Serbian Mission to EU: Stepinac should not be highlighted in EP

BRUSSELS - In a letter to a Croatian MEP who organised a conference about Croatia's WWII-era Roman Catholic cardinal Alojzije Stepinac in the European Parliament on Tuesday, the Serbian Mission to the EU expressed deep regret over the special highlighting of Stepinac in EP premises as he was a historical figure that opened "painful chapters of the past" in Serbia, diplomatic sources told Tanjug.

For all citizens of Serbia, as well as for the Serbian Orthodox Church, Stepinac was a figure who was an accomplice in mass crimes against Serbs, Jews, Romani and other non-Croat communities during WWII, the Mission said in the letter to MEP Zeljana Zovko.

It is historically proven that Stepinac welcomed the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia and cooperated with its leadership, and that he played an active role in the forced conversion of a large number of...