SERBS FACE SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION IN FBiH

SARAJEVO, JANUARY 5 /SRNA/ – His Eminence Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosnia Hrizostom said it is more than evident that segregation of the Serb people exists in the Federation of BiH /FBiH/, but that representatives of the international community are not addressing the issue at all.

"It is not for me to speak too much about this; those engaged in politics should be saying more," Metropolitan Hrizostom said in an interview with SRNA. As an example of the neglect and segregation of Serbs, Metropolitan Hrizostom pointed out that in the FBiH the 1991 census is not applied at all when employing Serbs in municipalities, while in Republika Srpska it must be applied, as the international community closely monitors compliance. "However, in the FBiH they monitor nothing," the bishop said. When it comes to the restitution of property to the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/ in Sarajevo, Metropolitan Hrizostom stressed that segregation is evident, noting that some religious communities have had more property returned than they originally owned in BiH, while the SOC has had nothing returned. "We were astonished to learn that as early as 1990 and 1991 the Sarajevo City Assembly returned property, but there was no one to take possession of it. The late Metropolitan Vladislav was ill, and the administrator who was here at the time refused to accept it because he demanded an annex to the building erected in Sarajevo. And that is how it has remained to this day. We have complete documentation on this, which we submitted to the then High Representative, Valentin Inzko," Metropolitan Hrizostom said. The Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosnia expressed hope that confiscated property of the SOC and other religious communities will begin to be returned, but noted that, unfortunately, there is no law governing the process. "Unfortunately, we suffer because of this. We have prepared the entire case file, requested intervention, and I believe some institutions have now intervened on this matter, and we expect that a law will be adopted," Metropolitan Hrizostom emphasized. Metropolitan Hrizostom also pointed to the importance of building places of worship, reminding that throughout history Serbs were often forbidden to build churches. "These were difficult times of Ottoman rule, when churches were demolished, destroyed, and turned into mosques or other places of worship. Then came the wars - the Balkan Wars, the First and Second World Wars - communism, atheism; all of this was directed against God’s churches," the Metropolitan reminded. He stressed that a church is not merely a building, and that young people, Serb children, should be enabled to come to churches, to sing, to pray to God, and to learn, because every visit to a church is a lesson in knowledge, culture, and life. "It is very important that we build as many churches as possible in this time, precisely because of the young generations who are coming. We need many churches to be built, so that we have the right to tell the people to come and hear the word of God, but even more so to pray, receive communion, confess, and for a person to be spiritually formed within the church," Metropolitan Hrizostom added. He noted that a large Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior is being built in Istočno Novo Sarajevo and that a monastery has been erected in Tilava, but emphasized that churches need to be built throughout the Eparchy. Metropolitan Hrizostom concluded that in today’s world the most important goal is to achieve peace among warring peoples, civilizations, and cultures, but that it is even more important to create goodwill among people. "Specifically in BiH, a complex country, goodwill among people is extremely important and necessary, because without it there can be no socializing, friendship, celebrations, or customs. That is why goodwill is essential for every action and endeavor in this region," Metropolitan Hrizostom said.