Charges against Catholic Church: Association For The Renewal of Civic Trust in the Stolac Municipality blames the local priest Rajko Markovic, his brother Andjelko, a former mayor of Stolac, and the current mayor of Stolac, Dr. Zdravko Kuzman, for everything. The mentioned association also accused bishop Dr. Ratko Peric of implementing apartheid in Stolac.
The attitude of the representatives of international organizations in Mostar is that all religious objects that were destroyed or converted for use by other faiths (for example the church in Severni Logor [northern camp] that was converted into a mosque) should be rebuilt or returned to their original owners, except in those cases where destruction or conversion occurred before 1993.
Croats in Stolac are embittered by such attitude. One can frequently hear in the town that 1471, when the Turks captured Vidostak and changed its name to Stolac, marks the beginning of the systematic destruction of Catholic identity in that region. With time initially homogenous Catholic population gradually dispersed, their religious objects were destroyed, and those who failed to escape the Ottoman sword and fire went through Jesus-like suffering in the Ottoman dungeon on the Krizevac hill above Stolac.
Folk tales and historical sources claim that in 1519, Turks, led by sultan Selim, destroyed a Christian Church and cemetery and built a mosque on its foundations.
Archive research: This historical fact was admitted even by the president of the mentioned association, Dr. Senad Mehmedbasic in his letter sent to bishop Peric on August 9, in the following sentence: "Thereby they modified their temple, it is totally irrelevant what it was, according to their religious needs."
Without questioning the right of Muslims to build a mosque in Stolac, bishop Peric warns in his letter to Mostar mufti Seid ef. Smajkic, written on August 23: "It is unworthy of a religion to build its own religious objects on top or on ruins of religious objects of other faiths at any time in its history. It is necessary that every religious community have its own religious objects in which it can celebrate God based on its rules. But, if the goal is to build on the foundations belonging to a different religion, than that is sacrilege, irrespective of how long it lasted or which force backed up or still backs up such an act. Therefore, if you wish to today yet again repeat what happened in the 16th century, then we cannot see other than non-religious motives in that." Condemning every crime and emphasizing that a true believer, priest, or anyone on behalf of the Catholic Church can not commit or justify a crime, bishop Peric in his reply to Dr. Mehmedbasic warns him that "similarly, you cannot back the construction of a mosque on the foundations of a Christian temple, regardless of whether that temple dates back to the 15th century or is from the 21st century." In an attempt to overcome the new developments bishop Peric proposed that in the interest of justice and the truth a commission conduct a search through the archives in Istanbul and Rome, and an archeological dig be conducted in Stolac. Results of research by Croatian historians and archeologists, Dr. Bozo Goluza, M.A. Snjezana Vasilj, M.A. Rudolf Kraljevic, and M.A. don Ivica Pavic indicate that Careva mosque was indeed built on the foundations of an older, demolished Christian church. Muslim, as well as Serb experts have reached identical conclusions, but Serbs, unlike Croats, claim that the church was an Eastern Orthodox monastery, which is the only disagreement between them.
Thus S. Jaganjac, referring to the work by M. Mujezinovic, "Islamic inscriptions of Bosnia-Hercegovina" (published in 1982, page 366) in his paper "Some inscriptions in Stolac" published in "Slovo gorcina" in 1982 on page 32, states the following: "Legend has it that Careva mosque was built on top of a mediaeval monastery". Writing about Careva mosque Dr. Hizvija Hasandedic in his paper "Monuments of Islamic culture in Stolac" published in "Slovo Gorcina" in 1962 on page 14 claims the following: "In the pre-Ottoman times there was an Eastern Orthodox monastery and a cemetery in the center of Stolac town. Local legend has it that the mosque was built on top of the foundations of the monastery and that this district was earlier called Carina. The footprint of the mosque gives additional reason to believe that it was indeed built on top of the foundations of an earlier Christian temple."
Well-meaning persons and those who oppose historical forgeries should not need more evidence than what is given above, especially given that Dr. Hasandedic is a famous expert. Therefore, in order to stop the fanning of flames that can turn into a conflagration with unforeseen consequences for everyone in Stolac and wider, perhaps the best solution for all parties was the one offered by don Rajko Markovic. He expects that the municipality will provide a different location for a mosque, while the location of the old Christian church and cemetery should become a meeting place for all residents of Stolac, regardless of their ethnic, religious and political affiliation.
We shall see whether the other side will accept this hand extended in reconciliation. According to the current situation, that is unlikely. Especially since the association that refers to itself as the Association for the Renewal of Civic Trust in the Stolac Municipality is doing all but that. Evidence can be found in almost every letter they've sent to different addresses in connection with the reconstruction of Careva mosque.
Many of our interlocutors in Stolac agree that that Association has actually prompted even greater mistrust, which can be felt everywhere in Stolac.