries ago, has throughout its history experienced many rises and falls. During the Ottoman Empire in the mid 15 century in Bosnia-Herzegovina, more than 89% of the population was Catholic. Since then the number of Croat Catholics has been steadily decreasing either because of the Turkish persecution or with the coming of the Serbs or other political and economic motives. In 1991, only 18% of the population in Bosnia-Herzegovina was Catholic.
2. In autumn 1991, we were suddenly hit by a war of aggression against some Croatian towns in the south-east of Herzegovina while in the spring of 1992, Bosnia was attacked by the Yugoslav Peoples' Army which had been melted down into a Serbian army. From their Serbian strongholds in some sections of Bosnia-Herzegovina, they caused grave damages to the lives of the entire non-Serb population. Horrific ethnic cleansing, genocide and various forms of violence, including the shameless rape of thousands of women, compelled a multitude of non-Serbs to flee to exile and find shelter abroad while the remainder of our diocese found itself confined to an area less than thirty percent of the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Seeing that we were faced with an invasion, a territorial war aimed at the annihilation of the non-Serb population and the destruction of its national and cultural identity, added lo the unlikelihood that things would revert to the way they were, we were, unfortunately, witness to armed conflicts between the Croat and Muslim peoples in some sections of our country. This conflict deepened wounds which had existed previously and has heightened negative repercussions in people. The Washington Agreement of 18 March 1994 ended this bloody conflict, however, it has not been able to reinstate confidence between the two nations and a feeling of a healthy and productive coexistence.
3. The repercussions of this bloody multi-national conflict are more than horrifying for the Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina which has from the very beginning systematically defended ethnic principles and ethnic rights for all people and nations. Of the 830,000 Catholics in Bosnia-Herze­govina only half remain.
- Two-thirds of the Croat Catholics have been driven out of the Sarajevo Archdiocese together with their priests. Before the war there were more than 520,000 Catholics. Of the 144 parishes there remain 90 - without their faithful, priests or churches. Three priests have been killed.
- The Banja Luka Diocese consisted of virtually 120,000 Catholics who tried to avoid any conflict at all costs. More than two-thirds of the faithful have been driven out. Of the 42 parishes only eight are in a position to operate normally. Three diocesan priests have been killed.
- In the Mostar-Duvno Diocese, of the 180,000 Catholics almost 20,000 are in exile. Of the 66 parishes, 9 are partially or totally occupied with no outlook that their parishioners will be able to return in the foreseeable future.
- Of the 17,000 faithful in the Trebinje Diocese, only 4,000 remain and of its IS parishes, 6 are under occupation or are located on the front lines.
In two dioceses in Herzegovina there are more than 50,000 refugees being housed from central Bosnia. Some are living in completely unliveable conditions.
4. The war of aggression in Bosnia-Herzegovina is continuing even now. But due to their own interests the various world political forces - the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and the US Administration - have expressed their own particular views on this matter via their various "peace" programmes including the most recent initiative by the Contact Group, which varies from human and moral indifference to political submission or open support for this inhumane project by the aggressor. But now it appears that they all seem to approve of the virtual victory of all this senselessness, evil, oppression of ethnic principles, human, national and religious rights and civil liberties.
5. We, the bishops of the Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina know that there were numerous Croats who through the turbulent centuries contributed with their suffering to the spiritual state and growth of the Church, Christ's body, and were often the targets of injustice. However, we cannot accept that today, for all the civilised world to see, we must completely disintegrate, be ethnically cleansed from our historical homeland. For this reason, we appeal to the Bishops' conferences around Europe and the world to send their representatives to our dioceses who will be able to be convinced of the truth and the truly climactic situation and indeed the weight of our pleas. We also ask them to undertake measures with their various governments so that Bosnia-Herzegovina, which has been internationally recognised, be preserved as a complete country and that:
- ethnic cleansing in the regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina not be legalised but annulled;
- human rights not be placed as part of someone's war power or weaponry;
- all displaced persons be allowed to return to their homes with complete assurance of their human, national and religious identity.
6. Even though we are hungry, barefoot and naked, persecuted and humiliated, and as such in need of every form of material aid, we ask members of the Catholic Church for more than this; we ask them and the world community to treat us as people and believers with a right to fundamental human and religious tights and we ask for security to ensure this rights. 

