Catholic Church in Croatia

BRUSSELS - In a letter to a Croatian MEP who organised a conference about Croatia's WWII-era Roman Catholic cardinal Alojzije Stepinac in the European Parliament on Tuesday, the Serbian Mission to the EU expressed deep regret over the special highlighting of Stepinac in EP premises as he was a historical figure that opened "painful chapters of the past" in Serbia, diplomatic sources told Tanjug

A woman holds a picture of Alozije Stepinac at an open-air mass in Zagreb in June 2011. Photo:EPA/ANTONIO BAT.

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said on Wednesday it was inconceivable the European Parliament was to host a conference aimed at revisionism and another attempt of historical rehabilitation of Croatia's Roman Catholic Archbishop Alojzij Stepinac.

In a written statement to Tanjug, Dacic noted that Stepinac had played a significant role in the WWII-era Independent State of Croatia.

The Croatian journalist was most interested in the canonization of WW2-era Croatian Catholic cleric Alojzije Stepinac.

Dodik said that the position of the Serb entity in BiH, the Serb Republic (RS) would be discussed during the meeting.

The archives in question will be opened on March 2, 2020.

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) said he "expected nothing else" of these Catholic clerics in Croatia.

Speaking for the tabloid Kurir, the patriarch announced his full response.

"Two noteworthy events took place in Croatia during the past month that reflect in a very significant way on the phenomenon of Holocaust distortion, which is so rampant in post-Communist Eastern Europe," Zuroff writes, in an article entitled, "Failure to sincerely and honestly confront Ustasha crimes," and adds:

Ustashas were in power in the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia (1941-1945) that had death camps for Serbs, Jews, and Roma, including in Jasenovac.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has assessed that the pope's visit would benefit Serbia.

"My position as a statesman is that the pope's visit would be in Serbia's interest, especially in the context of not recognizing Kosovo. There will hardly be a pope who has more understanding for us than Pope Francis," Dacic told Blic.