Threatening Graffiti Written on St Joseph’s Catholic Church
A vandal wrote a death threat against Croats on the exterior wall of St Joseph’s Church in Teslić, prompting condemnation from civic and Church authorities. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Croat identity is closely linked to Catholic affiliation, the message carried both ethnic and religious implications.
A yet‑unidentified perpetrator wrote the message “Ubij Hrvata” (“Kill the Croat”) in Cyrillic script on the wall of St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Teslić on 11 February. The graffiti appeared shortly before the evening Mass while parishioners were praying the rosary inside the church. Parish priest Fr Pavo Šekerija stated that he was informed by parishioner Marko Pajić, who “saw the graffiti when he was leaving the church after the 17:00 Mass,” adding that Pajić confirmed it “was not on the wall at 16:15.”
Although the wording explicitly targets Croats as an ethnic group, in Bosnia and Herzegovina national and religious identities are historically intertwined: the vast majority of Bosnian Croats identify as Roman Catholic, while Bosniaks are predominantly Muslim and Serbs predominantly Orthodox Christian. In this context, threats against “Croats” directed at a Catholic church are widely understood as affecting both the ethnic and religious identity of the community.
Teslić mayor Milan Miličević condemned the act as “not only vandalism, but an attack on the dignity of citizens and on the interethnic and interreligious harmony” in the town. He urged authorities to identify and prosecute the offender and affirmed support for the local Catholic community.
Source and photo: nedjelja