Pope Francis accepted the renunciation of the pastoral management of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese of Cardinal Vinko Puljić and retired him on Saturday, January 29th. He will be succeeded at the head of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese by the current Archbishop Coadjutor Msgr. Tomo Vukšić.
In the premises of the Archbishop’s Residence in the capital of BiH, in the presence of two archbishops, members of the consultants and the Cathedral Chapter of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, and several associates of cardinal Puljić and Msgr. Vukšić, this news was announced by the charge d’affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Sarajevo, Msgr. Amaury Medina Blanco.
As a reminder, cardinal Puljić was head of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese for 31 years. He was appointed Archbishop of Vrhbosna by the Holy Pope John Paul II on December 7th, 1990. The same Pope ordained him Bishop on January 6th, 1991. He was enthroned in the Sarajevo Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on January 19, 1991. His first year was marked by terrible war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He remained in besieged Sarajevo during the conflict, although he occasionally left the city as needed. For a time, he was the only religious leader present in the BiH capital. Due to persistent efforts to end the conflict, mutual reconciliation, calls for dialogue, Pope John Paul II., appointed him as a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church on October 30th, 1994. He thus became the first cardinal in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He participated in the conclaves of 2005 and 2013 in which Benedict XVI and Francis were elected popes.
In accordance with the Code of Canon Law (401 §1), when he turned 75 on September 8th, 2020, he offered his resignation to Pope Francis, and on October 29th, 2020, the Holy Father replied that he would remain in office, in the position of the Archbishop of Vrhbosna “until otherwise decided”, which happened on January 29th, 2022.
For his work and tireless commitment to the equality of all peoples, to ending the war in this area and to building a just society, he received several awards, including: an honorary doctorate in humanities awarded in 1995 by Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, in the US state of Michigan, as well as an honorary doctorate awarded on March 15th, 2001 in the city of Arequipa (Peru) at the Catholic University of Santa Maria. Last in a series of important recognitions is the one of Velered kralja Dmitra Zvonimira s lentom i Danicom, which was presented to him on January 17th, 2022 by the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanović.
With his retirement, his administration of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese ceased, as did all the services he held in the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It is also worth mentioning that the liturgical presentation of Archbishop Vukšić to the people will be in the Sarajevo Cathedral on Saturday, March 12th this year.
Farewell speech by Cardinal Puljić
Holy Pope John Paul II., appointed me as Archbishop of Vrhbosna on November 19th, 1990. They publicly announced my appointment on December 7th, 1990. The same Holy Pope consecrated me in the Basilica of St. Peter on January 6th, 1991. I took over the leadership of this local Church on January 19th, 1991. When I turned 75, according to the Canon law, I sent a letter to the Holy Father Francis in which I made my mandate available. Then, the only message that came was that I would stay until further notice. Now Pope Francis has made the decision to retire me. In accepting this decision, I would like to express my gratitude here.
First to the dear God who invited me to this world and consecrated me for holy service. I thank the Holy Pope John Paul II., who had faith in me and consecrated me and included me in the Apostolic Choir of our day. Along the way, as Archbishop, there were many people who have helped me accomplish this mission.
That is why I thank, first of all, the many prayers that accompanied me with prayer and sacrifice. May God reward them because without that I would not be able to carry out my mission.
I thank all the priests, monks and nuns, as well as many lay people who have generously cooperated out of love for this local Church, and have that way made my ministry easier. May the Lord be the reward for all of them in the present and eternal life. And from me sincere thanks and respect to them. No need to list their names, but I carry them in my heart.
To all those who for any reason refrained from cooperating or perhaps burdened it, I sincerely forgive because they raised me in humility, modesty and patience. And I wish them an abundance of the Spirit of God to discover and do what the will of God is. Those who carry burdens or wounds for any reason because of my person, I sincerely ask forgiveness and pray that Jesus Christ raises us in love.
I wish the Archbishop Coadjutor, who is taking over the leadership of this local Church today, an abundance of grace and strength of the Holy Spirit and good sincere cooperation of all in this local Church, so that love for this Church helps heal so many wounds and establish hope in every person.
All structures, led by individual departments, should prepare a record for the handover, which we will, according to the agreement, sign in the Ordinariate (March 10th this year starting at 10:00 am) on the day before the liturgical presentation of the new diocesan bishop of this local Church.
The ceremony of liturgical presentation of the new archbishop, to which other bishops, presbytery, monks, nuns and lay faithful will be invited, which we could not do due to the pandemic when he took over the office of archbishop coadjutor, is scheduled for March 12th in the cathedral by Holy Mass celebration at 10:30 a.m.
