SARAJEVO - An unofficial poster announcing a papal visit to Sarajevo this week has drawn sharp criticism from Muslim commentators for linking the Pope to Croat nationalist symbols.
The poster, which shows young men and women waving flags with Croat symbols under a portrait of Pope John Paul with the title "He Comes to Us", was produced by the Catholic Youth Association without official authorisation from the organising committee for the April 12th visit.
Bosnian Muslim newspapers have condemned the poster as suggesting that the Pope was going to Bosnia only for the sake of the Catholic Croat community. Its publication was an attempt to manipulate an event which was important to Bosnians of all faiths, the daily Dnevni Avaz wrote on Friday.
The newspaper Oslohodjenje said those behind it were promoting a self styled Bosnian Croat mini state which they call Herzeg Bosna, while revealing their ignorance of the Pope's support for Bosnian statehood and religious tolerance.
Meanwhile, three Bosnian children were killed in a mine explosion yesterday in a Sarajevo suburb, police and NATO officers said. Bosnia is still littered with mines after four years of war. In many cases there is no record of where they were laid.