Moderator's Srebrenica Call

Thursday July 10 2014

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has urged all faiths to learn the lessons of the Srebrenica genocide.

The Rt Rev John Chalmers made the call ahead of addressing the first Scottish Memorial event for the 8000 victims of the 1995 massacre, tomorrow night (Friday).

The event at Bute House, Edinburgh, hosted by External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf MSP will also include addresses by two of the Mothers of Srebrenica and a film depicting the contrast between the natural beauty of Bosnia with the Srebrenica genocide victims’ subsequent suffering.

Mr Chalmers said: "The fact that this awful wrong was committed in the name of reliigon should never be forgotten and people of every religion should look deep within themselves for the true purpose of their faith, so that these things never happen again.

"The fact that the victims were failed by the international community is also a dreadful wront. It is right, therefore that year after year we should hold such a remembrance, so that we do not repeat our inaction when such evils occur in other places.

"So many were affected by those awful days of targeted killing, so we hold in our prayers those who died, those whose remains are still to be identified and those who mourn such great loss. Without remembering we cannot hope to learn."

In February this year a delegation of leading Scots, led by Angus Robertson MP and the then Moderator of the General Assembly, the Very Rev Lorna Hood, visited Bosnia and Herzegovina at the invitation of the UK charity, Remembering Srebrenica which seeks to raise the profile of the largest massacre on European soil since World War Two.

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