Pastirska poslanica biskupâ u povodu 130. obljetnice ponovne uspostave redovite crkvene hijerarhije u Bosni i Hercegovini

Želeći biti savjesni i marljivi učenici povijesti kao velike učiteljice života, ove smo godine nastojali obilježiti različitim sadržajima i na raznim mjestima značajan, pa i presudan događaj za Katoličku crkvu u Bosni i Hercegovini, a koji se zbio prije stotinu i trideset godina. Bila je to ponovna uspostava redovite crkvene hijerarhije koju je proveo tadašnji nasljednik apostola Petra, papa Lav XIII. svojim Apostolskim pismom („Ex hac augusta“) od 5. srpnja 1881. godine. To je učinio „na veću slavu svemogućega Boga, na uzvišenje i porast katoličke vjere među ovdašnjim pukom“. Naglasio je da „hijerarhijska uprava crkvene stvarnosti samom različitošću stupnjeva i dužnosti čudesno doprinosi uzajamnoj slozi i sigurnosti svih dijelova zbog zajedničke veze vjere i ljubavi i autoriteta vrhovnog poglavara koji svime upravlja i ravna“ . Izrazio je „posve čvrstu nadu“ da cijelom ovdašnjem katoličkom puku, radi čijega je dobra u uvedena redovna hijerarhija, „neće biti ništa milije nego da se danomice sa sve većom poslušnošću i nastojanjem odane volje“ sjedinjuje s Apostolskom Stolicom na kojoj je Crkva sagrađena.

Ovom pastirskom poslanicom želimo mi biskupi zajednički još jednom predočiti svima vama, ali i drugim našim suvremenicima svoja razmišljanja o proteklim desetljećima postojanja i djelovanja obnovljene crkvene hijerarhije u našoj zemlji, kao i o sadašnjem stanju naše domovinske Crkve te o aktualnim poteškoćama, izazovima i zadaćama pred kojima se nalaze članovi Kristove Crkve u našoj zemlji.

 

 

Proces ponovne uspostave redovite crkvene hijerarhije u Bosni i Hercegovini tekao je usporedo s prestankom otomanske vladavine nakon Berlinskog kongresa (1878.) i uključivanja ovih krajeva u srednjoeuropski politički i kulturni ambijent.

U to doba Katolička je crkva u našoj zemlji bila organizirana u dva apostolska vikarijata kojima su na čelu bili biskupi – apostolski vikari i Trebinjsko-Mrkansku biskupiju koju su vodili dubrovački biskupi kao apostolski vikari. Istodobno, redovnici franjevci, koji su uglavnom bili župnici na području oba vikarijata, pripadali su dvjema provincijama: Bosni Srebrenoj i Hercegovačkoj kustodiji koja je 1892. prerasla u provinciju.

Prethodno, kroz više od četiri stoljeća otomanske vladavine sav je Božji narod u Bosni i Hercegovini pravim čudom, uz velike žrtve i stradanja, proživljavao i svjedočio svoju vjernost Kristu. Obični vjernici, redovnici franjevci, svećenici-glagoljaši, drugi dijecezanski svećenici u Trebinjsko-mrkanskoj biskupiji, te i sami biskupi-apostolski vikari – poput starokršćanskih „ispovjedalaca vjere“ svjedočili su svoje katoličanstvo, podnosili zbog toga patnje svakojake, riskirali vlastiti život, ali ipak odolijevali i opstajali u zemlji svojih pradjedova, blagoslivljajući Gospodina Boga, koji je i njima dao da uživaju u svetinji i plodovima svoje očevine.

Slično kao i za tadašnje članove Katoličke Crkve, može se kazati i za tadašnje crkvene ustanove: apostolske vikarijate, franjevačke provincije, župe, kapelanije, samostane. Dok su oni prvi bili zlostavljani, proganjani, brojem smanjivani, dotle su ove druge bile spaljivane, rušene, nasilno uništavane, bez mogućnosti obnove.

Opstanak katolika i njihovih crkvenih ustanova ipak je nekako uspijevao, zahvaljujući prvenstveno postojanoj osobnoj vjeri i vjernosti Kristu velikog broja pojedinaca – i vjernika laika i njihovih duhovnih pastira, te njegovanju kršćanskog morala, osobito u bračnim i obiteljskim zajednicama.

Stoga je postojano ustrajavanje u vjernosti Kristu, u ljubavi prema Isusovoj Majci, Isusovu namjesniku na zemlji, Rimskom biskupu, unatoč svim višestoljetnim patnjama, najvažnija i najjasnija poruka i pouka naših vjernih predaka koju su nam ostavili, a što djelomično sadrži i drevna pučka popijevka u čast Gospi koja se i danas pjeva po mnogim našim župama:

„O, preslavna Božja Mati, dostoj nam se milost dati

da ja ljubim Sina Tvoga, a mog Boga predobroga (…)

ili štogod pomisliti što mu može žao biti (…)“

 

 

Prestanak misionarskog ustroja Crkve u okviru apostolskih vikarijata i ponovna uspostava redovite crkvene uprave u BiH bila je moguća istom nakon prestanka otomanske vlasti. Sveta je Stolica s novom vlašću najprije, 8. lipnja 1881., sklopila ugovor (Convenzione tra la Santa Sede e il Governo Austro-Ungarico per la Bosnia ed Erzegovina) kojim je dogovorena ponovna uspostava (ristabilimento) crkvene hijerarhije. Potom je papa Lav XIII. već spomenutim apostolskim pismom, dokinuvši dva , – do tada postojeća – apostolska vikarijata (bosanski i hercegovački), osnovao novu crkvenu pokrajinu, Vrhbosansku metropoliju. U njezin su sastav od početka ušle četiri biskupije: tri nove –  Vrhbosanska nadbiskupija sa sjedištem u Sarajevu, te sufraganske biskupije Mostarsko-duvanjska sa sjedištem u Mostaru, Banjalučka biskupija sa sjedištem u Banjoj Luci i već postojeća Trebinjsko-mrkanska kojom je nastavio upravljati dubrovački biskup kao apostolski upravitelj sve do 1890. godine, a otada mostarski biskup kao njezin stalni apostolski upravitelj. Takvo ustrojstvo ostalo je sve do 2011. kad je 1. veljače te godine papa Benedikt XVI. osnovao Vojni ordinarijat u BiH.

