Francis’ Sarajevo visit will encourage interfaith dialogue

Pope Francis has announced that he will visit Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, on 6 June, write Hannah Roberts and Jonathan Luxmoore. He said he hoped the one-day trip to the majority-Muslim country will promote inter-religious discussions while encouraging Bosnia’s minority Catholic population.

The Pope said his intention is to “contribute to the consolidation of brotherhood and peace, inter-religious dialogue and friendship”.

Bosnia is still recovering from the 1992-95 war, which claimed more than 100,000 lives. Bosnian Serb nationalists carried out ethnic cleansing on thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Catholic Croats, though atrocities were committed on all sides.

Church leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina welcomed the announcement, predicting the event will help ease current instability and poverty. “Pope Francis will be coming as a pilgrim to support peace-building – all those wishing to join in this peace should pray he’ll bring the positive energy and encouragement our country needs,” said Cardinal Vinko Puljic. “He knows how  people have suffered and still suffer here when almost everyone in Bosnia-Herzegovina is poor and the civil war still has its effect in lethargy and depression.”

The 69-year-old cardinal told a press conference the Pope would be coming at the joint invitation of the Church and Bosnia’s Muslim President, Bakir Izetbegovic, and would support interfaith dialogue by also meeting Muslim and Serbian Orthodox representatives.