SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER CONDEMNS MASS FOR ANTE PAVELIC

ZAGREB/JERUSALEM, Dec 31 (Hina) - The Simon Wiesenthal Center protested a Catholic mass held this week in Zagreb to honour the memory of Ante Pavelic, the leader of the Independent State of Croatia and the leader of the Ustasha movement which carried out a programme of genocide against Serbs, Jews and Gypsies during World War II. The Centre issued a statement on Thursday in Jerusalem expressing its protest over the mass. In a letter to Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic, the Israeli director of the Centre, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, appealed to Msgr. Bozanic to speak out against this phenomenon and take measures to prevent its recurrence. "We believe that such services are a mockery of the victims and an insult to the survivors, their families and friends, and all those who opposed his brutal regime," Zuroff's letter read. "Such services will only encourage those who seek the rebirth of the Ustasha fascist ideology espoused by Pavelic and his cohorts. They represent the antithesis of democracy and human rights," it read. "We urge you to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that such ceremonies will not be held in the churches in your jurisdiction. We also urge you to send a clear message to the public that you do not approve of such activities," it concluded. (hina) ms