Orthodox Church Challenges State Registration of Cemeteries
Orthodox communities in the Neretva Valley are alarmed after courts registered centuries-old Church property as state-owned.
MOSTAR, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA — The Municipal Court in Mostar has registered the “state” as owner of several properties belonging to the Serbian Orthodox Church, including cemeteries and churches in Vrapčići, Gornji Vrapčići, and Čelebići near Konjic, sparking concern among local Serbs.
The changes were recorded during the land registry and cadastre harmonization process and include the Kraljevina Orthodox cemetery and chapel in Vrapčići, as well as another cemetery and church in Gornji Vrapčići. Local residents said they learned of the registrations through media reports and expressed shock, citing centuries-old graves as proof of long-standing Church ownership.
Clergy from the Serbian Orthodox parish in Mostar said they were never notified of the proceedings and have engaged legal counsel. The Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Serbs in the Federation of BiH questioned the registrations, noting that Orthodox property was treated differently from Islamic and Catholic religious sites.
Previously, the UOJ reported that a Moldova court ruling opened the door to mass church-property transfers.