U četiri desetljeća austrougarske uprave (1878.–1918.) Katolička je Crkva doživjela pravi procvat na mnogim područjima. Prije svega porastao je broj vjernika. Podsjećamo da je u godini prvoga službenog popisa pučanstva u Bosni i Hercegovini (1879.) živio 209.391 katolik (18,08 %); pravoslavaca je bilo 496.485 (42, 88 %), a muslimana 448.613 (38,75). U novom periodu je došlo do osnivanja većeg broja novih župa. U Bosnu se tijekom nove vladavine doselio i određen broj katolika istočnog obreda iz drugih područja tadašnje velike i višenacionalne države (mahom Ukrajinci), pa je bilo osnovano nekoliko njihovih župa. U isto doba osnovane su četiri nove bogoslovije za odgoj svećenika pri kojima su djelovale filozofsko-teološke visoke škole. Metropolijska bogoslovija započinje s radom u Travniku 1890. a poslije trogodišnjega djelovanja u Travniku ova ustanova prelazi u Sarajevo 1893. jer prije toga u ovom gradu nije imala vlastitu zgradu. Franjevačka bogoslovija Hercegovačke provincije započinje u Mostaru 1895. godine. A nakon sjedinjenja samostanskih škola provincije „Bosne Srebrene“ iz Livna i Sutjeske, Franjevačka bogoslovija ove provincije preseljava u Sarajevo godine 1909. K tomu, u trapističkoj opatiji „Marija Zvijezda“ kod Banje Luke početkom 20. st., svakako prije 1907., započela je djelovati bogoslovija i visoka filozofsko-teološka škola.

U tom istom razdoblju osnovana su i četiri mala sjemeništa s gimnazijama: međubiskupijsko u Travniku 1882.; franjevačko koje započinje u Kreševu 1882. te se konačno smješta u Visoko 1900.; franjevačko na Širokom Brijegu od 1889. i trapističko u samostanu „Marija Zvijezda“ koje je ustanovljeno vjerojatno oko 1900. godine.

Naravno, sve je ovo bilo moguće jer je tada postojala sloboda djelovanja Crkve, ali i zato što je ustanove ove vrste, bilo Katoličke Crkve bilo i drugih vjerskih zajednica, većim ili manjim dijelom financirala tadašnja država.

Katolička je Crkva u ovom periodu dala napretku cjelokupnog pučanstva ove zaostale zemlje izuzetne, zadivljujuće doprinose, osobito na odgojno-obrazovnom, socijalnom, kulturnom i prosvjetnom planu.

Poznato je da je još 1910. godine, unatoč činjenici da je nova austrougarska vlast u međuvremenu i sama otvorila brojne nove škole koje su jednakopravno mogla pohađati sva djeca, u BiH bilo još uvijek 77, 45 % nepismenih katolika, a 89, 92 % nepismenih pravoslavaca i čak 94, 65 % nepismenih muslimana(usp. Die Ergebnisse der Volkszählung in Bosnien und der Herzegowina vom 10. Oktober 1910, Sarajevo 1912, str. XLVI).

 Dolaskom u Bosnu i Hercegovinu novih redovničkih družbi, kao npr. isusovaca i trapista, te sestara Milosrdnica, Klanjateljica Krvi Kristove i Kćeri Božje Ljubavi, otvaraju se mnoge škole, internati, konvikti, bolnice, dječji vrtići, domovi za starije osobe. Vrhbosanski nadbiskup i metropolit Josip Stadler - osim što je i sam prednjačio na polju i vjere i kulture i prosvjete i civilizacije, podizanjem brojnih crkvenih ustanova i zdanja, te pokretanjem mnogobrojnih korisnih pastoralno-karitativnih akcija - osniva žensku redovničku zajednicu sestara Služavki Malog Isusa. Ona, kao i većina drugih redovničkih zajednica, skrbi osobito za siromašnu i napuštenu djecu, njihov život, odgoj i obrazovanje, te za siromašne starce i starice. Broj redovnika i redovnica bio je u stalnom porastu, tako da su nešto kasnije, pogotovo kad su pristigle i Školske sestre franjevke, osnovane i sestarske provincije.

Podizanjem pismenosti i opće kulture, te širenjem katoličkog tiska, Crkva je ujedno još više podizala vjerski odgoj i osobnu odgovornost i zauzetost svojih vjernika za opće dobro crkvenih i nacionalnih potreba. Tako je neposredno utjecala i na opći društveni i civilizacijski napredak zemlje.

 

 

Rast i plodno djelovanje Crkve u mnogočemu je se nastavljeno i poslije 1918. godine, iako su političke prilike u zemlji bile korjenito promijenjene. Nova je državna vlast često pokušavala manipulirati pojedinim crkvenim pitanjima, crkvenim laičkim pokretima i društvima, te produbljivati podjele među njima. U Crkvi su nastali otpori prema takvom ponašanju države pa su polemike između Crkve i države bile česte. Pojedini svećenici, osobito zbog svoga nacionalnoga hrvatskog djelovanja, bivali su krivično gonjeni i kažnjavani. Neke su crkvene novine iz istih razloga zabranjivane. Na račun Katoličke Crkve država je pomagala širenje Starokatoličke crkve pa je nastalo nekoliko omanjih župa ove zajednice. K tomu, treba spomenuti da je polemika srpskoga pravoslavlja, koje je smatrano nekom vrstom državne vjere, prema katoličanstvu bila česta. Vrhunac je doživjela u otporu Srpske pravoslavne crkve prema ratificiranju i provedbi konkordata između tadašnje države Kraljevine Jugoslavije i Svete Stolice polovicom tridesetih godina, te se dogodilo da je ta država i propala, a da pravni položaj Katoličke Crkve i ustrojstvo, kako ih je predviđao konkordat, nikada nisu bili riješeni.