(This Appeal was issued in Rome, 30 November 1994, on behalf of the bishops of the Vrhbosna Metropoly and signed by Cardinal Vinko Puljić, Metropolitan).

Statement from the first session of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina
"WE ARE DEEPLY SADDENED BY THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL COMMUNITY"

During the first session of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was held in Mostar from 27 to 29 January 1993, the bishops issued the following statement: 

1. In the multitude of laws which Pope John Paul II issued for the benefit of the Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina, especially during these difficult times, we consider it of significance that he approved the establishment of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia -Herzegovina via the Congrega­tion for the Evangelization of the people and at the request of our diocesan bishops. Once again with this statement we wish to thank our Holy Father and the Holy See for this decision which has helped us to further strengthen the unity of the Catholic faithful, priests and bishops in our country. Even before the aggression against Bosnia-Herzegovina and during it, we bishops have shown our unity and determination via the Synod of Bishops of the Vrhbosna Metropoly and our joint seminary which was compelled to relocate from Sarajevo to Bol, as well as via our newsletter "Vrhbosna", even though we were so often faced with difficulties due to the war, as well as national and territorial isolation, which did not allow for normal communications. 

2. On 26 January we gratefully received a letter from the President of the Bishops' Conference of Croatia, Cardinal Franjo Kuharić, Archbishop of Zagreb, who amongst other things wrote: "We will be united with you in your thoughts and search for a solution to the pastoral issues within the realm of Church laws and recommendations from the Holy See. The Church amongst Croats remains as one, even if it is beginning to be led by two Bishops' Conferences and even though it is dispersed over two different but internationally recognised countries". We stress that we will attempt to one-heartedly act for the good of the Church amongst the Croatian people to whom we consciously belong, historically, in language and spirit. In agreement with the Bishops' Conference of Croatia and with the suggestion of the Holy See we will, as two legal Church subjects, undertake to achieve the highest level of co-operation, liaison and unity.

3. Four Catholic dioceses in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Vrhbosna-Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje-Mrkanj are each in their own way experiencing a bloody calvary. Apart from the fact that their territories have been divided between the various nations drawn into this war, where various war-time political systems have been established, the diocesan centres themselves show evidence enough of the tragedy which has befallen our times: today Sarajevo marks the 1000 day of being under enemy siege. In Banja Luka, especially over the past few weeks, an even more perfidious form of terror is being accomplished, with expulsion and ethnic cleansing over the remaining non-Serb population. Mostar is divided in two parts. Trebinje is inaccessible for its episcopal administrator. Despite all of this we are grateful to God that we were able to organise this first session of our Bishops' Conference in the city of Mostar.

4. We thank all Catholics in the world, their respective Bishops' Conferences, especially those who have recently expressed their solidarity and closeness to us, for their humanitarian assistance and efforts with their various governments so that peace can finally come to this regions. We ask that they do not forget our suffering people, those who have been displaced, that they do not forget their human needs and rights. There are areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina where Catholics have remained for no other reason than to be the assisting hands of the Church, because unfortunately, other institutions have been restricted in their activities and have been distanced or have distanced themselves from reality.

5. The tragedy faced by our Croatian and Catholic people is mostly felt in the fact that more than half of our population (over 400,000) have been compelled to flee from their ancient hearths, and we do not see any perspective for their normal or regular return in the near future. All we can see are dark clouds of fear and foreboding for the displaced and for those remaining. Charity and humanitarian aid sent by good people around the world is in vain if we are not guaranteed human and civil rights of freedom and the right to live and work in our own towns, villages and cities in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It matters not if we are hungry or full if our aggressor has sentenced us to death and is banishing us every day or even exterminating us from existence. We are deeply saddened by the intolerable mistakes the international political community has shown by allowing the aggres­sion to continue, by being indifferent toward the people who are actually suffering immeasurable injustice, violence, destruction, banishment and slaughter and allowing "force" to be the rule. They hold talks on their knees with the "stronger" side, while they constantly set conditions to the "weaker" side! Appallingly we ask, is it possible that political interests and prestige are more important than man himself, or people and nations who through no fault of their own have been faced with genocide and extinction after existing for so many centuries with a national heritage, religious beliefs and a culture open toward everyone in these regions?

