The Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina began its 91st regular session at the Archbishop’s Residence in Sarajevo on November 4, 2024, under the presidency of Archbishop Tomo Vukšić, the metropolitan archbishop of Vrhbosna and apostolic administrator of the Military Ordinariate in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who is also the president of the Bishops’ Conference. At the start of the session, Archbishop Vukšić greeted everyone, and we present his greeting in full:
At the beginning of the 91st regular session of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I warmly greet all my brothers, members of our Conference: Bishop Petar Palić of Mostar-Duvno and Apostolic Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan, the Vice President of the Conference; Bishop Željko Majić of Banja Luka, to whom I express my condolences for the sudden death of priest Vlado Lukenda; and I also warmly welcome Apostolic Visitor for the parish of Međugorje, Mons. Aldo Cavalli, who will join us tomorrow. A heartfelt welcome also to Cardinal Vinko Puljić, the retired archbishop, who has honoured us with his presence.
I.
I am pleased that our dear guests are with us, and I express my welcome and gratitude for their fraternal participation in the life of the Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina. First of all, we have Apostolic Nuncio Mons. Francis Chullikatt, to whom I thank for every form of assistance in the life of our diocesan communities and whom we ask to convey our greetings and ex
A brotherly and warm greeting also to our other dear guests representing their bishops’ conferences.
Here is the delegate from the Croatian Bishops’ Conference, Mons. Roko Glasnović, the bishop from Dubrovnik. Welcome, dear Roko, and we ask you to convey our greetings and gratitude to the Croatian Bishops’ Conference for various concrete forms of support, notably the Week of Solidarity with the Church and people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. And of course, our congratulations to the new bishop of Gospić, Mons. Marko Medo, whose ordination we plan to attend.
Here with us is the representative of the International Bishops’ Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Mons. Rrok Gjonlleshaj, Archbishop of Bar and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Kotor for a few more weeks. We express him a brotherly welcome and ask him to convey our greetings and gratitude to the members of his bishops’ conference for the signs of closeness coming from that part of the Church. We also extend our heartfelt congratulations on the appointment of the new bishop of Kotor, Mons. Mladen Vukšić, whose ordination we look forward to attending, and on the appointment of the Archbishop of Belgrade, Mons. Ladislav Nemet, as a cardinal.
With us is also the representative of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference, Mons. Klaus Küng, the retired bishop from St. Pölten, through whom I thank the Austrian dioceses and the Bishops’ Conference, especially for their pastoral care for Croatian Catholics living and working in Austria, and for the assistance the Church from Austria provides to church communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the partnership between our dioceses and those of Austria.
II.
At this session, we will first reflect on the implementation of the conclusions from the last 90th regular meeting of our Bishops’ Conference. We will pay special attention to the preparations for the celebration of the jubilee year 2025 at the level of our communities, which includes various events, pilgrimages, and prayer meetings. We will also listen to some reports, including that of our delegate at the 16th General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, and consider other issues important for the life and activity of diocesan communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We will also agree on some upcoming dates for important pastoral events, such as the commemoration of the 1100th anniversary of the Split Church Councils and the sixth meeting of priests from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is to be held in June next year in Tomislavgrad.
We began this gathering yesterday with the celebration of Holy Mass in the Sarajevo Cathedral, and today we met with the community at the Theological Seminary, which is our inter-diocesan institution and a cherished common concern.
III.
Finally, once again on behalf of all, I wish to express my condolences to all who have lost family members and friends due to recent natural disasters and solidarity with those who have suffered material damage. I also thank the numerous good people and institutions, both domestic and foreign, state and private, who have helped and continue to help the affected areas and people. Among them, of course, I especially think of all the church charity workers who were among the first to provide assistance and who continue to do everything possible.
From this place, we also wish to commend the adoption of the law on a non-working Sunday in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it pertains to the protection of workers’ dignity, the fundamental human right to rest, and the rights of families. In accordance with the Church’s social teaching, we call on legislators and employers to respect workers’ rights even more in other areas of work, particularly the rights of women and families.
We also wish to express our concern about the increasing cases of violence against women in our society. We are also troubled by instances of bullying in schools and other places, as well as occasional acts of terrorism. Therefore, we call on those responsible to do everything possible to protect the dignity and safety of all people and to ensure a peaceful life and upbringing.
We, Christian believers, are pilgrims of hope, sent to bring Christian joy and optimism to where we live, and against all challenges and dangers, to build harmony and peace among people and nations, inviting all others to do the same. The entire jubilee year 2025, marking the birth of Jesus, will be dedicated to this mission, under the motto “Pilgrims of Hope,” reminding us once again that our calling in the world is to be witnesses of Jesus Christ, who is our hope (1 Tim 1:1).
