SENIOR figures in the Serbian Orthodox Church are to be questioned over allegations that the former general Ratko Mladic, who is suspected of war crimes, was sheltered by the Church during his nearly 16 years on the run.
General Mladic is currently in prison at The Hague, facing charges of orchestrating the massacre of 8000 Muslims in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995 — the worst civilian massacre in Europe since the Second World War.
The President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, has said that church officials will be questioned as part of the investigation, after reports in the Serbian press suggested that General Mladic was nursed by nuns through a stroke while he was supposed to be on the run.
The St Melania convent, which is 40 miles north of Belgrade, is said to have been one of a number of secret refuges provided by the Orthodox Church.
The Church has not made any comment on the allegations, or on the arrest of General Mladic.
Drasko Djenovic, who runs Centaur 9, an organisation set up to monitor religious freedom in Serbia, said that there was, as yet, no proof that General Mladic had been harboured by the Church, as Radovan Karadzic had been. He said that priests had joined in demonstrations against Mladic’s arrest, however, and a demonstration in Lazarevo, the village where the General was arrested, was led by the local priest.
Mr Djenovic said: “For most believers, priests, and bishops, he is still a national hero, and his extradition to Hague court will just mean that more people will vote against pro-European parties in favour of nationalist parties.”
The Very Revd Aleksandar Zebic, of the Serbian Orthodox Church of St Lazar in Bourneville, Birmingham, told Premier Christian Radio this week that General Mladic was now “answerable to God”.
The Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Revd Anthony Priddis, has welcomed the arrest and trial. On his blog, he contrasted General Mladic’s treatment with the discovery and shooting of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
“Putting someone on trial matters because the truth matters. Trial is not about revenge but about justice. There may have been very good reasons why Osama Bin Laden, too, could not have been arrested and put on trial for his crimes, but we are not told them in any clear or persuasive way.”
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Serbian Orthodox Church under scrutiny over Mladic
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8 comments:
the massacre of 8000 Muslims in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica
Where's the evidence?
Vis, are you asking for the evidence that the massacre happened or that the General was involved?
I am asking for evidence that a massacre of 8,000, which would make it the worst since WW2, occurred. First, let's identify how many of the dead were combatants, and then let's identify how many were Mohammedean.
Oh, I almost forgot. Let's identify how many of the missing were presumed massacred.
Yes, of course nothing happened....
Vis, you need to become mature instead of hiding under a shell of Orthodox piety.
Al-Jazeera has broadcast some videos of the massacre.
Identifiable Serb soldiers shooting boys.
Ok, let's go over this again. How many boys were shot?
Next time my priest screws with me about something, I'll just tell him that I'm hiding under his shell. I appreciate the riposte.
I'm going to be honest, Vis, I'm wondering if you're being serious or if this is a red herring. The massacre is a pretty well documented event and I can't say I've read anything on the contrary that wasn't something along the lines of conspiracy theory or Republican Rite Orthodoxy. If you know of something to raise my doubts, by all means pass it along.
Mr. Lichens, here's one-pager that may whet your interest in further research:
http://serbianna.com/analysis/archives/901
Republican Rite Orthodoxy? I'd be a fan only if the alcohol freely flowed at the 19th green.
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