 

 

Tijekom Drugoga svjetskoga rata Katolička je Crkva u našoj zemlji uvelike stradala. U tom razdoblju izginuli su mnogi vjernici i poubijani svećenici, porušene crkve i uništen veći broj župa te mnoga kulturna dobra. No, stradanja, koja su uslijedila neposredno nakon završetka toga rata, bila su za Crkvu katastrofalna. Osobito 1945. godine, tijekom prvih poratnih mjeseci, ubijeno je mnogo katolika pa je time strahovito bila ugrožena biološka reprodukcija stanovništva. Zbog izravnih i neizravnih posljedica rata i kasnijih progona, do 1952. smrtno je stradalo čak 160 svećenika i nekoliko desetina redovnika. Osim toga, mnogi su svećenici, redovnici i redovnice, iako dokazano nedužni, osuđeni na dugogodišnje robije. Kroz neko vrijeme, krajem 1949. i početkom 1950. godine u BiH nije bilo na slobodi ni jednoga biskupa, jer je jedini preostali, mostarski biskup Petar Čule, na montiranom procesu 1948. bio osuđen na dugogodišnju robiju. Država je nastojala manipulirati vjernicima i svećenicima koji nisu bili u zatvorima: diskriminacijom i zastrašivanjima, te kroz staleško udruženje „Dobri pastir“ koje je dala osnovati 1950., tj. upravo u vrijeme kad je Crkva bila bez ijednoga biskupa na slobodi. Prisilno je zatvorena međubiskupijska bogoslovija u Sarajevu, franjevačka u Mostaru i trapistička kod Banje Luke te mala sjemeništa u Travniku, na Širokom Brijegu i trapističkoj opatiji „Marija Zvijezda“ kod Banje Luke. Sve je redovnice tadašnji komunistički režim protjerao iz BiH. Neke su od njih, međutim, ipak uspjele ostati, radeći u civilnom odijelu. Isti protucrkveni režim je gotovo svu crkvenu imovinu oduzeo a posvema zabranio djelovanje svim crkvenim dobrotvornim, kulturnim i školskim ustanovama, osim franjevačkom sjemeništu u Visokom i franjevačkoj bogosloviji u Sarajevu. Katolički je tisak bio skoro potpuno uništen i kroz više desetljeća, koja su uslijedila, nije smio postojati.

Državni progoni Katoličke Crkve malo su se smanjili tek nakon 1960. godine. Polako se poslije 1970. počeo pojavljivati novi katolički tisak te su, pod kraj komunističke vladavine izlazila četiri mjesečnika: Naša ognjišta (Tomislavgrad), Radosna vijest (Sarajevo), Crkva na kamenu (Mostar) i Svjetlo riječi (Sarajevo) te nekoliko stručnih revija. Kao izdavači s brojnim izdanjima, osim spomenutih novina uz koje postoje istoimene izdavačke kuće, poznati su iz tog vremena također Franjevačka teologija i Vrhbosanska katolička teologija u Sarajevu, ali i još neki.

Nakon njihova izgona na početku komunističkoga režima, u kasnijem razdoblju vratile su se i redovnice te su četiri družbe osnovale svoje provincije: Milosrdne sestre sv. Vinka Paulskoga (Sarajevo), Služavke Maloga Isusa (Sarajevo) i Školske sestre franjevke (Mostar i Sarajevo).

Kako je vrijeme odmicalo, tako je Crkva, općenito govoreći, sve bolje nalazila način djelovanja u tadašnjim – još uvijek – teškim prilikama. Međubiskupijskoj bogosloviji u Sarajevu bilo je dopušteno obnoviti rad tek 1969., nakon što je sarajevski nadbiskup uspio od države otkupiti zgradu bogoslovnog sjemeništa, vlasništvo Nadbiskupije. Tu, najstariju visokoškolsku ustanovu u Bosni i Hercegovini – Vrhbosansku teološku školu proglasila je Kongregacija za katolički odgoj 2009. godine Bogoslovnim fakultetom. Travničko sjemenište i gimnazija oživjeli su istom 1998., dok na području hercegovačkih biskupija i na području Banjolučke biskupije poslije 1945. nema više ni sjemenišne gimnazije ni bogoslovije. Međutim, u Mostaru je 1987. osnovan Teološki institut na kojemu se školuju laici katehete, a početkom devedesetih još po jedan u Sarajevu i Banjoj Luci, koji su u međuvremenu, uslijed prisilnog iseljavanja katolika, obustavili svoj rad.

 

„Bog nije nepravedan da zaboravi ono što ste učinili,

služeći u prošlosti i sadašnjosti svetima“ (Heb 6,10).

 

Unatoč protuvjerskom i protucrkvenom ozračju u kojem se tijekom zadnjih desetljeća našla naša domovinska Crkva, Bog je blagoslovio žrtve i uslišio molitve svoga naroda, te mu je darivao brojna svećenička i redovnička zvanja.

Tako je na završetku 2010. godine Trebinjsko-mrkanska biskupija je imala 31 inkardiniranoga svećenika (15 na području biskupije), Mostarsko-duvanjska ih je imala 70 (na području biskupije 54), Banjalučka 38 (na području biskupije 22) a Vrhbosanska nadbiskupija224 (na području nadbiskupije 144). Franjevačka provincija „Bosna Srebrena“ u isto vrijeme je imala 288 svećenika (u BiH 216) a hercegovačka 184 (u BiH 113).

Jednu kuću imaju dominikanci i vode jednu župu u Zenici (1 svećenik), isusovci jednu u Sarajevu (3), salezijanci jedan školski centar u Žepču (3), po jedan samostan trapisti u Banjoj Luci (3) i karmelićani na Buškom jezeru kod Tomislavgrada (4), te neokatekumeni od listopada 2011. bogosloviju u Vogošći (1).