6. We are grateful to so many people, families, institutions especially state institutions in the Republic of Croatia who have accepted the thousands upon thousands of refugees from our country. We are conscious that added to the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons in their own country this is a great burden. At the same time we ask that they be tolerant in the future and have understanding enough to help our people and wounded brothers. We understand the decisions made by the responsible politicians in Croatia with regard to the dismissal of the UNPROFOR who have not been effective in the task they were set. We ardently pray to God that, via the appropriate international and domestic factors, peace be returned to our land and our Croatian people and that justice be done for the wrong and that our displaced people be once again safely and surely returned to their own homes.

7. We know that every man is a pauper, that all people are sinners before the eyes of God and that we all need to deeply repent for our sins and omissions, something a true believer does all the time. We also know that various state and social institutions exist whose responsibility it is to stop the evil in their midst. We ask therefore those responsible institutions in Croatia to show their efficiency in removing social evils which are continuously spreading such as the abuse of drugs, various forms of criminal activities, abortion, pornography. The Catholic Church, our mother and teacher is the symbol of righteousness for every man in order to show him as an authentic image of God, so that all people in this world can live in peace and mutual respect. The Church will not tire in insisting on justice, respect and the truth and will always be prepared to co-operate with those institutions which are working toward moulding a healthy and spiritually satisfied man.

8. Christ is our peace (Eph 2:14). There will not be peace in this land without true active and mutual reconciliation. We especially call on the Catholic faithful, priests, clergy and nuns in the regions which the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina covers to give their most ardent belief to the Church and to unite with God as well as the best possible unity and reconciliation amongst each other and our neighbours.

 Mostar, 29 January 1995 

Cardinal VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Vrhbosna & President of the BCB-H
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno & Apost. Admin, of Trebinje-Mrkan

Message from the bishops of B-H to the priests, clergy, nuns and the faithful
TRUE PEACE MAY ONLY BE ACHIEVED BY TRUE PEACE­MAKERS

 As a result of the Synod held in Zagreb on 13 -14 March 1995, we forward this pastoral message to you dear brothers and sisters, priests, clergy, nuns and God's entire faithful in the region of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Once again, as we have done each time we have had the opportunity to meet, we wish to let you know that we are reunited with you in our faith, hope, suffering, Christian solidarity and love towards God and our neighbours.
The current war circumstances in the regions of our various dioceses has prevented any normal life on our ancient land. More than half our parishes have been destroyed and deserted, with our faithful strewn across the entire world. Many of our priests, clergy and nuns have been denied the right to live in their own parishes and convents, let alone to be able to function in their normal duties.
All these are painful facts which are pressing members of our dioceses as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ's Church, who sympathise with us. We are conscious that we are experiencing our own 'Way of the Cross' and 'Holy Week', but that at the same time the world's Saviour, Christ is with us. This awareness gives us the strength not to collapse in spirit nor to doubt in God's hope and comfort despite being in the 'Garden of Gethsemane'. Christ clearly told his followers, "A servant is not greater than his lord! If they banish me they will banish you as well" (Jn 15:20). He also let us all know that in this world of sin we would constantly be tormented but that we should not fear it because he had overcome the world (Jn 16:33).
We thank all those who have remained faithful to Christ's commandments, especially his command­ment of love and forgiveness. "In this way we best discard the temptations put before us by the devil himself, the father of lies and killer of men" (Jn 8:44). In this we contribute to Christ's spirit and the strengthening of his kingdom, his truth, justice, love and peace.
While we forward our humble prayers to God our Lord to raise the righteous and stop our suffering, at the same time we consider it our duty to ask all domestic and international political factors to stop the suffering of innocent people and to finally find a just solution to this tragic war in our homeland. We are aware that true peace can be achieved primarily by those people who carry that peace in their hearts and consciences. For this reason we invite you all to tirelessly plea with Christ, the holy peacemaker to enlighten those dark consciences and to turn about those hearts poisoned with selfishness, greed, hate and other evils.
We ask you all, dear brothers and sisters, our priests, clergy, nuns and our dear people in God to unite your daily suffering during this period of Lent with Christ the sufferer through whom all our crosses will flourish with life necessary for our entire Church and for eternal peace in Heaven. We ask for God's blessing for you all, either in our homeland or elsewhere in the world in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 Zagreb, 14 March 1995

Your bishops:
Cardinal VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Vrhbosna
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno & Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan
Msgr PERO SUDAR, Assistant Bishop of Sarajevo

Letter by the Bishop's Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina on the 50 Anniversary of the end of World War II
"WE PRAY FOR THE INNOCENT VICTIMS OF THIS CEN­TURY IN OUR REGION"

 The European nations and the world are marking the 50 Anniversary of the end of World War II this May. We, Catholic bishops, priests and the faithful, representing the Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina, join the Church in Croatia which issued a public statement through the Bishops' Conference on 28 April 1993. As the bishops of this Church we wish to relay our thoughts as well as a joint appeal.

