Bosanski Brod, December 21, 2000 (IKA) — On December 17, the archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, visited the parish of St. Elijah the Prophet in Bosanski Brod for the first time following the recent war. On this occasion, he led a celebration of the Mass in the basement of the rectory, the only structure that had remained intact during the war, in concelebration with the dean of the Derventa Deanery, Msgr. Mato Janjić, and priests from Bosanska Posavina. During the sermon, Cardinal Puljić urged the faithful not to give up their hopes of returning to their own property and regaining equal rights. He referred critically to “the strange positions held by the international authorities who have the most authority in Bosnia-Herzegovina.” On Caritas Sunday, which was being celebrated that day, Cardinal Puljic called for gratitude toward the benefactors but also for mutual solidarity concerning renewal and return. For the past several months, the Parish of St. Elijah the Prophet in Bosanski Brod has been headed by a new young priest, the Rev. Robert Ružić, who is living in the parish and who under exceptionally difficult conditions has began work on the rectory. Sunday Mass is presently celebrated in the rectory basement.