Today marks the 80th anniversary of one of the most horrific crimes of World War II, when on February 7, 1945, Partisans killed and burned twelve Herzegovinian Franciscans in the war shelter of the monastery in Široki Brijeg. This atrocity was part of a broader persecution of the Franciscan order and the Catholic community in Herzegovina, during which a total of 66 Herzegovinian Franciscans were killed.

The town of Široki Brijeg commemorates this day as a Day of Remembrance for the slain Franciscans and people, while the West Herzegovina County observes it as a Day of Remembrance for the victims of communist tyranny. The commemoration began with an exhibition at the Franciscan Museum and a Walk of Remembrance, and the highlight of the memorial will be a Requiem Mass led by Monsignor Petar Palić, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno.

ai-translated