The Apostolic Nunciature in Bosnia and Herzegovina announced on the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, December 8th, that Pope Francis appointed rev. Željko Majić, a priest of the Mostar-Duvno diocese, as the bishop of the Banja Luka diocese.
At the same time, this news was announced by the Press Office of the Holy See, and it came after the Holy Father accepted the renunciation of his ministry of Msgr. Franjo Komarica, due to reaching canonical age. The date of episcopal ordination and canonical takeover of the diocese will soon be agreed with the new bishop and with the apostolic nuncio in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Msgr. Francis A. Chullikatt.
The congratulations to the newly appointed bishop of Banja Luka were sent, among others, by the metropolitan archbishop of Vrhbosna and the apostolic administrator of the Military Ordinariate in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Msgr. Tomo Vukšić, begging “the dear God that, by the intercession of St. Bonaventure, patron of the Banja Luka diocese, may your future episcopal service be blessed, for the glory of God, for the growth of the Church of Christ and for the good of all people”. On behalf of the members of the BiH Bishops’ Conference, Msgr. Vukšić welcomed rev. Željko to the Bishop’ choir and promised “friendly openness and cooperation, both in the bodies of the Conference and in pastoral service”.
As his previous ordinary, the bishop of Mostar-Duvno and the apostolic administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan, Msgr. Petar Palić thanked him for his priestly service in almost all church services of Herzegovina’s dioceses: from the pastoral, to the charitable, to the management service. He personally thanked him for his service as vicar general in the first year of the episcopal service of Msgr. Palić as well as for the service of Caritas director. Pointing out that the Banja Luka diocese lost the largest part of its believers in the war events of the 1990’s and that “the rest of the remnants” are waiting for him there, he encouraged him and called him not to be afraid, mainly because of God’s promises found in the Holy Scriptures. “And just as the prophets Isaiah and Micah see the power of fulfilling God’s plan in the ‘remnant’, surely the Lord has his plan with you in that ‘remnant’ in the Banja Luka diocese. Have an alert heart, firm faith and openness to the Holy Spirit in order to recognize and do what the Lord expects of you”, said Bishop Petar, among other things.
Joy about the decision of Peter’s successor was also expressed by Msgr. Komarica, pointing out that he recognizes in it “the action and care of God’s Providence in favour of strengthening and expanding Christ’s kingdom among the local Churches of our country and our people, and then also in our living environment”.
He told Bishop Majić that in that community he would find the open hearts of many of its members among the priests, monks, nuns and laymen, as well as their willingness to help him in his responsible and demanding apostolic activity through prayer and conscientious performance of the church services and tasks entrusted to them.
The newly appointed Bishop of Banja Luka, rev. Željko, was born in Drinovci on March 28th, 1963. He completed his philosophical and theological studies in Sarajevo, and was ordained a priest of the Mostar-Duvno diocese on June 29th 1988, in the Mostar Cathedral of Mary the Mother of God.
He attended postgraduate studies in pastoral theology in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University, where he obtained a master’s degree in June 1995. After returning from his studies, he performed several pastoral services in Herzegovina, and as vice-rector of the Pontifical Croatian Institute of St. Jerome in Rome was appointed in June 2006. During his six-year service, gathering Croatian students in Rome, he prepared four anthologies of their works, and he edited the last three with Dr. rev. Božo Goluža.
His reflection booklet Father, forgive us!, was published in 2011, and with the cooperation of about 30 priests from Herzegovina, he prepared the Guide to the Year of Faith: The Family – the focal point of faith. He was appointed vicar general of the dioceses of Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje-Mrkan in 2012, and since 2019 he has served as the director of Caritas of the dioceses of Herzegovina.
KT
