Sarajevo, December 9, 1998 ((IKA/KTA) – On the occasion of Caritas Sunday, December 13, the archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, has issued a pastoral letter to the faithful. The cardinal emphasizes that this pastoral letter is intended for all, especially persons working with Caritas, in the intention of providing encouragement for their efforts. “A Christian#!s love for a person, as the image and child of God, is first manifested as Christ loved. Christ first bent down to those who were most in need of help. Not only did he call them blessed but he had such compassion for their misfortunes that in his encounters with them, divine forces were manifested in miraculous acts. In the light of God#!s relationship with man, we are called upon to recognize and accept that quality of our mutual relationship that changes the world,” pointed out Cardinal Puljić. Expressing his gratitude to all those individuals and institutions who have provided and continue to provide assistance to the needy in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the cardinal added that the time has come for the domestic faithful and institutions to examine their consciences and ask themselves if they have done enough to help those who have suffered the most from the war. “In our homeland, many individuals have become wealthy very quickly, so that the social differences among people have become greater than they were prior to the war. While some barely survive, others are building factories and plants in which, thank God, they employ about ten workers. We cannot, however, fail to pose the question concerning just wages for these workers. If it has ever been necessary, now when many young families fearing for their future are leaving this land, we consider it our duty to remind those who believe in the Holy Scriptures of the following words of warning: #!See what you have stored up for yourselves against the last days … The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.#! (James 5, 4). Do we have the right as people and believers to forget so quickly that we have survived thanks to the goodness of others?” asked Cardinal Puljić in his pastoral letter. Pointing out that the during the war, Caritas distributed the assistance received and was the only sign of hope, the cardinal appealed to all whose generosity can assist Caritas in its continued operations in this land.
The cardinal#!s pastoral letter was co-signed by the director of Caritas in the Bishops#! Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Msgr. Bosiljko Rajić.