Krajem 2010. godine u BiH je živjelo i djelovalo 540 časnih sestara. Školske sestre franjevke Mostarske provincije imale su 164 sestre, a Bosansko-hrvatske provincije 120. U provinciji Milosrdnih sestara sv. Vinka Paulskoga bile su 64 sestre; u provinciji Služavki Maloga Isusa bilo ih je 59. Prisutne su također sestre još nekih družbi sa svojim samostanima ili redovničkim kućama, kao: Kćeri Božje ljubavi – 43, Klanjateljice Krvi Kristove 45, Kćeri milosrđa – 6, Služavke Malog Isusa Splitske provincije – 3, Službenice milosrđa – 3, Franjevke Marijine misionarke – 4, Marijine sestre – 2, Uršulinke – 4, Franjevke od Bezgrješnoga začeća – 2, Misioanrke ljubavi – 4, Klarise – 4, Karmelićanke – 7.

Većina domaćih svećenika, redovnika i redovnica djeluje u BiH, dok je ne mali broj na različitim službama po europskim zemljama, Australiji, Africi, objema Amerikama i Aziji. Uz ove spomenute, postoje brojni svećenici, redovnici i redovnice, podrijetlom iz BiH, koji su članovi biskupija i različitih redovničkih zajednica izvan ovoga područja, osobito u Hrvatskoj.

Kad bi se izračunalo koliko je u posljednjih 130 godina u BiH zaređeno svećenika te koliko je mladića i djevojaka stupilo u redovnički stalež, i kada bi se njima dodali oni koji su kao potomci iseljenika stupili u duhovni stalež izvan naših biskupija, vidio bi se na djelu poseban Božji blagoslov i osobit razlog za duboku vjerničku zahvalnost na tom daru. K tomu, tijekom tog istog  razdoblja u našim biskupijama su kao biskupi djelovali ili iz našeg domaćeg klera potjecali ili ovomu svećenstvu pripadali te bili zaređeni za biskupe i službovali ovdje ili u drugim biskupijama po svijetu 28 dijecezanskih svećenika i 6 franjevaca.

Među brojnim hodočasničkim mjestima u kojima se vjernici okupljaju u veliku broju svakako treba spomenuti Gospina svetišta u Komušini, Olovu, Stupu, Širokom Brijegu i Hrasnu; zatim Srca Isusova u Studencima, Ivana Krstitelja u Podmilačju, Ante Padovanskoga na Humcu, Leopolda Mandića u Maglaju i Male Terezije u Presnačama i Ledincu.

Od crkvenih događaja u našoj zemlji iz tri zadnja desetljeća treba svakako podsjetiti na: obilježavanje 100. obljetnice uspostave obnovljene redovite hijerarhije (1981.), euharistijske kongrese po svim našim biskupijama (1982.), 700 godina dolaska franjevaca (1991.), imenovanje nadbiskupa Vinka Puljića kardinalom (1994.) te na povijesne apostolske pohode pape Ivana Pavla II. Sarajevu (1997.) i Banjoj Luci (2003). Kao svojevrsnu krunu radosnih događaja za katolike u našoj zemlji smatramo svečano proglašenje blaženim mladog laika Ivana Merza (2003.) i Drinskih mučenica (2011.). Uz to, treba spomenuti da su kod Kongregacije za svece u tijeku postupci za proglašenje blaženim Slugu Božjih: fra Šimuna Filipovića, sjemeništarca Petra Barbarića i nadbiskupa Josipa Stadlera.

Slično kao i u nekim ranijim periodima djelovanja crkvene hijerarhije u BiH, ni danas, na žalost, naša domovinska Crkva, nije pošteđena nekih nepotrebnih unutarcrkvenih proturječja odnosno nesuglasica između redovite crkvene hijerarhije, pa i same Svete Stolice, s jedne – i jednog (manjeg) dijela neposlušnih redovnika franjevaca s druge strane. Postoje utemeljene nade da će se i ovo uskoro riješiti na dobro Kristove Crkve u našoj zemlji.

Propast komunističke države Jugoslavije označio je početak novoga strašnog rata 1991. i nastanak novih država na njezinu području. Sveta je Stolica 1992. godine uspostavila diplomatske odnose s BiH a 1993. imenovala prvoga apostolskog nuncija. A kako je, zajedno s raspadom te države, prestala postojati i istoimena Biskupska konferencija, Sveta je Stolica 1994. za područje BiH-a osnovala novu Biskupsku konferenciju.

Na prvu obljetnicu izbora pape Benedikta XVI., 19. travnja 2006., u Sarajevu je svečano potpisan „Temeljni ugovor između Svete Stolice i BiH“ a 29. rujna 2006., kao njegov sastavni dio, također „Dodatni protokol na Temeljni ugovor između Svete Stolice i BiH“. Ovaj ugovor stupio je na snagu 25. listopada 2007. kad je bio ratificiran u Vatikanu. Iz njega je proizašao „Ugovor između Bosne i Hercegovine i Svete Stolice o dušobrižništvu katoličkih vjernika, pripadnika Oružanih snaga Bosne i Hercegovine“. Potpisan je u Sarajevu 8. travnja 2010., a ratificiran 14. rujna 2010. u Vatikanu i toga dana stupio na snagu.

Osim ovih međunarodnih ugovora, kojima je definiran pravni okvir za postojanje i djelovanje Katoličke Crkve u BiH, konkretne odnose s državnim vlastima na pravnoj razini uređuje za sve, pa tako i za Katoličku Crkvu i „Zakon o slobodi vjere i pravnom položaju Crkava i vjerskih zajednica u Bosni i Hercegovini“ iz 2004. godine.

Moramo nažalost javno iskazati svoju žalost pa i  negodovanje nad činjenicom da državna vlast do sada nije pokazala dovoljno odlučnosti i volje da provede ono, što je dogovoreno sa Svetom Stolicom i propisano spomenutim Zakonom. Time je Crkva u svom djelovanju uvelike oštećena a vjernici onemogućeni u ostvarivanju svojih prava. A radi se o važnim pitanjima, za koja je državna vlast preuzela obvezu da ih uredi, kao što su: vjerski blagdani kao neradni dani, nepovredivost ispovjedne tajne, dozvole za gradnju sakralnih objekata, zdravstveno, invalidsko i penzijsko osiguranje vjerskih službenika, položaj crkvenih odgojnih, obrazovnih i karitativno-socijalnih ustanova, smještaj Vojnog ordinarijata itd.

 

I svi će vas narodi zamrziti zbog imena moga“ (Mt 24, 7a. 9).

