Sarajevo, (IKA) – In Sarajevo from April 4 to 8, 2016, the Elective Chapter of the Franciscan Province of Bosna Argentina was held, at which topics about the life and activity in the Province were discussed, a new provincial administration was chosen, and concrete conclusions, decisions and guidelines were adopted for the future activities of the Bosnian Franciscans.
On this occasion, a press release was issued, which we present in its entirety:
The current situation in our homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina is dramatic and grave, as it has been many times in history. Also today, the fate of the nation, the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, our Province and its Franciscans are at stake. Recalling difficult times, we do not want to escape into the past but instead to find the strength for today’s trials and hope for the future.
In the press release from the last Provincial Chapter (April 16–20, 2012), we expressed concern that the accession of Croatia to the European Union would start a new wave of the emigration of our people, which would be devastating for us and for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, today we are witnessing that our fears were justified. Long years of postwar political instability, ethnic and all other divisions, lawlessness, corruption, inequality and the dire economic situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina have led many members of our nation and compatriots, especially the young, to abandon their homeland and emigrate to countries of the European Union and rest of the world. We are particularly grieved that families with children are leaving.
In order to resolve this dramatic situation,it would be necessary to establish fair and reasonable standards for community life and to have ongoing communication with others and those who are different as prerequisites for a better economic situation and the prosperity of all the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, it can justifiably be concluded that today, on all sides and among all nationalities, as well as in the international community, there are many more of those who do not care about the truth or coexistence. There many more of those who seduce the people with nice words and promises, without any moral obligations whatsoever to act on them. Moreover, very few know about the history of our homeland or are willing to undertake anything definitive in order to overcome the difficulties in which we find ourselves.
As Bosnian Franciscans, in these dreary times, in the spirit of the Good News of the Risen Christ and St. Francis, we continue our devoted task of serving in the Church and working to build and renew our country and nation, regardless of religion and ethnicity, within the limits of our possibilities, vocation and centuries-long mission.
We are trying to live and achieve the values cited by Pope Francis in Sarajevo on June 6, 2015.
Invoking God’s blessing, we are also continuing to be Franciscans engaged in the fields of culture, art, history, literature and current events, for the love of the homeland and the Bosnian-Herzegovian person.
In this spirit, we wish all the inhabitants of our country and homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina Peace and Good!