Sarajevo, (IKA/KTA) – The bishops of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, chaired by Bishop Franjo Komarica of Banja Luka, held their 62nd regular session on November 4 and 5 at the Archdiocesan Ordinariate of Sarajevo.
During the session, the bishops met with the Apostolic Nuncio in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto, who acquainted them with the basic guidelines for their planned visit ad limina to the Vatican and Rome in 2015.
The bishops were informed about the ongoing process of changing the Statutes of Caritas of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is being performed by a working group with the goal of harmonizing them with the statutes and rules of Caritas Internationalis and Caritas Europa, and the optimal functioning of Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina in serving the needy.
The bishops heard a report on the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, held in Rome from October 5 to 19, 2014, on the topic of Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization.
The bishops also discussed the guidelines of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in connection with the Year of Consecrated Life (November 30, 2014–February 2, 2016) in the territory of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In reference to the general elections held on October 12 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the bishops urge the formation of the government at all levels in accordance with the will of the voters, as soon as possible. They express the hope that the newly formed government will begin to work more for the good of all citizens. They anticipate that the future government will open possibilities, especially for young people, to remain in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and make a decent life possible for all citizens. They invite all government representatives, especially those of the Croatian nation, to take a more active stand against the uprooting of Catholics and the Catholic Church in the entity of the Republika Srpska and parts of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and their increasing exodus from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The bishops expect all the future holders of power and everyone together to finally begin to work for the good of all in Bosnia and Herzegovina, opening prospects not only for people to stay but also for those who wish to return to do so.