Zagreb, January 24, 2003 (IKA) — Under the leadership of the archbishop of Zagreb and the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Josip Bozanic, and the bishop of Banja Luka and president of the Bosnian-Herzegovian Conference of Bishops, Franjo Komarica, the regular annual meeting between the bishops of the CCB and the BHCB was held on Monday, January 20, at the residence of the archbishop in Zagreb.
Members of both bishops’ conferences expressed great joy at the announcement of the forthcoming beatification of the Servants of God Sister Marija Petkovic of the Crucified Jesus and Ivan Merz, whose saintliness is a sign and inspiration for the life of the Church in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The day’s agenda was devoted to the various aspects of mutual cooperation between the two bishops’ conferences for the activities of the Church in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The bishops from Bosnia-Herzegovina presented the current circumstances of the Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is encountering numerous difficulties as direct or indirect consequences of the recent war. With great sadness, they recounted the murder of a Croatian family last Christmas eve in Kostajnica. Such acts of terrorism indicate that there are many unresolved issues in Bosnia-Herzegovina that require patience, mutual understanding and persistent dialogue. The bishops nevertheless emphasized that hope and the power of faith encourage them as they move toward the future, to which they bring the riches of the centuries of the religious and cultural heritage of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
At the meeting, the bishops of the Croatian Conference of Bishops demonstrated their brotherly solidarity with the bishops of the Bosnian-Herzegovian Conference of Bishops. As previously agreed upon, the Bishops of Croatia assumed the obligation to assist particular projects in the dioceses in Bosnia-Herzegovina and reported on specific places and undertakings where they had provided assistance. The bishops from Bosnia-Herzegovina sincerely thanked them. They pointed out that the brotherly solidarity demonstrated by the Church in Croatia meant even more than the material assistance to the individual dioceses and institutions of the Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina, by providing encouragement and letting them know that they are not alone in their difficulties. Such solidarity also helps in the preservation of the religious and national identity, which has recently been frequently called into question.
The bishops showed great concern for people driven from their homes during the war, for whom questions of housing and employment have still not been resolved. The bishops expressed unanimous support for all efforts to enable these people to return to their homes. In cases where this is not possible, they should be provided with the prerequisites for a normal life so that they can support themselves and their families. In this sense, it was emphasized that everything would be done from the Church side to assist the implementation of assistance projects for these people, particularly those in the greatest need. It was stressed that it is necessary to insist upon equal property ownership rights for all regarding property that people were forced to abandon in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.