The Franciscan Order denies its Nazi past. In WWII Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia, Franciscan priests led pogroms against Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies. They served as concetration camp officer and conducted forced conversions before having their victims burned alive.

Postwar, the Franciscan treasurer Mandic funded the reestablishment of the Croatian Nazis and supervised the infamous "ratline" escape route to South America.

A lawsuit, Alperin v. Vatican Bank, by Serb, Jewish, and Ukrainian concentration survivors accuses the Franciscans of genocide. The Franciscans deny the charge but declassified documents available at https://www.vaticanbankclaims.com/press.html tell a different story of intrigue,money laundering, Vatican "scholarships" for war criminals and safe houses for mass murderers.