Banja Luka (IKA) — At a press conference, the bishop of Banja Luka, Franjo Komarica, announced that a communication had been received from the Apostolic Nunciature of Sarajevo which stated that at noon, May 8, the Holy See officially confirmed the Pope’s forthcoming Second Apostolic Visit to Bosnia & Herzegovina. The communication from the nunciature states the following: “On Sunday, June 22 of this year, the Holy Father John Paul II will make an Apostolic Visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to beatify the Servant of God Ivan Merz in Banja Luka.” Bishop Komarica invited “all believers in the Banja Luka Diocese and Bosnia & Herzegovina, as well as all people of good will, to engage with prayer and solidarity to prepare the best possible welcome for the greatest peacemaker on earth and the actual heir to St. Peter the Apostle.
At the conference, the president of the Organizing Committee of the Preparations for the Pope’s Apostolic Visit, Msgr. Anto Orlovac, presented the logotype for the Pope’s visit, based upon Bishop Komarica’s concept and designed by Croatia-Studio of Mostar. The symbol has four basic elements: the recognizable outline of the Banja Luka cathedral, divided into four fields, a dominant cross of the Old Croatian braided design (pleter), the monogram of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the base of the cross, and the Pope’s banner. At the press conference, the journalists were informed about the preparations to date for the Pope’s Pastoral Visit.