From now on, the local Ordinary, Archbishop Tomo Vukšić, should be mentioned regularly in the Holy Mass Canon, and remember me privately in your prayers.
According to church law, with the Pope’s acceptance of the renunciation of the office of any diocesan bishop, his services in the Episcopal Conference also cease. So do end mine in our Conference. Therefore, at this time I would like to sincerely thank the other brothers bishops for their fruitful cooperation and, as provided by church regulations, until the election of a new president of the Bishops’ Conference, its work will be directed by the vice president.
In agreement with the new archbishop, until the space for my accommodation is completed, I remain in the residence, but in the private premises where I have stayed so far, while the regular office is available to the new archbishop.
God bless you and thank you for everything!
Opening speech by Archbishop Vukšić
I am grateful to Pope Francis who appointed me Archbishop Coadjutor of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese on January 22nd, 2020, and then decided to perform this service, in cooperation with Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljić, until he decides otherwise. And two years later, today the whole archdiocesan community of Jesus’ believers was informed that the same Pope had made the then announced decision, which will take effect today.
Thank God! And may all, including this new ministry, be to the greater glory of God, for the renewal of everything in Christ in our archdiocese, for the spread of the kingdom of God on earth and harmony and friendship, cooperation and dialogue among all peoples and nations. That is my prayer today and my most sincere wish.
Thank you to Archbishop and Cardinal Vinko for the example of a brave and faithful bishop in serving the Church of God in the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna. Thank you for ordaining me a bishop, for his wholehearted help during my entire service to the faithful of the Military Ordinariate, and for his openness through the past two years of mutual agreement and work.
Thank you to the presbytery and the faithful of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna, diocesan and religious, who welcomed me with open arms and friendly and were open to cooperation. Thank you for your dedicated service to the people of God and I promise to do my best to keep things going. Today I greet you all once again and invoke God’s blessing on all your noble intentions and deeds.
With respect and gratitude I greet all the families in the Archdiocese because they, as parts of the living Church, are a privileged place of blessing where God the Creator continues his work.
With a special sense of closeness, I greet and bless the sick and all who suffer from the illness or loss of loved ones, as well as doctors and other medical staff who are courageous witnesses that there is goodness on earth.
I express and promise closeness and solidarity to the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those in public kitchens, the unemployed and all those who do not have secure sources of means for a dignified life.
I look forward to future cooperation in pastoral care with all monks and nuns, religious teachers and busy lay believers. All your charismas and all your services are the wealth of the Church who will always have friends in me. To all of you, among whom the Franciscan brothers are the most numerous, I am grateful for your charismas, service and witnessing, which will remain a blessing in the future.
Blessing also to theologians, seminarians, novices, and their educators and professors who are a very important part of the Church and in their own way indicate its future.
I greet the brothers and sisters of different religious beliefs with whom I wish to sincerely participate in ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. First of all, because such action is part of the Catholic identity and mission, but also because I consider it a moral obligation in this complex society. And I want us all to be signs of hope in it.
It is also the task of the Catholic bishop to contribute to the establishment of harmony in the society in which the Providence of God sent him to serve. Of course, jealously taking care to respect and preserve the dignity of every man and people and the individual human rights and collective rights of every people and minority groups. The Catholic Church knows that this can only be achieved if appropriate and just laws are enacted and consistently applied. In this sense, I want to be supportive of any such endeavour, and anything to the contrary cannot have the blessing of the Church.
I know that the entire Archdiocese of Vrhbosna rightly wants to know in which direction will go everything what has been done so far in the work of its First Synod, and how te new archbishop will be appointing himself in this regard, because church rules in such situations provide more possibilities. In answer to that question, I want to say: Tomo continues where Vinko left off. That is, the synodal process and the process of strengthening the common responsibility for the Church of God and the common good continues. Let us move forward together, on the basis of what has been done so far, to find the best solutions for pastoral care in this Archdiocese and, when the time is ripe and when Providence allows it, to bring the final document which is in church life called: binding statements and decisions. I look forward to every contribution in that direction.
I also announce that the current Vicar General and the Vicar Judge will continue their services until, as is the custom in the Church, opportunities and reasons and pastoral needs possibly advise different solutions.
On this solemn occasion, I also greet all the faithful of the Military Ordinariate and the priestly brothers who are their soul carers. I thank you all for your many years of cooperation and in addition to the blessings I extend to you, I also inform you that my service to your spiritual needs continues. I will do so with great joy until the successor of the Apostle Peter decides otherwise.
And finally, so that we may always be clear preachers and authentic witnesses of Christian hope for the people we meet in our lives, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. God bless you!
We wish the new Archbishop an abundance of God’s blessing in his leadership of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese.
KT
www.nedjelja.ba
Sarajevo – January 29, 2022
