Bishops Do Not Want To Recognize Some Fears
Members of the Council of Croatian Bishops are yet again accusing the Hague Tribunal and its prosecutor of, as they stated in their press release after the meeting in Krk, demonstrating a lack of just approach, which spreads apathy, feeling of no perspective and loss among the citizens. Therefore, fear. But the bishops still haven't recognized the fear of those who have experienced war crimes, and who due to their fear refuse to testify about crimes in court
by Drago PILSEL
Novi List, Rijeka, Croatia, October 27, 2002
Continuing their series of attacks on the Hague Tribunal and, especially, Tribunal's Prosecutor's Office headed by Carla Del Ponte (in their previous announcement described as a third-rate clerk), the Croatian bishops in Krk put together a statement that, as the president of the Council of Croatian Bishops (HBK) explained, should "assist to a certain extent in the current situation".
The gist of the most recent document produced by Catholic bishops is that the signatories believe that at this moment "we can witness high degree of unity regarding the objective truth about the defensive war of our people". Such unity, bishops claim, helped Croats to defend themselves through history and survive in this region, overcome "internal troubles" and "external threats".
However, bishops are much more interested in objective valuation of the war, than in ideological unity, as, according to the bishops, the local and international courts forget or do not sufficiently take into account that those who defend themselves are, objectively and subjectively, in a different position from those who attack, or, as they put it, one gets the impression that parallels are being drawn between the victim and the aggressor.
And how can this document, if we are to believe [Archbishop] Bozanic, help us?
New Contributions for Anti-Hague Hysteria
The statement put together by the bishops clearly confirms that we were not mistaken when claiming for years that they, above all, view themselves as defenders of the endangered Croat nation, and only secondarily as heirs of the apostles and those who must, above all, at both good and bad times preach crucified Jesus who gave his life for the whole humanity and each one of us individually, rather than only for a privileged group, members of one ethnic group to which Bozanic and other nurturers of the anti-Hague hysteria proudly belong.
The climate of refusal to sensibly consider the goals and reasons for the existence of the Hague Tribunal for War Crimes is based on the theory about the alleged conspiracy that threatens to additionally humiliate poor Croatia after a rape by Serbia and Montenegro. Namely, the bishops yet again condemn the Hague Tribunal and its prosecutor for, as they stated in their press release after the meeting in Krk, demonstrating a lack of just approach, which spreads apathy, feeling of no perspective and loss among the citizens. Therefore, fear. But the bishops still haven't recognized the fear of those who have experienced war crimes, and who due to their fear refuse to testify about crimes in court.
Threats by Condic's Association
The most recent testimony about that came from a witness in the trial against suspects charged with war crimes committed in the Military Prison Lora, Marko Ivicevic. "Of course, I know more about these crimes, but I cannot say more, because I've already dearly paid for what I've said so far," he stated on Wednesday, adding that he has been receiving threats by members of Condic's [war veterans] association. The fear in courtroom in Split, presided over by a ridiculous judge, who bows to Ustashe [Croat fascists from WWII] symbols, is the fear bishops refuse to see. They are blind when it comes to death threats facing our compatriots, fellow Croats who have had to find shelter abroad, as for example Zdenko Banda, who gave in to fear but, unlike Milan Levar, is still alive.
Do bishops know fear? They know, for example, that their predecessors, out of fear, abandoned cardinal Stepinec during his [staged] trial. As late Lav Znidarcic, one of few influential Catholics who had the guts to show up at the trial, told me, the bishops were nowhere to be seen in the courtroom.
That hypocrisy, double morals of Catholic bishops, is a persistent characteristic of the local Catholic Church. Will their statement really help us? I wonder - when will they show that they understand Gospels and that relatives of slain Serbs also deserve their compassion because they also suffer from feelings of impotence, lack of perspective and loss, therefore of fear?
Translated on November 14, 2002
