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Katarina Pejaković , Author

Translated: Damir O. Rados

A LETTER FROM MRS. KATARINA PEJAKOVIĆ, VANCOUVER, CANADA

Vancouver, February 12, 2026.

Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Giorgio Lingua

nuntiaturezagreb@yahoo.com

c/c Secretariat of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, 00120 Vatican City

Venerable Giorgio Lingua, apostolic nuncio, The Republic of Croatia

A portion of your address to Croatians at the farewell mass on 11 of February 2026, during which you addressed the canonization issue of Aloysius Stepinac, mentioned the following: “However, I am increasingly convinced that such a recognition on the part of the Church should be considered at the end of the path of true reconciliation, without which the proclamation of his sainthood would be in vain”. Croatians throughout the world understood this statement as a final response of the Holy See in regard to a long, full of expectations process: simply stated, with such proclamation you truncated our hopes.

We are compelled to remind you that Stepinac’s greatest opposition to communism was his unshakable opposition to separation of the Croatian Catholic Church from Vatican, a stand that he firmly maintained and for which he was sentenced to the most cruel verdict.

Unfortunately, often in our testing history, the Holy See did not support Croatians and it appears that such position has been adapted currently by means of an ultimatum, the so called “truthful reconciliation”.

We are also compelled to remind you of the hard facts, although we are certain you are familiar with each and every one of them:

1. Croatia attacked no one, but it was attacked while unarmed.

2. Serbian crimes over Croatians during 1991 to 1995 are extremely well

documented: a total number of victims is declared to about 20,000.

3. For more than thirty years after the end of war, Serbia continues to

reject the return of remains of one thousand and seven hundred

Croatian victims.

4. Under pressure by the international community, the Republic of Croatia

ended the war with a “peaceful reintegration” agreement, and with this

self-sacrifice incurred more than substantial losses.

5. Croatia never received any war compensation, nor any apology by the

aggressors; furthermore, the enemy neither confessed to the amply

proven committed crimes, nor it requested forgiveness.

In our world forgiveness is not offered even in the confessional if a person does not recognize their sins, repents, promises not to repeat the sins and thereafter, actually repents. Why would the secular cases be interpreted differently?

This decision by the Roman catholic Church „that the sainthood (of the Blessed Aloysius Stepinac) should only arrive at the end of the road of truthful reconciliation“ is a bitter discredit to all survived victims of the Homeland War; these victims still encounter their tormenters who enjoy the freedom of walking on Croatian streets, working in state offices, including the Croatian Parliament and in such a cruel reminder the victims are forced to relive the brutality of war, fear and shame of the crimes they survived, crimes for which no one ever was held responsible.

Do you know what keeps them alive? The Faith. Their unblemished faith and the rosary to which they held during the war and with which they won the war.

According to our understanding of our faith, if we invite under our roof those who killed our parents, burned down our home, disbanded our children, brutally raped our women, and never expressed remorse for such behavior, we already did our part of the reconciliation. What about them? We cannot force them to reconciliation, nor can we or should we, suffer the consequence for their behavior.

We, therefore, appeal to you, the representative of the Holy See, to rethink the words with which you discouraged the faithful catholics in Croatia and entire diaspora throughout the world regarding the decision on canonization of Blessed Aloysius Stepinac, and to reach a conclusion which is based on exclusively his achievements, pure faith and pure love which he left us, the people.

Your consideration is appreciated,

Respectfully, in Christ,

Katarina Pejaković , Author

EDITOR'S NOTE:

REGARDLESS OF WEATHER „THE RECONCILIATION“ IN THIS CONTEXT IS A POLITICAL CONSTRUCT OR A MATTER OF EX CATHEDRA FAITH AND MORALS, AN ENLIGHTENED INDIVIDUAL NEEDS, INDEED, TO REITERATE THE QUESTION: WHY THE DIFFERENCE IN SECULAR MATTERS?