1. Throughout the entire 20 century this region has been marked with injustice, conflicts, blood and guilt. Two world wars were fought in the region, of which the First was actually instigated right here in Sarajevo in 1914. This third conflict between our various nationalities, or rather this war of aggression has been raging in Bosnia-Herzegovina since September 1991 until this very day. And there still seems to be no end to it.

2. Up until the Turkish invasions of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Croatian people consisted of more than 80% of the population and they continued throughout the centuries to live in these regions together with the other nations now found here. Even though our people have the right to self-determination, sovereignty and freedom, they were, often against their will, annexed to various historical state creations. A life lived in intolerance or captivity could not possibly bring positive results in as far as human, religious and national rights and liberties are concerned. For this reason, conflicts between the various nationalities were a common event, bringing with them slaughter, genocide and other cruelties not befitting to man. Sometimes they were implemented via state politics, sometimes they were committed by various rebel groups. Similar brutalities may unfortunately be seen today, and are indeed on display for the whole world to see.

3. The fact is however, that these same people and nations are at the same time members of various Christian Churches and other religious beliefs. The fact is also that the historical background has not been investigated deeply enough in an effort to discover the historical reasons, causes, motivation and other factors which may have resulted in this war of bloodshed. Books and books of accusations have been written accusing and slandering not only the Croatian people but the Catholic Church amongst these people. It is the duty not only of historians but Church structures to conduct an expert investigation and gather information which will bring them to justly evaluate the situation and authentically relay the truth about the history of this region. We believe that only the truth can undo the injustice which has been committed here and bring lasting peace.

4. As members of the Catholic Church, as well as being sons of the Croatian Nation, we call on all our brothers and sisters, believers and compatriots in these regions, together with us bishops, to offer Christ's bloodless sacrifice to the heavenly Father, on Saturday the 131 or Sunday the 14 of May, in honour of all the innocent victims who fell to the violence and cruelty of World War I (1914-1918), of the period between the two wars, of World War II (1941-1945) and of the post-war period, especially for those victims of the Bleiburg Tragedy and the Way of the Cross', and the victims of staged trials or when accused without a trial by the Communist Regime, as well as the current victims of this war.

5. We do not only pray for Croat Catholics - the bishops, priests, clergy, nuns and so many faithful, but for all the innocent victims belonging to other nations who have suffered in the harshest winds of this war. While we simply recall all the innocent victims, we wish to pray for those who are to blame, partially or fully, for their deaths. We do not wish to accuse anyone with our prayers, but to truly pray to the Holy Spirit to renew the face of this earth and even more so our human hearts.

6. We believe that the time will come when we will be able to record all the tragedy which has been committed against mankind regardless of which religion or nationality the guilty belong to, as such recollections should not be considered an attempt to open new wounds. In keeping with the Message which the Holy Father was to have spoken in the Cathedral in Sarajevo on 8 September 1994, had he been able to come, we wish to bring to reality God's words in his prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them". With these words, wrote the Pope, we have touched on a key issue. Christ himself pointed us to them when he was dying on the cross and said about his murderers, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do"(Lk 23:34). The history of mankind, nations and people is hill of mutual hate and injustice (...). Today we wish to pray for a similar gesture "we forgive and ask for forgiveness" for our brothers in the Balkans! Without taking such a stance, it will be difficult to build peace. Gathering "guilt" and "punishment" will never end if we do not forgive. Forgiveness does not mean to forget! If remembering is the law of history then forgiveness is the strength of God, power of Christ who is present in the events faced by men and nations. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from hell. What are these temptations which we pray the Father will liberate us from? They are those which transform man's heart into a heart of stone, without feeling and regard for forgiveness and harmony. These are the temptations of ethnic prejudice, by which man has no regard to the rights of others and does not feel his pain. These are the temptations of excited extreme nationalism which lead us to trespass our loved ones even to the point of revenge. All these are temptations which show a civilisation of death (...). The victims of this cruel war are praying to God for his tight, so they may survive, and they call for peace and reconciliation" (Glas Koncila, 38/94, 7)
In this spirit we pray for all the innocent victims of this century in our lands. We mourn over all the injustice and evil committed. We wish for every man to regain his human dignity, his religious and national identity and freedom in peace, respecting his neighbour and being proud of his own. May our human and religious reconciliation with all others be our contribution to lasting peace.

