Croatia: Whether there is a link (actual or commonly presumed to exist) between Serbs as Orthodox and Croats as Catholics
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 8 April 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | HRV38800.E |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Croatia: Whether there is a link (actual or commonly presumed to exist) between Serbs as Orthodox and Croats as Catholics, 8 April 2002, HRV38800.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be3b20.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information received during a 28 March 2002 telephone interview with a representative of the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver indicated that there is a definite perceived link between being a Serb and Orthodox and being a Croat and Catholic. The representative stated that "99% of Serbs are Orthodox and 99% of Croats are Catholic" so that if someone is a Serb they are presumed to be Orthodox and if someone is a Croat they are presumed to be Catholic, and vice versa.
This observation is supported by Country Reports 2001, which stated that "religion and ethnicity are closely linked in society" (2002, section 5).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2001. 4 March 2002. "Croatia."
Croatian Cultural Centre, Vancouver. 28 March 2002. Telephone interview with representative.
