LINTA: DESECRATION OF IMAGE OF CHRIST NEAR VOZUĆA IS ATTACK ON SERBS' FAITH

BELGRADE, NOVEMBER 5 /SRNA/ – Miodrag Linta, president of the Union of Serbs from the Region, said today that the desecration of an image of Jesus Christ and the Cyrillic inscription "Christ is Risen" near the Vozuća monastery was an attack on the religious feelings of Serbs and spread intolerance.

Linta said the police and judicial authorities of Zenica-Doboj Canton should urgently investigate, find the perpetrators and punish them accordingly.

"This is not just about damage to a sign. It is an insult to the religious feelings of Orthodox Serbs and spreads intolerance," Linta said.

He said Serbs in Vozuća and the surrounding area had the right to practice their faith freely, preserve their holy sites, the Cyrillic alphabet and their cultural and historical heritage, and live without fear of provocations and attacks.

He noted that the Vozuća monastery dated back to the 14th century and was one of the important spiritual and historical centers for Serbs in the area.

"That is why this act sends a particularly ominous message to the few Serbs who have remained in their centuries-old homes, and also to all the Orthodox faithful who visit this holy site," Linta said.

The Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Serbs in the Federation of BiH said earlier today that one or more unknown persons had painted over the image of Jesus Christ and the Cyrillic inscription "Christ is Risen" on a sign directing worshippers to the Vozuća monastery near Zavidovići.