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Church in the WorldConcordat protects Church rightsBosnia and Herzegovina Jonathan Luxmoore - 3 November 2007The Catholic Church in Bosnia has secured the protection of its rights and freedoms under a Concordat that came into effect last week, writes Jonathan Luxmoore. A Vatican statement said that the new Concordat fully recognised the Catholic Church's legal status, as well as freedom of worship and Catholic rights in culture, education and the media. It added that the document would allow military and hospital chaplaincies, and a wide range of charitable activities. Documents ratifying the Concordat were exchanged during a visit to the Vatican by Zeliko Komsic, a Catholic ethnic Croat who heads Bosnia's rotating presidency, and Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo. Catholics comprised 18 per cent of Bosnia-Herzegovina's population of 4.3 million before the 1992-5 war, compared to 44 per cent made up of Muslims and 35 per cent of Serbian Orthodox. But the country's four Catholic dioceses currently number fewer than half their inhabitants before the conflict. Church sources said the Pope also received an invitation to Bosnia-Herzegovina from Mr Komsic. |
 In this week’s issueMaking markets moral Iron and velvet Love in a Catholic climate Someone to talk to A good Lent takes planning South American surprise Is the Church too slow in recognising that academies are the future for Catholic schools? Christopher Lamb Goodwin the scapegoat Elena Curti The pain of being a coeliac Catholic Sr M, guest contributor Why the Benedictine family will survive Christopher Lamb The Church's moral obligation to victims of clerical sexual abuse Speeches from this week's conference in Rome This week in Rome bishops and religious superiors met at the first Vatican-backed symposium devoted to forging a global response to the crisis of clerical sexual abuse that has disgraced ... Archbishop voices 'shame and sorrow' after priest's abuse trial Longley to visit parishes 'damaged' by Walsh Today, Tuesday 7 February, Bede Walsh, who served as a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, has been convicted by a jury, following a 10-day trial at Stoke-on-Trent ...
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