 

Daleko najbolnije za Crkvu u našoj domovini tijekom svih ovih sto trideset godina jest nasilno fizičko iskorjenjivanje čak nekoliko stotina tisuća katolika uslijed nedavnog „etničkog čišćenja“ i nemogućnosti njihova povratka i ostanka u rodnom kraju.

Tijekom rata od 1991. do 1995. Katolička je Crkva u BiH izuzetno teško stradala što posebice zorno oslikavaju sljedeći podaci. Prije posljednjega rata na području BiH živjelo je do 800.000 katolika a danas, tek nešto više od polovice od predratnoga broja, oko 440.000! Najviše je (kao i u Drugom svjetskom ratu) uništena Banjolučka biskupija – nedostaje 2/3 vjernika, te Vrhbosanska nadbiskupija – nedostaje oko 3/5 vjernika! Osim toga, mnogi su katolici tijekom ratnih i poratnih godina ubijeni a među njima 10 svećenika i 2 redovnice. I materijalna šteta na crkvenim objektima je ogromna. Prema podacima biskupskih ordinarijata iz Sarajeva, Mostara i Banje Luke, tijekom posljednjega rata u BiH je potpuno uništeno 65 župnih crkava, 60 ostalih crkava, 63 kapelice, 65 župnih kuća, 8 samostana i 8 grobalja. U isto vrijeme teško su oštećene 54 župne crkve, 53 ostale crkve, 55 kapelica, 84 župne kuće, 14 samostana i 53 groblja. A djelomično je oštećeno još 66 župnih crkava, 55 ostalih crkava, 109 kapelica, 77 župnih kuća, 8 samostana i 103 groblja. Ukupan broj potpuno uništenih, teško oštećenih i lakše oštećenih crkvenih objekata iznosi, dakle, ravno 1000. Od toga broja 294 objekta su stradala u naletima Armije BiH a 706 objekata bili su na meti Vojske Republike Srpske. Također su i stradanja drugih kulturnih dobara Katoličke Crkve bila velika ali do danas ovo pitanje nije dostatno istraženo. Ipak, ovdje treba spomenuti dvije uništene velike biblioteke: onu Franjevačke teologije u Sarajevu i onu Biskupskog ordinarijata u Mostaru. I dok se i ovom prilikom sjećamo žrtava i gubitaka Katoličke Crkve ali i strepimo za njezinu budućnost ne gubimo iz vida stradanje i gubitke drugih. Naprotiv, ponavljamo što smo u zajedničkoj poslanici napisali 1996. „Sve one, koji su se od sinova Katoličke Crkve na bilo koji način osjetili nepravdom pogođeni, molimo za oproštenje… mi opraštamo svima koji su nam nanijeli nepravdu i zlo…“ 

Tijekom rata, unatoč katastrofalnom stradanju kojemu je bila izložena, Crkva je uspjela razviti veliku karitativnu djelatnost. Za to su posebice zaslužni (nad)biskupijski Caritasi u Mostaru, Banjoj Luci i Sarajevu, osnovani ili obnovljeni još prije rata, te Caritas Biskupske konferencije BIH, osnovan ratne 1994. godine. Također treba spomenuti djelovanje udruge „Kruh sv. Ante“ pri franjevačkim provincijama  te još neke katoličke dobrotvorne ustanove.

Još tijekom rata (1994.) a osobito poslije rata u novim prilikama, osim redovitih vjerskih poslova, Crkva je otvorila i sedam novih katoličkih školskih centara s trinaest osnovnih i srednjih škola (Sarajevo, Zenica, Tuzla, Travnik, Žepče, Konjic – kasnije zatvoren, Banja Luka, Bihać), zatim odgojne zavode za hendikepirane, domove za napuštenu siromašnu školsku djecu i omladinu, internate i konvikte, staračke domove, centre za medicinske usluge te dječje vrtiće. Obnovili su nekoliko tisuća kuća povratnicima, otvorili mnoga radna mjesta pokretanjem zadruga i kooperativa, materijalno i zdravstveno skrbili za više stotina tisuća ne samo katolika nego i mnogih nekatolika.

Već smo spomenuli da se najveći problem Katoličke Crkve u Bosni i Hercegovini sadašnjem trenutku sastoji  u dramatičnom smanjenju broja katoličkog pučanstva, koje se pretvorilo u povijesni proces. On je započet već odavno, a nastavlja se posebno tijekom zadnja dva desetljeća, što se najbolje vidi iz procentualnog odnosa katolika prema pripadnicima drugih vjera.

 

Godina	K a t o l i c i
Oko 1450.	Procjena oko 750.000	Procjena oko 87%
Popisi prema vjerskoj pripadnosti
1879.	209.391	18,08%
1885.	265.788	19,88%
1895.	334.142	21,31%
1910.	434.061	22,87%
1921.	440.431	23,48%
1931.	557.836	24,01%
1948.	614.123	23,9%
Popisi prema etničkoj pripadnosti
1953.	654.227	23,0%
1961.	711.665	21,7%
1971.	772.491	20,6%
1981.	758.140	18,4%
1991.	760.852	17,4%

 

Povijesni proces, u kojemu je nekadašnja demografska većina pretvorena u sadašnju manjinu a nekadašnja manjina u današnju većinu, dobro oslikava gornja tablica koja sažeto prikazuje rezultate nekih znanstvenih istraživanja za početak otomanske vladavine te njihove procjene o stanovništvu i, s druge strane, podatke službenih državnih popisa pučanstva koji su od 1879. do 1948. uvijek rađeni prema vjerskoj, a poslije toga svaki put prema narodnoj pripadnosti. Iščitavajući tablicu lako je uočiti da je proces smanjivanja broja katolika posebice bio tragičan u stoljećima otomanske vladavine ovim krajevima.  Dolaskom austrougarske vlasti započinje porast broja katolika koji je zaustavljen 1931. godine. Tada je proces procentualnoga smanjivanja broja katolika nastavljen što vrijedi posebice za godine poslije Drugoga svjetskog rata. Pojačan je poslije 1971. i sudbonosno ubrzan u posljednjem ratu i u sadašnjem poratnom vremenu i to prvenstveno zbog spomenutoga etničkog čišćenja i, napose za Hrvate katolike, nepravednoga Daytonskog sporazuma i još nepravednije njegove implementacije.

