Archbishop Vukšić and Bishop Palić spoke at a press conference about the 91st regular session of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina

At the end of the 91st regular session of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on November 5, 2024, a press conference was held at the Archdiocesan Residence in Sarajevo. The President and Vice President of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mons. Tomo Vukšić, Archbishop Metropolitan of Vrhbosna and Apostolic Administrator of the Military Ordinariate in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mons. Petar Palić, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Apostolic Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan, spoke about the course of the session.

At the beginning, the General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Father Bojan Ivešić, read the statement from the 91st regular session of the Bishops’ Conference.

In his reflection on the recent session, Archbishop Vukšić first greeted all those present, thanking the media representatives for attending and for their interest in the proceedings of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the Catholic Church in these areas. He encouraged them to continue “doing good.”

Archbishop Tomo then briefly spoke about one of the topics discussed during the recently concluded session: the upcoming Jubilee Year of 2025, which is significant for the Catholic Church in connection with the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, as well as the 1100th anniversary of the national ecclesiastical synods held in Split, whose anniversary coincides with the Jubilee Year. Explaining that it is customary in the Catholic Church to celebrate every 25th, 50th, 75th, or 100th calendar year as a Jubilee Year based on the year of Christ’s birth, he said that during these Jubilee Years, various events, gatherings, prayer services, and other programs are organized worldwide at both the universal Church level and the diocesan level. “This Jubilee Year will be opened at the end of this calendar year, specifically on the last Sunday of this year in dioceses around the world. On that same Sunday, or the following day, Pope Francis will officially open the year in Rome with a solemn ceremony for the entire Church. Over the course of the year, some of the events have already been mentioned, but there will be other events as well. This Jubilee Year will also conclude in the last Sunday of 2025 at the level of the regional churches and dioceses, and on January 6, 2026, the Pope will solemnly close the Jubilee Year in Rome with a ceremony for the entire Church,” explained Archbishop Vukšić, the pastor of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna.

“Some of the events in our dioceses, specifically within Bosnia and Herzegovina, will include the opening of the Jubilee Year, and, God willing, a Jubilee pilgrimage from our dioceses and dioceses in Croatia during October 2025. These will, of course, include events that have been mentioned but are not directly tied to the Jubilee Year of 2025 — such as the 1100th anniversary of the national ecclesiastical synods in Split,” said Archbishop Vukšić, reminding that in 925, two provincial synods were held in the area of present-day Split, organizing the Church life in the dioceses in the region under the conditions of that time. He also mentioned planned meetings with the religious communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina next year, in which bishops of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BK BiH) are expected to participate. As he said, the public will be informed about these events in due time through Church media.

Bishop Palić, in his address, also thanked the media representatives for their coverage of the Catholic Church’s activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He reminded that the press conferences at the sessions of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina had previously been moderated by the former General Secretary, Mons. Ivo Tomašević, to whom he expressed gratitude for his contributions. Mons. Tomašević was succeeded in this role by Father Bojan Ivešić, to whom Bishop Palić wished God’s blessing in his work.

He stated that the bishops dedicated part of this session to the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, in which he personally participated as a delegate of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BK BiH). “Typically, these synods are organized individually and have only one session. This one was specific: it had two sessions and lasted from 2021. All our dioceses here in Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in this very important Church event – an event where the life of the Church is reflected upon. Representatives of bishops from around the world were present, and what was unique about this Synod was that, by the decision of Pope Francis, delegates who were not bishops were also present. The focus of the Synod was on reflecting on how the Church can be a missionary and synodal Church today,” said Bishop Palić, explaining that the Synod discussed how the Church, as a community, should proclaim and what needs to be done in order to better preach the joyful message of Jesus, the Gospel, in today’s world, thus bearing witness to its true essence.

