Bishop Komarica: Politicians do not care about Croats in RS, only Caritas does

President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik says that whenever he acts politically, he keeps in mind to protect Croats, Patria reports, citing Večernji list.

Dodik's claims were denied by the respected Banja Luka bishop Franjo Komarica. A few days ago, at a meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković in Zagreb, he stated that Croats in Republika Srpska receive no assistance from the local authorities, and that they are prevented from rebuilding their destroyed homes.

The remaining native Croats, who constitute about five percent of the population in RS, compared to their pre-war numbers, are mostly elderly people. Caritas of the Banja Luka Diocese largely takes care of them.

- They receive almost no political or legal assistance - said Bishop Komarica.

Six times fewer Croats in Banja Luka today than in '91

According to the 2013 Census, 5,104 people in Banja Luka identified as Croats, while in 1991 this number was almost six times higher at 29,026.

In Republika Srpska, there are 81.51 percent Serbs, 13.99 percent Bosniaks, and 2.41 percent Croats.