 

da živiš ti i tvoje potomstvo“ (Pnz 30, 19).

 

Hod naše domovinske Crkve se nastavlja prema budućnosti. Na našem se horizontu pokazuju novi izazovi i prepreke. Potrebno je posebno upozoriti na one nezaobilazne. Bar dva od tih izazova dijelimo kao zajedničke s Crkvom na područjima takozvane zapadne kulture i civilizacije. Jedan izazov je demografske naravi a drugi kulturološke.

Demografsko pitanje: Prema podatcima naših Biskupskih ordinarijata iz siječnja 2011., katolika bi trebalo biti 443.013 (Banja Luka 36.513, Sarajevo 194.812, Mostar 190.730, Trebinje 20.958) što bi moglo iznositi oko 11,5 % od oko 3.843.000 stanovnika koliko bi ih trebalo biti u BiH prema procjeni Agencije za statistiku. Međutim, osobito zabrinjava zaključak, utemeljen na konkretnim godišnjim podacima iz naših Ordinarijata, da, nakon laganoga povećanja ukupnoga broja katolika, koje je registrirano u prvim poratnim godinama i koje se nastavilo sve do 2006. godine, osim jednoga prekida iz 1998. i 1999. kad je registriran pad broja katolika, posljednjih pet godina kontinuirano opada broj katolika.

Osim opadanja ukupnog broja katolika, uvelike zabrinjava nagli pad njihova prirodnog priraštaja koji se, za razliku od ukupna broja vjernika, može pratiti prilično pouzdano, i to zahvaljujući preuzetim podacima iz župnih knjiga krštenih i pokopanih. Prema toj evidenciji, katolici u BiH su neposredno nakon rata imali pozitivan priraštaj. No, u procesu stalnog opadanja ukupna broja, koji je krenuo u isto vrijeme, prirodni priraštaj katolika 2002. godine prvi je put pao ispod ništice. A kao što pokazuje sljedeća tablica, taj negativan proces se nastavlja i dalje pa je 2010. godine u svim župama u BiH registrirano 1410 pokopanih više negoli krštenih.

 

Godina	Kršteni	Umrli	Priraštaj	Vjernika
1996.	6739	5272	1467	424.915
1997.	7127	5841	1286	451.385
1998.	6779	5956	823	451.208
1999.	6736	5892	844	448.186
2000.	6409	5831	578	456.058
2001.	5734	5655	79	458.110
2002.	5543	5565	-22	463.687
2003.	5256	5996	-740	464.821
2004.	5184	5937	-753	464.694
2005.	5244	5896	-652	462.690
2006.	5146	5892	-746	463.131
2007.	4915	6155	-1240	459.102
2008.	4799	6214	-1415	454.921
2009.	4686	6075	-1389	448.147
2010.	4726	6136	-1410	443.013

 

Drugi, kulturološki izazov za kršćane naših dana, ali i za vjernike općenito, jest odnos suvremenog čovjeka – osobito na europskom kontinentu prema – duhovnim i vjerskim vrednotama, prema transcendentnim uporištima i objavljenim izvorima istine i morala. I ako nam je dramatično demografsko pitanje već u kući, za ovaj, ništa manje zabrinjavajući kulturološki fenomen bi se moglo reći da nam je pred vratima naše kuće, a u našim gradskim naseljima nerijetko već i u našim domovima.

Ovaj, tzv. postmodernizam je stanje duha koji smatra da nema objektivnih ili apsolutnih istina, pogotovo u pitanjima vjere i duhovnosti. On, kada se suoči sa stvarnošću Objave, Boga i trajnih načela vjerske prakse, nudi svoj relativistički odgovor prema kojemu je svaki oblik, u najboljem slučaju, samo jedna od mogućnosti. Tako, gledano s kršćanskoga stajališta, izazov postmodernizma moglo bi se protumačiti kao sustav koji ne prihvaća apsolutnu istinu, već se priklanja filozofiji relativne istine i negativnoga religijskog pluralizma, koji ni vjeru, koju netko slijedi, ni religijsku praksu koju vrši, ne prihvaća kao objektivno vrijedne već kao „moje“, „za mene“ istinite. Odnosno, religija je „ovostrana“, stvorena, a dobra je i istinita u mjeri u kojoj se sljedbenik u njoj dobro osjeća. U tom stanju, svatko za sebe „sada“ traži rješenje svojih tjeskoba, nesigurnosti i potreba te pronalazi svoje religijsko uporište smisla i sigurnosti. To je individualizam u kojemu zbroj pojedinaca ne rađa zajedništvom ni zdravim pluralizmom koji bi oplemenjivao, nego mnoštvom individua kojima ravna kultura dobrog osjećanja. U službi toga se onda stvara svoga „boga“, svoja „moralna pravila“ i svoju religiju – bezboštvo i nemoral na nov način i u novim oblicima.

 

„Duh Istine upućivat će vas u svu istinu“ (Iv 16,13).

 

Imajući ove, kao i druge izazove i prepreke pred očima kao specifične znakove vremena nemamo pravo niti zatvarati oči, niti rezignirati, niti zdvajati. Nego, s još većim žarom naše vjere u Krista Spasitelja, našeg božanskog Vođu i Učitelja i s povjerenjem u Duha Svetoga, zajedničkim snagama želimo se odlučno zauzimati za što čvršće zajedništvo među svim članovima naše domovinske Crkve i za što bolje upoznavanje nauka Crkve, te za što vjernije oblikovanje svakodnevnoga našeg života u duhu Evanđelja i nauka Crkve. Osobitu pozornost želimo posvetiti našoj katoličkoj obitelji i katoličkom braku, kršćanskom odgoju i duhovnoj obnovi naših vjernika laika, uključujući mlade naraštaje i podržavajući osnivanje i zauzeti rad laičkih katoličkih udruga i pokreta.

Ne želimo nipošto ispustiti iz vida potrebu odlučnog i trajnog zauzimanja za zaštitu ljudskog života od njegova začeća pa do prirodne smrti.

