Zagreb (IKA) – The president of the Justitia et Pax Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Bishop Vlado Košić, received a response to the letter of protest that he sent to the top CNN executives in connection with the controversial allegations regarding Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac made on CNN during the broadcast of the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Rena Golden, senior vice president for news at CNN International, replied to Bishop Košić that she had carefully studied the transcript of the section mentioned in the letter, recorded the bishop’s comments, discussed the matter with Christiane Amanpour and John Allen, and was satisfied that the context in which their comments were made was correct. At no time did they make specific accusations against Cardinal Stepinac and, as the transcript shows, they referred to past and current commentaries about the life of Cardinal Stepinac, Ms. Golden wrote.

In response to Ms. Golden’s letter, Bishop Košić expressed his dissatisfaction with its content, stating that CNN had aligned itself with those who malign Cardinal Stepinac. This was not mere relaying information but the selective relaying of comments about the life of the Blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, stated Bishop Košić, concluding that it is regrettable that a distinguished company such as CNN uses insinuations in its reports and does not consider it necessary to recant them as publicly as it presented them to its audience.