Sarajevo, November 11, 1999 (IKA-KTA) — The central topic of the Seventeenth Regular Session of the Bosnian-Herzegovian Conference of Bishops, held from November 8 to 10 in Sarajevo, was “Men and Women Religious in the Local Churches,” and there was discussion about a meeting with the superiors of the men’s and women#!s orders of Bosnia-Herzegovina. “From the discussion, it was evident that all are aware of the deep roots of the Church in these territories and the sincere and confirmed fidelity to the Holy See,” says the statement, which emphasized that the bishops, “aware of their responsibility and concern for religious charism, urge all men and women religious in increasingly greater community to build a united Church together with them from faith in the Resurrected Christ.”
Within the context of a joint letter from the Conference of European Churches (KEK), and the Council of European Conferences of Bishops (CCEE), entitled “Violence against Women in Europe,” the bishops listened to a report from the Council for the Family that presented the problem of the endangered rights and dignity of women in Bosnia-Herzegovina. “Supporting the dignity of women against all abuse in the spirit of the gospel, the bishops appeal to all the sociopolitical institutions in the country to pass laws that protect women and their dignity, maternity, the family and society. By defending the dignity of the mother, they also want to defend the dignity and rights of the child from the moment of conception. Having experienced the horrors of widespread deaths during and after the war, the bishops also raise their voices against inhumane genetic engineering and all abuses of human life and the dignity of the human individual. The bishops stress the rights of parents to have the choice of educating their children within the context their own national culture and in religious freedom,” says the statement. At the session, the bishops sent an appeal to the government and international authorities to grant the same rights to the Catholic schools in Bosnia-Herzegovina that the state schools enjoy. Aware of their mission to proclaim the gospel, which includes proclamation via the media, the Catholic bishops in Bosnia-Herzegovina urge the clergy to promote the Catholic press and to point out the need for the responsible use of the mass media in transmitting the gospel messages.
In addition to all the members of the Bosnian-Herzegovina Conference of Bishops, the session was also attended by the apostolic nuncio in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, and a delegate from the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Auxiliary Bishop Marin Barišić of Split.