Ne možemo se i dalje ne zalagati za istinu, pravdu, praštanje i trajni mir u našim župama, biskupijama i cijeloj zemlji gdje su još uvijek destruktivno prisutne mnoge neistine i nepravde te mnoge druge negativne posljedice nedavnog rata. Još uvijek je za nas sve veoma aktualan neostvareni a poželjni i potrebni povratak u svoje župe i na svoju očevinu mnogih desetina tisuća naših prognanih i izbjeglih vjernika, i zato ćemo se za njegovo ostvarivanje i dalje uporno zalagati.

Održavanje i njegovanje našeg nacionalnog jezika i naše kulturne baštine, sigurno su danas, a i sutra trebaju biti naša briga, kao što je to bio slučaj i kroz minula stoljeća. Ali, u duhu nauka Crkve (GS 75), ta briga ne smije i neće nikoga od nas ovlastiti da odgajamo buduće generacije naših vjernika i našeg naroda u duhovnoj skučenosti, nego u zdravoj ekumenskoj otvorenosti i dijaloškoj spremnosti prema vjernicima drugih zajednica u našoj zemlji, za opće dobro cjelokupnog domaćeg pučanstva.

Svjesni smo činjenice, da kao Kristova Crkva u našem narodu i u ovoj zemlji trebamo ispunjavati poslanje i zadaću da i narod i društvo prožimamo kvascem Evanđelja. Društvene slabosti jednog naroda koji je - kao naš hrvatski – velikom većinom katolički, pokazuju ujedno također i slabosti crkvenog zajedništva i postavljaju u pitanje našu kršćansku vjerodostojnost.

Možda će se buduće generacije, za 20, 50, ili 100 godina pitati gdje je bila naša Crkva sa svojom hijerarhijom u dramatičnim godinama s početka ovog dvadeset i prvog stoljeća i kasnije, te je – možda – došlo do ovog ili onog razvoja situacije i Crkve i naroda u ovoj zemlji. Mi znamo da prosudbe i sud ljudi nije i ne treba biti za nas odlučujući. Gospodin je onaj koji će nas pozvati na odgovornost (usp. 1 Kor 4, 3-4). Pred njim, Gospodarom povijesti, moramo se upitati jesmo li mi kao Crkva, kao kršćani još sol svijeta, grad na gori, svjetlo koje obasjava ljude oko nas? (usp. LG 1).

U svježem su nam sjećanju nezaboravne riječi velikog našeg prijatelja, blaženog pape Ivana Pavla II, izgovorene prigodom njegova II. apostolskog pohoda našoj zemlji i proglašenja prvog blaženika naše domovinske Crkve Ivana Merza, u Banjoj Luci, 22. lipnja 2003: „… Kršćanin je pozvan postati sa svoje strane, odsjev te Svjetlosti, nasljedujući Isusa Krista i u njega se ugledajući. Kako bi to ostvario, slušat će Njegovu riječ i o njoj će razmišljati, sudjelovat će svjesno i djelatno u bogoslužnom i sakramentalnom životu Crkve, izvršavat će zapovijed ljubavi služeći braći, navlastito malenima, siromašnima i onima koji pate… Vaša domovina i vaša Crkva, draga mladeži, doživjele su teške trenutke i sada valja raditi kako bi se život ponovno u potpunosti pokrenuo na svim područjima. Obraćam se zato svima vama te vas pozivam da se ne povlačite nazad, da ne popuštate pred napašću malodušnosti, nego da povećate pothvate kako bi Bosna i Hercegovina ponovno postala zemlja pomirbe, susreta i mira. Budućnost ovih krajeva ovisi i o vama …“.

Promatrajući nepristrano sadašnju situaciju u kojoj se nalazi naš narod i drugi narodi u ovoj zemlji, te naša Crkva u njima i među njima, postaje nam jasno da je potreban zaokret u pravcu jednog novog promišljanja: o novom evangeliziranju nas, članova Crkve da bismo uzmogli vjerodostojno svjedočiti vrjednote Kristova Evanđelja u našem    životnom okruženju i tako dati svoj doprinos da ova zemlja krene putem razumijevanja i suradnje svih njezinih naroda i građana . Taj zaokret nam valja svakako učiniti!

 

„Nevolja rađa postojanošću, postojanost prokušanošću,

prokušanost nadom. Nada pak ne postiđuje“ (Rim 5,3b—5a).

 

Oslanjajući se na uvjerenje da je, među tolikim svjedocima za katoličku vjeru, u prošlosti naših partikularnih Crkava u svim vremenima bilo zaista pravih kršćanskih svetaca i mučenika, te da je upravo njihova krv bila sjeme svih ponovnih buđenja nade i svekolika rasta u prošlim vremenima, zahvaljujemo Gospodinu za milosni dar njihovih primjera. Oni neka budu poticaj i uzrok novih uzleta različitih oblika crkvenoga života i ujedno poziv da poradimo kako bi još neki od tih svjedoka vjere iz dalje ili bliže prošlosti bili uzdignuti na čast oltara.

Pripremajući se za Godinu vjere, koju je papa Benedikt XVI. nakanio dogodine proglasiti, molimo sve znane i neznane svece i mučenike iz naših krajeva da svojim zagovorom probude u našim obiteljima svijest odgovornoga roditeljstva i da prate sva nastojanja nove evangelizacije naspram svih suvremenih izazova, kako lokalnih tako globalnih, a posebice naspram individualizma te vjerskog i moralnoga relativizma. Da nam svima isprose milost obraćenja i posvećenja kako bismo mogli doprinijeti posvećenju ovoga vremena i naših suvremenika.

