Bosnia-Herzegovina: Archbishop of Sarajevo demands equal treatment for Catholics

Vinko Cardinal Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo. @ACN
Vinko Cardinal Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo. @ACN

Eva-Maria Kolmann, ACN International
Adapted by Robert Lalonde, ACN Canada

Catholics in Bosnia-Herzegovina should be treated equally. This was the demand expressed by Vinko Cardinal Puljic, the Archbishop of Sarajevo, during a visit to the international headquarters of the Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

bosniaer
View the country profile of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Breaking News from Bosnia-Herzegovina

In the employment market, in schools and in other spheres of social life, Catholics are systematically disadvantaged, he reported. The aim is to persuade them to leave the country. Church lands and buildings that were confiscated during the period of Communism have not been returned, and building approvals for churches are subjected to years of delay. The government “has no interest in giving the Catholic Church back its property”. Muslim property has been returned, however.

The 66-year-old Cardinal observes the growing Islamisation in Bosnia-Herzegovina with concern. Muslim centres and mosques have been built in many places with petrodollars from Saudi Arabia. In recent years, at least 70 new mosques have been built in Sarajevo alone. There are already 3,000-5,000 Wahhabis (members of a radical Sunni religious movement which is the official religion in Saudi Arabia) in the country, seeking to gain influence within society. “Nobody in the government has the courage to do anything to prevent this development,” said Puljic.

The Catholic Church is the only force in society that strives for the different population groups and religions to live together in peace and equality, the Cardinal said. “We are a minority, but we are a constructive force that wishes to make a contribution to the success of society.”

40 % of the population are followers of Islam, and some 31 % belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church. The remainder belong to other religious communities. Catholics still account for some 10 %. Of the 820,000 Catholics who lived in Bosnia-Herzegovina before the war between 1992 and 1995, only 460,000 remain. Yet the wave of emigration is continuing.

Posted on 19/01/2012.

Post your comment

Comments

  • Strong Baking DVD - Innovative New Medium Begin Healthy Cooking
    Are a culinary enthusiast? Should something more than just a batch that you'll be skilled at creating? Do you realy love learning to experiment and cook new recipes? Well whenever you said yes to any or all three, a few years Healthy Cooking DVD is really what you need!

    The internet have significant amounts of choices within the DVDs of healthy cooking. Every enthusiast present will definitely find one that will fit their interests. Maybe it's a popular chef, a sought-after recipe or perhaps the food philosophy, you could see it on DVD. If you love cooking meat, plenty of DVDs into the. Or maybe you happen to be vegetarian, there are a couple for hose too. So to figure out how to cook those vegetarian dishes make serve that are on your favourite vegan restaurant, then just order a cooking DVD and you're simply ready to go!

    If meat suits your liking more, then cooking DVDs will offer some help very best way to cook them well and creatively at the. From preparation on the way to actual cooking process perhaps treatment afterwards, you'll certainly still find it at a DVD. You could discover out the way effectively get rid of fat and drain a lot of oil to enable you to enjoy your favourite dish everytime.

    Cooking DVDs can also be found for fruitarians around. They're men and woman that only eat fruits so learning to properly prepare the meals they eat will probably be a huge advantage. Be treated to varied smoothies, fresh salads plus. Stranger things have happened what latest fruit trends you possibly can find so DVDs are a way for good updated! You should even find something delicious inside a combination which you've got never thought before!

    You could also utilizing DVDs as gifts. It's best for your friends and relations come the christmas season. May possibly be very informative and intensely convenient to a greater extent. All you have to do is rewind the instructions situation missed exactly what do next! DVDs are supported by the utilise showing you exactly process will genuinely seem to be rather than just reading it via cook book. It'll also feature tips or personal touches because of the chefs and also speed settings cooking experience will probably less of a hassle plus fun.

    While taking cooking classes makes sense, cooking DVDs helps those culinary enthusiasts in which are very busy. With DVDs, that you may are going to learn anytime. You won't have to are concerned with missing a class since if you must be in a different place, then just stop the disc and continue it a number of other day. Just imagine if you had to excuse yourself from a good class, making up for lost time would certainly be much harder. With cooking DVDs, there is no need that dilemna.

    Posted by The District DVD Set, 02/05/2012 10:36am (16 days ago)

  • São Paulo, Brazil

    We unconditionally TRUST OUR GOSPA too !

    Posted by Maria Helena Azevedo Cardoso, 02/02/2012 4:22pm (4 months ago)

  • São Paulo, Brazil

    We will just continue praying in the "silence of the desert" because we believe unconditionally in THE GOSPA !

    Posted by Maria Helena Azevedo Cardoso, 02/02/2012 4:18pm (4 months ago)

  • The Islamization of Europe continues... When the population of a country is more than 6% moslem it is game over.

    Posted by ColomboCharlie, 25/01/2012 7:09pm (4 months ago)

RSS feed for comments on this page | RSS feed for all comments