Worship leaders encouraged to mark the 30th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre
Published on 3 July 2025 2 minutes read
Worship leaders are encouraged to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide this Sunday and pray for peace.
Rt Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly, said it is important to "learn the lessons of history" and pray for those who still bear the scars of war to this day.
She called on church members to pray for peace and for all people affected by conflicts across the world, past and present.
In July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladić massacred 8,372 men and boys in Srebrenica, a town in eastern Bosnia, the greatest atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.
In addition to the murders, more than 20,000 civilians were expelled from the area—a process known as ethnic cleansing – and between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped during the Bosnian war (1992- 1995).
Mrs Frew has written to ministers and presbytery clerks to encourage them to include an act of remembrance in church services on Sunday ahead of the 30th anniversary memorial day on 11 July.
She wrote. "Thirty years ago, the Bosnian war ripped apart a multi-ethnic country in the heart of Europe - 100,000 people were killed.
"No village, town or family was unaffected and the single worst atrocity happened in the town of Srebrenica in July 1995.
"Over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered by Serb forces.
"This genocide was the worst atrocity in Europe since the Holocaust."
We must learn the lessons of history
Mrs Frew quoted the poet Steve Turner who wrote ‘History repeats itself, has to, nobody listens'.
"He's so right, we're still living in a world of war and fear, inhumanity and horror," she added.
"We haven't learned the lessons of history."
The Moderator said genocide "does not happen overnight".
"Politicians and others spread fear and hatred, breaking apart decades of trust in communities, turning neighbour against neighbour," she added.
"In Bosnia, and many other places, the world did too little, too late to prevent or stop this.
"We need to learn the lessons of history, please take time to remember Srebrenica this weekend.
"Pray for those who still bear the scars of war, pray that the dignity and worth of each individual will be recognised and valued, pray for peace in our world today."
Resources are available from Beyond Srebrenica, a charity that promotes awareness of the Srebrenica genocide and wider atrocities against the Bosnian population.
Formally known as Remembering Srebrenica Scotland, its first chairperson was Very Rev Dr Lorna Hood, Moderator of the General Assembly 2013-14.
National and local memorial events were held on 8 May to commemorate Victory in Europe Day and the ending of the Second World War in Europe.
In August, the nation will mark 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan and the anniversary of Victory over Japan Day.
