The statement said it was unacceptable to have a UN prosecutor publicly suspect the Franciscan community in Croatia without any evidence.
"None of us know the whereabouts of General Ante Gotovina and it is our belief that he is not in Croatia," read the statement, adding the monastic heads were sorry and concerned that the launching of Croatia's European Union membership talks was being halted because Gotovina's whereabouts were unknown.
The statement said that even if there were serious indications that Gotovina was hiding in a Franciscan monastery in Croatia, neither the monks in Croatia nor the Holy See should be contacted so that he could be reached.
The monks in Croatia should not be contacted because their civil and canonical duties do not include police, detective or security work, and the Holy See should not be asked because its sovereignty and civil jurisdiction do not extend to other countries' territories, read the statement.
The monastic heads also condemned some European media for describing Gotovina as one of the biggest war criminals.