Evening star., 1951-12-05
Stepinuc
CONTINUED From FIRST Page.)

NAcA oAAoA A1VO Wdo ICpOItcU 10 nave
told the Vatican he would not be
jailed If he were removed i'm
|mediately from the country. The
Vatican refused that offer. as it,
did later repeated offers to release
the Archbishop If he would ac-
|cept exile.
The Tito government COM
|mented that these refusals showed
the Vatican wished to make a.
martyr" Of the Archbishop. In
numerous interviews with visiting
Americans who expressed concern
over the Stepinac case, Marshal
Tito said he was seeking grace
ful way of releasing the arch
bishop. But he stood determined
never to permit him to resume his
post as primate of Yugoslavia.
Popularity Has Continued.
The archbishop's popularity in
predominantly Catholic Croatia
has not waned during the years
he has spent in prison.
Unlike Cardinal Mindszenty
who confessed" to charges Of
Espionage. anti-state activities and
black marketing in Hungary,
Archbishop Stepinac denied all
the charges against him.
Obviously in good physical and
mental condition at his trial, he
told the court and prosecutor he
was not being given a fair trial.
The court permitted "a wit
nesses to appear in, his defense,
but refused without explanation
TO hear IA others. The prosecu-
ton produced 80 witnesses.
Although the trial was de-
nounced throughout the world.
there was never a suggestion that
the archbishop had been mis-
treated physically. Western OBJ
servers at the later Budapest trial
OF Cardinal Mindszenty expressed
belief the cardinal had been
drugged or tortured into making
a submissive confession.
Accused Of Forced Conversions.
The detailed indictment against
Archbishop Stepinac charged
that he:
/. Organized the forced con-
version and helped in the baptism
OF 100000 Serbs living in Croatia
and Bosnia Herzegovina during
the war to Roman Catholicism
The prosecution charged that
armed priests rounded up the
Serbian Orthodox people and
threatened them with death ifl
they did not change their re-
ligion.
2. Helped and melted the or
ganization of the Crusaders" al
postwar offshoot of the wartime
Croatian puppet dictatorship of
DR.. Ante Pavelic.
3. Was seen during the war
in the presence of German and
Italian occupation officers.
4. Introduced enemy propa-
ganda into the Yugoslav Catholic
press.
5. Hid the archives of the Pa
velic "Ustachi" regime in the
archbishop's palace in Zagreb.
Military Organizing Charged.
s. Expressed the hope that the
Tito regime soon would fall and
worked for the establishment of
an independent state of Croatia"
after the war.
z. Served as apostolic military
vicar" with the Ustachi and or
ganized military clergy" Chap
lains), placing hundreds of priests
in Pavelic military units.
To the charges that he or-I
ganized the forced conversion oil
Serbs. Archbishop Stepinac said
to the court: "If you think I ami
guilty. then condemn me-"
The Vatican fatty denied thel
charges. It declared that Arch
bishop Stepinac had protested
strongly to DR.. Pavelic against
mass Killings in Croatia. Pope
Plus XII said Archbishop StepinacI
had nothing to do with mass con-
versions, The Vatican said hisE
trial was q, trial of the Catholic I
Church and declared that religious
freedom had been banished from
Yugoslavia by the Tito regime.
Vatican Disoppointed