 Sarajevo, 3 May 1995

 Cardinal VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Vrhbosna
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno & Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan
Msgr PERO SUDAR, Assistant Bishop of Sarajevo

Appeal to the local and world public
ONCE AGAIN WE EXPRESS OUR SOLIDARITY WITH ALL THOSE RIGHTLESS PEOPLE

Staying in my home town of Banja Luka and the Banja Luka Diocese for the first time as Cardinal, together with the local bishop, Msgr Franjo Komarica, I ruin to the domestic and world public with the following appeal:

1. Catholic-Croats and others - situated in the Banja Luke region have for three years now, unfortunately been without many basic human rights and liberties: the right lo a home, homeland, source of existence, security of property, social security, freedom of movement and often enough even the right to life. This, totally inhumane situation is becoming unbearable even for the most sturdy.

2. The Catholics with their extremely peaceful behaviour from the very beginning of the war in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have entrusted not only their neighbours but the domestic, world public and the international community to more emphatically undertake measures to protect them and their basic rights and liberties.

3. The indifference and inert attitude of those most responsible politicians - both domestic and international - is incomprehensible. Despite the fact that they know what is happening to the peaceful civilian population in these regions, nothing effective has been undertaken to prevent these serious atrocities against mankind. Those working in the media and their misinformation to the public in a great way assist all those who are doing evil and creating violence, thereby encouraging them to freely continue in their ways without fear of punishment. By not undertaking anything to protect the local innocent population - Catholics and others - they are putting themselves (perhaps not consciously) on the side of the aggressor. As believers and at the same time preachers of the faith and morals of Christ's Church in these regions, we are obliged before God and because of our consciences to stand up in defence of God's law and human dignity for every man. It is our duty to caution all those who will decide the fate and destiny of those stripped of their rights, that they are faced with a serious responsibility before God and history.

4. Once again we most decisively raise our voices of solidarity and support for the protection of human dignity and fundamental human and civil rights and liberties of all those oppressed and rightless people. Inviting all noble hearts to join us in the salvation of oppressed men in these regions as well as elsewhere in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Balkans and the European Continent.

5. We justly expect each member of the Catholic Church as well as all other Christians and believers of one God, in the region of the Banja Luka Diocese, in the Vrhbosna Metropoly, Europe and the world to more decisively unite in their prayers to God, the only true peacemaker and to unite in peace-keeping actions to establish a just peace as soon as possible in these and other war zones.

 Banja Luka, 28 February 1995 

Cardinal VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Vrhbosna
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka

Open letter to the signatories and witnesses of the Dayton Accord
THE PEACE ACCORD CONTAINS SOME ODD CONTRA­DICTIONS AND FATAL INSECURITIES!

