Fading memory of the Serbian genocide
May-June 2015 – http://www.ebritic.com/ – Danka Kojadinovic
“….whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester,” Pope Frances in St Peter’s Basilica/ April 2015./
Also Read – An Open Letter to Pope Francis
William Dorich Writes open Letter to Pope Francis on the role of Vatican in Balkan Genocide:
April 2015 was marked by the anniversaries of the Armenian[1] and the Serbian genocide[2]. The first commemorated the centenary of deportations that culminated in the deaths of up to 1.5 million Armenian Christian citizens of the Ottoman Empire[1] [3]. The second commemorated seventy years from escape of imprisoned from Jasenovac/1941-1945/ Croatian NDH-ustasha death camp. Jasenovac was part of the system of numerous concentration and death camps, in which more than a million Serbs[4], dozens of thousands Jews and Roma were tortured and murdered in the manner that disgusted even their allies, the Germans and Italians. [5] [5a]
Armenian genocide has long been debated between Turkish officials explaining the deaths as “collateral” wartime damage, and the descendants of Armenian victims and survivors accusing Turkey/Ottoman Empire/for mass killings as a well-planned, premeditated campaign of extermination. Though some scholars are of the opinion that there is no evidence that mass killings of Armenians in the Anatolia were organized by the Ottoman government, the opinion of opponents prevailed. All Armenians in the country and diaspora solemnly paid respect and Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church beatified the martyrs in the presence of many world leaders and dignitaries. [1]
Conversely this is not the case with the genocide against the Serbs, in spite of the plethora of documents unequivocally confirming the Croatian NDH, and the Tudjman`s government (1991), orchestration, intention and premeditation role in mass murders, ethnocide and genocide committed against Serbs in Croatia[6]. The most obvious proof, among thousands of others, is the decrease in number of Serbian Christian Orthodox population from nearly 30% at the beginning of WWII /German military sources/ to merely 3% in Croatia, nowadays ethnically cleansed and predominantly populated by Roman Catholic Croats (87%).
While the Armenian genocide has been widely reported of internationally, the Serbian genocide, atrocities committed under supervision of regular state of the Independent State of Croatia, stay obscured even in the Balkans. As if WWII mass murder of Serbian civilians, Jews and Roma in the NDH should be forgotten? [7]
Selective memory does not only offend and degrade victims to politically incorrect vs. correct ones, but degrades the very idea of humanity and Christianity.
Pope Frances address
Having created an avalanche of comments naming Armenian pogrom the “genocide” Pope Frances, quoted late Pope John II words addressing Armenians in St Peter’s Basilica:
“Dear Armenian Christians, today, with hearts filled with pain but at the same time with great hope in the risen Lord, we recall the centenary of that tragic event, that immense and senseless slaughter whose cruelty your forebears had to endure. It is necessary, and indeed a duty, to honor their memory, for whenever memory fades, it means that evil allows wounds to fester. Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!” [8]
In his speech the Pope mentioned three genocides during the XX century: Armenian, Nazi and Stalinist[sic!]. His Holiness forgot to mention the Serbian genocide , although Croatian- Roman Catholic supremacist ideology allowed extermination of Serbs (1941-1945). Many of Roman Catholic clerics were directly involved in bestial murders, mass deportations, thefts in hundreds of Serbian villages and towns in Lika, Banija, Kordun, Hertzegovina, Slavonija, Bosnia, Srem, mostly Serbian populated areas for centuries. [9]
Similar atrocities and violations of human rights reoccurred in 1990. Once more using Nazi-ustasha insignia and symbols, fuelled hatred towards Serbian Orthodox Christians, often initiated from the Roman Catholic pulpits in Croatia. For the third time in a century (WWI, WWII, Balkan civil wars) this hysteria overwhelmed Croatian media, the ruling class and their supporters. Echoes of it resonate in contemporary daily incidents e.g., breaking Cyrillic company name boards , burning down Serbian books, singing Nazi-Ustasha songs in public and further devastating Serbian property. Final ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Croatia (Operation “Storm”) could have been prevented by the EU and international community. Sadly the international community stays blind, deaf and mute.
Pope Francis is expected to acknowledge Serbian genocide in Croatia and Bosnia(NDH)
Pontiff`s openness and readiness to communicate, his modesty and kindness, readiness to correct Vatican mistakes are being observed and warmly welcomed internationally. Pope`s putting Armenian Orthodox church in the scope of Vatican is positively accepted by some, while the others find this step as further promotion of Vatican`s interests, in harmony with NATO and EU, in encircling Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church.
After having acknowledged Armenian genocide it is expected that Pontiff may acknowledge Serbian genocide. The vast majority of Serbs predominantly belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church, are adamant that the future Pontiff`s visit to Serbia(Belgrade) should be led via the Jasenovac death camp, the symbol of Serbian genocide in NDH (Croatia and Bosnia). It is also expected that the Vatican, using its extremely close ties with Croatia, will provide for a sincere Christian apology from Croatian Parliament and Government for millions of innocent Serbian victims and refugees.
Hypocrisy
Even the birth place of renowned Serb, scientist Nikola Tesla, was burned and devastated by Croatians. Today, they claim Tesla a part of Croatian heritage?! Had he been living in Smiljan/Lika region , former Austro-Hungary/during Nazi-ustasha regime, Tesla would have probably been murdered like 500 his Serbian villagers and relatives, whose names are still not allowed to be carved on a grave beside the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Apostles Peter and Paul. No Serbs live in Smiljan today. Hundreds of Serbian villages in Croatia are abandoned and overgrown with weeds. [10]
It is possible that the Croatian NDH Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac will soon be beatified in Vatican.
[1] http://rt.com/news/252909-armenia-genocide-centennial-worldwide/
[2] http://english.blic.rs/News/10735/Vucic-speaks-at-Jasenovac-death-camp-site
[3] David Fromkin: “A Peace to End All Peace”: “Rape and beating were commonplace. Those who were not killed at once were driven through mountains and deserts without food, drink or shelter. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians eventually succumbed or were killed”.
[4] http://www.jasenovac.org/whatwasjasenovac.php
[5] http://www.blessedquietness.com/journal/housechu/pavelic.htm;
[5a] www.b92.net/zivot/vesti.php?yyyy=2015&mm=05&dd=22&nav_id=995051de
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_persecution_of_Serbs
[7] http://www.reformation.org/holocaus.htm/?
[8] http://armenianweekly.com/2015/04/12/pope-holds-centennial-mass-condemns-genocide-denial-video/
[9] Viktor Novak ”Magnum Crimen”;http://www.fantompowa.net/Flame/yugoslavia_catholic_church.htm
[10] ”Not one to plough in Vlaovici”-DuskoMuzdeka ,Megraf, 2000,Beograd, CIP 886.1-94
