Pope urges reconciliation during trip to Bosnia

Saturday 06 Jun 2015 - 15:52 Makkah mean time-19-8-1436

Sarajevo (IINA) - Pope Francis has arrived in Sarajevo on a one-day visit aimed at bolstering reconciliation between the country's Serb, Croat, and Muslim communities.
The pontiff's plane landed in Sarajevo at 07:00 GMT on Saturday, a largely Muslim city of 300,000 people that was once known as "Europe's Jerusalem" for its interfaith harmony among Christians, Muslims, and Jews.However, it became synonymous with religious enmity during the 1992-95 conflict that left 100,000 dead and displaced half of the population, Al Jazeera reported. Francis already met with the three presidents of Bosnia and later this afternoon will hold talks with youth from three religions. About 100,000 people are expected to come from across the region to the city, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to greet the pope.
In a speech to Bosnia's three-member presidency, the pope urged Bosnia's Muslims, Orthodox believers and Catholics to put the "deep wounds" of their past behind them and work together for a peaceful future. Francis called for Bosnians to oppose the "barbarity" of those who want to continue sowing division "as a pretext for further unspeakable violence". Rather, he urged Bosnians to continue working for peace and respectful coexistence through patient, trustful dialogue."This will allow different voices to unite in creating a melody of sublime nobility and beauty, instead of the fanatical cries of hatred," he said.
Before his arrival, Francis had said he was coming to Bosnia to support its post-war process of reconciliation, but to also encourage the tiny Catholic Croat community, which represents only about 15 percent of the population. Muslim Bosnians account for 40 percent and Orthodox Christian Serbs 31 percent, according to Vatican statistics."I encourage you Catholics to stand beside your countrymen as witnesses to your faith and God's love, working for a society that walks towards peace, coexistence and collaboration," Francis said in a video message earlier this week.
On the eve of his visit, Catholics across Bosnia dropped to their knees at an agreed time on Friday evening during candle-lit vigils to pray for all those around the world who are persecuted for their faith. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, noted that the Catholic population had shrunk across Bosnia in part because of the high unemployment rate - currently 43 percent - with youth unemployment at 67 percent. Scores of Catholics, who hold Croatian passports, have left to find work in the European Union."In some of the parishes, there are only a few families left and most of the faithful are elderly," Parolin lamented.
Francis will try to encourage those who have stayed, celebrating a Mass in the same stadium where Pope John Paul II presided over an emotional, snow-blown service in 1997 that attracted thousands of Catholic Croats to the city for the first time since the fighting ended. Francis will also host a meeting with Muslim, Orthodox, and Jewish leaders, and preside over a rally for young people before returning to Rome in the evening. Pope John Paul II returned to Bosnia in 2003 for a visit to the Bosnian Serb capital Banja Luka.
HA/IINA

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.