 We, the undersigned members of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina, who have not been able to meet for so many months now, have been consistent with the Chinch's position in regard to the war and peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Now faced with the signing of the Dayton Accord in Paris this month, we once again wish to state our position which has been made public so many times before in so many fashions to the Holy See and bishops' conferences of the world, as well as to domestic and international politicians who could have a long time ago calmed this war of aggression and established a just and lasting peace in B-H. Our statements to the public were made either in collusion with the bishops of Croatia on at least 25 occasions during the past 4 years. Here we relay some excerpts from 12 of these statements:
From a letter dated 18 December 1992, by the bishops of B-H to the Holy Father: "Even though international organisations such as the UN Security Council, the European Union and the Confer­ence on European Security and Co-operation clearly announced the attacker and invader - Serbia and Montenegro and the Yugoslav People's Army, which handed its weapons over to the Bosnian Serbs - in practise they make no difference between the victim and the criminal, between the attacker and the attacked. (...) We pray to Your Holiness that in keeping with its possibilities, the Holy See attempts to convince the governments of the superpowers to take it upon themselves and make it their responsibility to tenure all that can be found in international documents regarding the respect of fundamental human rights, compelling the aggressor and usurper to enable all those displaced to return to their homes in which regard there can be no mention of re-creating state borders". ("Glas koncila" 2/1993, 3)
From a greeting by the bishops of B-H to the Holy Father of 12 January 1993: "We are conscious, Holy Father, of the moral strength and authority which you enjoy personally as well as the Holy See in the entire world. For this reason we pray that you remain with us. We do not believe it is the will of God that we should disappear from these regions where we have lived for more than 13 centuries, and where despite the dramatic historical tribulations, we have managed with the help of God to maintain our faith in Jesus Christ as well as our ties to St. Peter's successors and most of all our national identity. Even now in spite of all the changes and tragic events we remain prepared, as we have been until now, for a peaceful coexistence with our Orthodox and Muslim neighbours as well as members of other religions". ("Glas koncila" 4/93, 3)
From an appeal by the bishops of B-H made in Mostar, 2 August 1993: "We once again appeal to all those responsible in the domestic and world public to undertake even more in their efforts to seek a just solution for the current and future lives of all the peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina. (...) We appeal to all those who believe in the Master of history and the Duke of peace to join us in our prayers to the Almighty God so that he may shorten our days of exile and enable us a peaceful and content life in our ecclesiastic province within Bosnia-Herzegovina together with all the other peoples who Inhabit this region". ("Glas koncila", 33/93, 4)
From a message by the bishops of B-H issued on 1 September 1993, in Zagreb: "As Catholic bishops in the dioceses of Bosnia-Herzegovina we stress that according to the Gospel the Church's mission is to announce Christ's salvation and peace to all men in these regions regardless of what the borders may be. We rejoice at all just resolutions which will protect all men and people with their human religious and national rights. We are deeply disturbed by the waves of rumours about events which lead us to the conclusion that the planned demarcation of the republics could incite unrest and violent ethnic showdowns or ethnic cleansing, which would be contrary to God's law and any form of human rights. With this assumption we can never agree to the possible loss of more than half the organised Catholic Church i.e. our dioceses within the historical and current region of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The fortune of one man or nation is not built upon oppression of human dignity or the fundamental human rights of other men or nations. One of these fundamental rights is the right to live on one's ancient hearth". ("Glas koncila" 37/93, 3)
From a statement by the bishops of B-H made on 29 November 1993, in Bol: "We condemn all injustices and inhuman actions committed during this war and in the name of God's Law and human dignity We condemn any method or practise which strips man and his people of their rights: expelling civilians, ethnic cleansing, genocide, destruction of places of worship, no matter which nation or political community may be guilty of such. We, the representatives of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese Banja Luka, Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje-Mrkan Dioceses do not agree to any re-draw­ing of our centuries-old ecclesiastic borders nor to the writing off of our church regions without the prior approval of our Catholic clergy and the faithful who have, as Croats, for centuries been a constitutive people in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We condemn the media bias in this war and any manipulation which may be detrimental to the truth and justice or the reporters intentions to incite hatred and revenge". (GK, 50/93, 1}
From an appeal by the bishops of B-H made on 6 January 1994, in Sarajevo: "For this reason and on behalf of the Church we represent, we forward a decisive invitation to all politicians, ah1 participants in negotiations, all military commanders, to be conscious of how their names are being written in the pages of mankind's history and indeed European civilisation! Do they accept the principle of the unalienable right of all human beings and all nations to live in just peace or that negotiations should be held with the principle that power and force will determine justice?!" (GK 3/94, 1)