“The essence of the Church is that it is God’s people, that it is one in its diversity, that it is called and sent by the command of Jesus Christ to proclaim the Good News in today’s world,” said Bishop Palić, who also spoke about the themes discussed at the Synod. “There were many different themes represented during the sessions. This session lasted four weeks – four weeks last year, and four weeks this year. Along with what I’ve mentioned, about the Church as God’s people, its essence, unity in diversity, there were other topics as well: Christian initiation, ministries in the Church, ordained ministers in the Church, the relationship between the Church and the world, formation and education of all members of the Church, decision-making processes, transparency, reporting and evaluation, and the way relationships are handled between local Churches and the Roman Pontiff, or the Pope, as well as the internal life of the Church,” emphasized Bishop Palić, concluding:

“This is certainly an important event not only because it has lasted for three years, but also because it will certainly have an impact – as is visible from the final document – which, unfortunately, is not yet translated into Croatian, but we hope it will be translated in due time. This document expects all of us to continue implementing what has been initiated and the key points emphasized during the Synod in individual particular Churches, that is, in dioceses.”

After the opening statements, Archbishop Vukšić and Bishop Palić were open to questions.

In response to a question about whether anything has changed in the functioning of the parish in Međugorje after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the Nota “‘Queen of Peace – On the Spiritual Experience of Međugorje'” on September 19, 2024, Bishop Palić said that the aforementioned Nota, on one hand, provided the faithful with some clarity. They can now visit the pilgrimage site without any burdens and continue to experience it as a place of prayer, a place where the sacraments are especially celebrated.

When asked to comment, as a participant in the recently concluded Synod on Synodality in the Vatican, on a part of the homily given by Bishop Željko Majić of Banja Luka during Mass at the Sarajevo Cathedral before the 91st regular session of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which he expressed surprise that the final document of the Synod did not address the dangers of abortion and euthanasia, Bishop Palić emphasized that every bishop has the legitimate right to express his opinion and position. “We are all pastors, and we all have our tasks,” he reminded. He further clarified that the purpose of the Synod was not to address every possible open question in the life of the faithful or in the life of the Catholic Church. He also added that every delegate had the opportunity to voice their thoughts on various challenges during the Synod. “Each one reflected on their joys and hopes, as well as their sorrows and anxieties in these areas. Therefore, the Synod did not deal with the issue of the threat to life but with our current way of walking together in the Church,” explained Bishop Palić, who then spoke about how the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BK BiH) has sought to implement the Synodal path in its dioceses after it began at the universal Church level.

“We first carried out the diocesan phases. After the diocesan phases, there was the phase within our Bishops’ Conference. Reports were sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod. Following that, as for every continent, came the continental phase, and after the continental phase, the first session took place last year in the Vatican. What remains the task now is how and in what way we will implement the conclusions found in the Final Document,” emphasized Bishop Palić, who once again stressed that the Synod is a “process” — a “common journey of all of us baptized to more effectively proclaim the Gospel in today’s world.”

When asked to share his impressions of the visit by the members of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BK BiH) to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome, as well as to the Vatican and the offices of the Holy See known as Ad limina apostolorum in May 2024, Archbishop Vukšić explained that, in addition to meeting with the Holy Father, the bishops visited sixteen different offices dealing with various aspects of Church life. They also held individual meetings on various occasions. “The meeting with the Pope lasted at least a third longer than originally planned. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, of course, with many serious topics being discussed,” said Archbishop Vukšić, adding that the bishops remembered the visit with great fondness.

When asked to reflect on a part of his opening speech at the 91st regular session of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which he expressed concern about peer violence and violence against women in the region, he said that his intention was to respond both humanly and as a priest to the problems in society, while also offering moral support to everyone who wishes to contribute to stopping violence. “The Catholic Church is far from being just an institution or a structure. It is, above all, a living community of people — and in the broadest sense, literally all people, because all people are God’s creatures. The Church has its social teaching, its moral teaching, and its documents that also address the Church in the contemporary world,” reminded Archbishop Tomo.

When asked to comment on the decline in the Catholic population, as reflected in the latest statistics of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2023, Archbishop Vukšić expressed regret, saying that this is a process that has been ongoing in the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina for several decades. He noted that this phenomenon affects not only Catholics but all people. He warned that the Church cannot function in areas where human presence is diminishing because “the Church is people.” “In this regard, we need to understand our Church’s involvement in these, let’s say, ‘demographic issues.’ These are literally life issues that concern our families, our villages, our cities, our people, religious communities, and, ultimately, the state,” concluded the Archbishop of Vrhbosna.

KTA