Zagreb, January 8, 1997, (IKA) – “This is a bad sign when serious steps towards peace reintegration are expected. I expect serious measures to be taken”, Ðakovo-Srijem bishop Ćiril Kos commented the last attack on Catholic church of St. Capistrano in Ilok.
Actually, explosive was put in front of the church entrance, on Tuesday, 7th January, about 4 o#!clock in the morning. The explosion produced a damage at the bottom of the wall of 80 cm in diameter, and a hole twenty centimetre deep in front of the entrance of the church. Serbian police in Ilok, with inspector Goran Vukadinović and the members of the police in transition with Željko Zavišić as chief, made the official inspection. Speaker of UNTAES Philip Arnold confirmed that an explosive device was activated in front of the church of St. Capistrano in Ilok, on Tuesday morning about 4 o#!clock. “Nobody was hurt, and the explosion had damaged the entrance, fill with the wall, of the church.
The police is looking after the suspects”, Philip Arnold gave an interview to IKA, and he added that it was a hand made explosive device because no parts of it were found at the place of the explosion, what would be normal for grenade or hand-bomb produced in factory. “That is a tragic and terrifying incident, but we are determined to find the commiter of that act”, said Arnold.
The professional advisor for the public relations from the Office of temporary government for re-establishment of Croatian government in East Slavonija, Baranja and Western Srijem Lea Porc gave an interview to IKA about this incident. “This is not the only one incident at the territory of temporary government and that fact proves that there are still Serbian extremists at these territory who are against the peaceful reintegration. But, we entered the new year; 1997th, and this is the year of the return”, said Lea Porc and also added that nobody will prevent the return of expelled Croats to Croatian part of Danube territories, and also no incidents like the latest in Ilok could prevent the return. Describing the situation in Ilok, the position of local residents Croats, and the last incident in Ilok, provincial of Franciscan province of “St. Cyril and Method#!#! whose part is the church of St. John Capistrano in Ilok, father Lucije Jagec commented the last attack at the church in Ilok and emphasised that those kind of events are not going in favour of peaceful reintegration of that territory to Republic Croatia he also emphasised that local priests father Marko Malović and father Ferdo Posavec are doing everything to ease the fear of local residents.
Father Ferdo Posavec, in a short interview to IKA described the last attack at Catholic church in Ilok and said “the disposition among Croats is not pleasant and they have psychological fear and tension”; “But they are not complaining and suffer hoping that it will be better in the future”, said father Ferdo hoping that frightening of Croats and their fear will be less during the process of peaceful reintegration.
Serbs had damaged this church three times: 19th and 25th of April last year, and 8th July in 1993rd. During the Eucharist for Croats refugees on 24th December 1996th, the believers were attacked by Serbs who protested in front of the church and damaged the church and the sacristy, too.