From a memorandum to the President of the Republic of Croatia, issued in Zagreb, 12 January 1994: "Participating in these negotiations on behalf of the Croatian people, its politicians with you at their head accept the division of Bosnia-Herzegovina. We very much regret that negotiators have ignored and are still ignoring all our appeals to date in which the bishops of Bosnia-Herzegovina state that they cannot accept any changes to the borders of their respective dioceses, nor for that matter the disappearance of a greater section of the Croatian people and Catholic Church in these regions where they have existed for centuries with the Church being their guide and protector (...) One of the violated principles is that from the very beginning Europe has asserted that it would not recognise a single foot of invaded land. Yet now it is insisting that negotiations be held on the foundations of land conquered by invasion and aggression. It appears that Europe wishes to appease the invader, which is to the detriment of the other side. The second injustice being committed is the division of Bosnia-Herzegovina, in practise and reality (even though theoritical talks indicate the opposite). This leads not only to the sanctioning of the current ethnic persecution but to tomorrow’s completion of ethnic cleansing. This type of "re-settlement" during war time can be seen as nothing else than a war crime! {...). Regardless of all the possible recommendations about the new order of Bosnia-Herzegovina, we consider it our duty and right to once again most decisively demand all negotiators representing the Croatian people to ensure all Croat Catholics, as well as members of other nations or confessions, their fundamental human and civil rights and liberties, including religious and national rights". (GK 4/1994, 3)
From an appeal by the bishops of B-H made in Banja Luka, 13 February 1994: "It is not our duty as representatives of the Church to offer conclusive solutions for the internal political order of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bur with respect for the historical framework of our Vrhbosna Metropoly which mostly conforms to the historical borders of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which were recognised by the Holy See and the entire world, we are open to any reasonable political option which includes general standards of rights and justice. Once again we emphasise the urgency of stopping the senseless destruction of this war and of establishing all human and civil rights and Liberties, equality for all three constitutive nations in the regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina, of stopping the expulsion and enabling the return of displaced persons to their hearths, and of allowing the undisturbed delivery of humanitarian aid to all those whose lives are being threatened". (GK, 8/1994, 1)
From a statement by the bishops of B-H issued on 6 May 1994, in Bol: "Unfortunately the said accord for now divides our Metropoly into two regions, one under the supervision of the Croats and Muslims while the other is under the control of the Bosnian Serbs. Painfully we assert that tens of thousands of Muslims and Croats have fled or been expelled from these regions controlled by the Serbs while those who despite all the hardship do not wish to leave their hearths and have remained behind are faced with serious discrimination and the threat of ethnic cleansing. This brings into question the further existence of more than 40 per cent of the faithful of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, virtually 80 percent of the Banja Luka Diocese and about hah" the Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje Dioceses, which we, as the bishops of these dioceses and the Catholic Church as a whole, cannot accept. We once again raise our most decisive pastoral voices in defence of fundamental human and civil rights and liberties - not only for the Catholic faithful but for all those who have been stripped of their rights in regions of our Metropoly". (GK, 21/94, 3)
From the letter by the bishops of B-H to the Holy Father dated 7 September 1994, in Sarajevo; "In this general tragedy, the Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina has been affected so that it is in constant danger of disintegrating. Our faithful are faced with continual pressure and misfortune as they flee en masse from their hearths. News that You, Your Holiness, as the leader of the Catholic Church and the largest peacemaker could not come to visit us due to insecure circumstances has just heightened the fear of our loyal faithful. (...). The Catholic Church amongst the Croats in these regions has been crucified and has been bleeding for thirteen centuries but it has not disappeared! How can we now accept the fact that today, at the close of the twentieth century, we have been sentenced to a doom which has been achieved in only three years?! Nevertheless, we believe that God's love is the power which will help us to survive and remain present here. And so we pray for your blessing from St. Peter's grave". (GK, 38/94 6)
From the appeal made in Rome, on 30 September 1994: "The war of aggression in Bosnia-Herze­govina is continuing even now. But due to their own interests in the various world political forces -the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and the US Administration - have ex­pressed their own particular views on this matter via their various "peace" programmes including the most recent initiative by the Contact Group, which varies from human and moral indifference to the political submission of open support for this inhumane project by the aggressor. But now it appears that they all seem to approve of the virtual victory of all this senselessness, evil, oppression of ethnic principles, human, national and religious rights and civil liberties. (...) We, the bishops of the Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina know that there were numerous Croats who through the turbulent centuries contributed with their suffering to the spiritual state and growth of the Church, Christ's body, and were often the targets of injustice. However, we cannot accept that today, for all the civilised world to see, we must completely disintegrate, be ethnically cleansed from our historical homeland. For this reason, we appeal to the Bishops' conferences around Europe and the world to send their representatives to our dioceses who will be able to be convinced of the truth and the truly climactic situation and indeed the weight of our pleas. We also ask them to undertake measures with their various governments so that Bosnia-Herzegovina, which has been internationally recognised, be preserved as a complete country and that:
