Sarajevo, (IKA) — On the eve of the plenary session of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), to be held in Sarajevo from October 3 to 6, the president of the CCEE, Bishop Chura Amédée Grab, the vice president of the CCEE, Archbishop Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, and Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo held a press conference at the Vrhbosanska School of Catholic Theology.
Cardinal Puljic immediately welcomed the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences: “I rejoice that this session is being held in Sarajevo. This is full of symbolism. The CCEE unites all the Catholics of Europe. We wish to be a part of Europe. That is how we feel. By this act of the Catholic Church, the process of our union with Europe is receiving support. Europe must be present in Bosnia-Herzegovina. By coming here, the Catholic Church of Europe shows that it wishes to bear witness to what is happening here and how we are living. Sarajevo remembers hard days and wants to experience better ones,” said the archbishop of Sarajevo, among other remarks.
Bishop Grab, the president of the CCEE, pointed out that the members of the CCEE are aware that they have been received by a country that has suffered much. Msgr. Grab then said: “The presence of the CCEE is intended as a sign of our presence and support for this country. From the ideal of collegiality, this Council was founded in 1971. Each bishops’ conference has the right to one member in this Council, and the amended bylaws of 1985 state that the members can only be representatives of individual bishops’ conferences. This council currently numbers 34 members,” said Msgr. Grab.
Msgr. Josip Bozanic, vice president of the CCEE and archbishop of Zagreb, expressed his joy that the session was being held in Sarajevo. “Representatives of the bishops’ conferences of Europe are present here. Thus, in a sense, Europe is present in Sarajevo at the invitation of the Catholic Church of this country. The Catholic Church of this country is a bridge between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europe,” pointed out Archbishop Bozanic, and then presented the session schedule.
The session will be divided into two parts: the first will be devoted to the bishops’ conferences and evangelization with the following subtopics: Evangelization within the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church and Other Christian Churches, the Catholic Church and Islam; and Central European Catholic Day, in which Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina will be included. The second part will be devoted to the following topics: Expansion of the European Union and Dialogue between Bishops’ Conferences and Responsible Persons within the Society.
Archbishop Bozanic also spoke about the fall of the Berlin Wall, pointing out that it had been a sign of division. “At the beginning of the third millennium, we do not want a new division between the countries of the European Union and the other European countries,” stated Archbishop Bozanic.
In the continuation of the press conference, the journalists asked the bishops several questions. Cardinal Puljic pointed out the following: “Through this event, Bosnia-Herzegovina is going before the public. In recent times, Bosnia-Herzegovina has been forgotten, as if everything were all right — and it is not.”