ST. PHILIP AND JACOB CHURCH IN VUKOVAR DESECRATED

( Editorial: --> 6983 ) VUKOVAR, April 15 (Hina) - The Vukovar parish church of St. Philip and Jacob was badly desecrated some time Tuesday night. Unidentified persons placed a skull with a cigarette in its mouth on the church altar and wrote offensive and vulgar messages beside it. The messages were signed "Chetniks". Police investigated the scene and is undertaking every measure to discover the perpetrators. According to the vicar of the Vukovar St. Philip and Jacob Franciscan monastery, Ante Perkovic, the skull belongs to a female of the count Eltz family, whose remains are located in the church's crypt. The perpetrators also wrote messages with wax on the church walls, such as "Death to the Pope and Tudjman". Vukovar's mayor Vladimir Stengl and deputy president of the Croatian National Establishment Committee, Ivica Vrkic, visited the site on Wednesday and expressed bitterness and shock over the act of vandalism. (hina) lm mm 151805 MET apr 98