- ethnic cleansing in the regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina not be legalised but annulled;
- human rights not be placed as part of someone's war power or weapon;
- all displaced persons be allowed to return to their homes with complete assurance of their human, national and religious identity". (GK, 50/94, 1)
From the statement by the bishops of B-H issued in Mostar, 29 January 1995: "Four Catholic dioceses in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Vrhbosna-Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje-Mrkan are each in their own way experiencing a bloody calvary. Apart from the fact that their territories have been divided between the various nations drawn into this war, where various war-time political systems have been established, the diocesan centres themselves show evidence enough of the tragedy which has befallen our times: today Sarajevo marks the 1000th day of being under enemy siege. In Banja Luka, especially over the past few weeks, an even more the perfidious form of terror is being accomplished, with expulsion and ethnic cleansing over the remaining non-Serb population. Mostar is divided in two parts. Trebinje is inaccessible for its episcopal administrator. Despite all of this we are grateful to God that we were able to organise this first session of our Bishops' Conference in the city of Mostar. (,..).The tragedy faced by our Croatian and Catholic people is mostly felt in the fact that more than half of our population (over 400,000) have been compelled to flee from their ancient hearths, and we do not see any perspective for their normal or regular return in the near future. All we can see are dark clouds of fear and foreboding for the displaced and for those remaining. Charity and humanitarian aid sent by good people around the world is in vain if we are not guaranteed human and civil rights to freedom and the right to live and work in our own towns, villages and cities in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It matters not if we are hungry or full if our aggressor has sentenced us to death and is banishing us every day or even bringing about our extinction. We are deeply saddened by the intolerable mistakes of the international political community which has shown, by allowing the aggression to continue, that "force" is the rule and by the indifference they have shown toward the people who are actually suffering immeasurable injustice, violence, destruction, banishment and slaughter. They hold talks on their knees with the "stronger" side, while they constantly set conditions to the "weaker" side! Appallingly we ask, is it possible that political interests and prestige are more important than man himself, or people and nations who through no fault of their own have been faced with genocide and extinction after existing for so many centuries with a national heritage, religious beliefs and a culture open toward everyone in these regions?". (GK, 6/95, 1-3)
As can be seen from these excerpts, we the undersigned, members of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina had a clear and definite stance - since the very beginning of the war - namely, the cessation of the war of aggression and the establishment of a firm, lasting and just peace, taking into consideration the rights of every man and nation in this country. For this reason we welcome the cessation of this war of aggression as a result of this peace accord. We pray to God that the end to this war has truly come. However, we seriously fear that a truly lasting, firm and just peace can be achieved on the basis of this accord. The peace accord, as far as we are aware, contains some very peculiar contradictions, fatal uncertainties and questions;
1. Proclaimed whole, Bosnia-Herzegovina has nevertheless with this Accord been divided into two entities.
2. How can one country have three armies?
3. What sort of justice gives half a country to one-third of its population?
4. Who can be authorised to sign accords where regions with a majority population in Bosanska Posavina have been left to the authority and rule of the minority?
5. This Accord confirms and authorises ethnic cleansing and the right of the more powerful and puts the aggressor and victim in the same comer.
6. Who will see that hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and refugees be allowed to return to their homes guaranteeing them their human and civil rights and liberties?
It is evident that this Accord reached in Dayton and to be signed in Paris will introduce unrest and doubt rather than the long awaited peace with regard to the return of displaced persons and the protection of basic human rights and liberties which include religious and ethnic rights and liberties for all the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina. As the bishops of the Catholic faithful whose future is also affected by this Accord, we justly expect all those responsible factors and institutions - both international and local - who participated in the creation of this Accord for Bosnia-Herzegovina to commit themselves to correcting any injustices in the aim of establishing just peace for all the peace-loving people of this country.
As the official representatives of the Catholic Church amongst one of the three constitutive nations of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Croatian nation, we once again express our readiness to personally assist in establishing constructive and feasible solutions to this horrific war in an effort to establish sincere peace in the regions covered by our Bishops' Conference, i.e. in the entire region of Bosnia-Herzegovina.  

Sarajevo - Banja Luka - Mostar, 8 December 1995

 Cardinal VINKO PULJIĆ, Archbishop of Sarajevo
Msgr FRANJO KOMARICA, Bishop of Banja Luka
Msgr RATKO PERIĆ, Bishop of Mostar
Msgr PERO SUDAR, Assistant Bishop, Sarajevo