Zahvalni Gospodinu za sve milosti koje je iskazao svojoj Crkvi u našim biskupijama tijekom proteklih 130 godina, u našim pastoralnim nastojanjima u narednim godinama osobito važnim smatramo da:

- nastavimo prije svega ustrajavati u odanosti Svetoj Stolici i u vjernosti Petrovu nasljedniku, te njegovati plodnu suradnju s drugim dijelovima Katoličke Crkve i njezinim ustanovama, posebice u susjednoj nam Hrvatskoj te u Europi;

- međusobno se savjetujemo i usklađujemo pastoralne inicijative u našim biskupijama;

- učvršćujemo povjerenje i zajedništvo među svim našim crkvenim strukturama, ustanovama i pojedincima;

- naviještamo cjelovitu Radosnu vijest te se s poniznim povjerenjem u svjetlo i snagu Duha Svetog i s odgovarajućom odlučnošću upustimo u borbu s izazovima koje donosi ovo vrijeme i ovaj naš konkretan životni prostor;

- slijedimo upute crkvenog učiteljstva i čuvamo autoritet biskupa kao učitelja vjere, odgovornih za poštovanje opće crkvene discipline, čuvara liturgijskoga života i predvoditelja cjelokupna služenja Riječi Božjoj;

- posvetimo još veću brigu za svećenike u pastvi i drugim vrstama apostolskoga djelovanja;

- poradimo više na promicanju duhovnih zvanja i još temeljitijem odgoju i obrazovanju svećeničkih kandidata;

- pospješujemo redovničke karizme svih redova, muških i ženskih, i brinemo se za njihov pomladak;

- otkrivamo, prepoznajemo i podržavamo Božje darove u vjernicima laicima i poradimo na duhovnoj obnovi laikata, te na još većoj zauzetosti laika u životu župnih i biskupijskih zajednica, osobito na način volontarijata;

- pojačamo pastoralnu brigu za katoličke obitelji;

- tražimo načina kako provoditi sustavan rad s mladima;

- promičemo djela milosrđa i ljubavi u što je uključeno i mirotvorstvo;

- nastavljamo sa sustavnom brigom, osobito preko biskupijskih i župnih Caritasa, za siromašne, napuštene, prognane, obespravljene i potrebnike svih vrsta;

- provodimo vjerno i ustrajno naputke crkvenog učiteljstva s obzirom na  ekumenizam i međureligijski dijalog;

- razmišljamo o pripravi i sazivanju biskupijskih i pokrajinskih sinoda u svrhu odlučnijeg i zajedničkoga pastoralnog djelovanja;

- na društvenoj razini, prema kršćanskim načelima, ustrajno budemo zagovornici i promicatelji poštovanja ljudskih prava, tvorci pravedna mira, odlučni protivnici svake diskriminacije i postojani zagovornici ravnopravnosti među pripadnicima raznih naroda i vjerskih zajednica u našoj zemlji, potičući i osposobljavajući vjernike laike da duh i snagu Evanđelja „strpljivo i hrabro“ unose u oblike svjetovnog života (usp. CL 14);

- u odnosima s nositeljima civilne vlasti pred nama biskupima je najprije obveza koju nam je izrijekom dao blaženi papa Ivan Pavao II. u prigodi svoga I. apostolskog pohoda našoj zemlji, u Sarajevu, 13. travnja 1997.: – „dizati proročki glas, upozoravati na nasilja, raskrinkavati nepravde, nazivati zlo pravim imenom i svi zakonitim sredstvima braniti povjerene nam zajednice“, postojano otklanjajući sve političke pokušaje zlorabljenja Crkve i njezinih predstavnika.A zatim također inzistirati da se u cijelosti primjenjuje Zakon o slobodi vjere i pravnom položaju Crkava i vjerskih zajednica u Bosni i Hercegovini te međunarodni Ugovor između Bosne i Hercegovine i Svete Stolice.

 

„Evo činim sve novo“ (Iz 43,19; Otk 21,5).

 

Mnoge generacije Kristove Crkve u našoj domovini - sve do naših dana, svoje su kršćansko uvjerenje učile, živjele i dokazivale najčešće u raznim životnim kušnjama, nepravdama, progonima pa i podnošenjem pravih mučenja.  I vrlo uspješno su položile ispit iz kršćanskog svjedočenja. Stoga smo duboko zahvalni Gospodinu Bogu za milost njihove ustrajnosti i vjernosti.

Olujni vjetrovi u prošlosti – i u ovoj nedavnoj – naše domovinske Crkve tresli su mnoge cvjetove kršćanskog stabla, razbacivali sjeme i tako pripravljali novi cvat. Siloviti događaji koji su, osobito u proteklih 70-ak godina, pogodili mnoge naše župne i biskupijske zajednice, prodrmali su naš narod, a mnoge njegove članove razbacali kao sjeme po cijelom svijetu. Sve te kušnje i progonstva svjedoče da nas Bog nikada nije ostavio nego nas uvijek iznova poziva da, unatoč svemu, čujemo njegov zov i porukunade i života.

Novo iskustvo Boga, novo čitanje vlastite prošlosti i novo posvješćivanje naše životne zbilje tri su međusobno nerazdruživo povezana čimbenika, koji rađaju novu evangelizaciju. A ona, kao hitna zadaća stoji pred cijelom Crkvom na našem kontinentu, pa tako i u našoj zemlji Bosni i Hercegovini. Tu zadaću želimo – s pouzdanjem u Boga – odvažno i vjerodostojno ispunjavati.

Na koncu ovoga prigodnog pastirskog pisma upućujemo svoju usrdnu molitvu utjelovljenom Sinu Božjem, čiji blagdan Rođenja uskoro radosno želimo svi proslaviti. Ovu molitvu prvi je izgovorio Kristov Namjesnik na zemlji, blaženi papa Ivan Pavao II. prigodom svoga I. apostolskog pohoda našoj zemlji, 13. travnja 1997. godini:

„Preda Te, raspeti i uskrsli Kriste, danas dolazi Sarajevo i čitava Bosna i Hercegovina s teškim računom svoje povijesti. Ti si naš veliki zagovornik. Ovaj Te puk zaziva ističući da snagom svojeg otkupljenja prožmeš bolnu povijest koja je ovdje proživljavana. Ti, utjelovljeni Sine Božji, kao čovjek prolaziš kroz zgode i nezgode ljudi i naroda. Koračaj i kroz povijest ovih ljudi i ovih naroda koji su prisno vezani uz ime grada Sarajeva, uz ime Bosne i Hercegovine“.

 

Draga braćo svećenici, redovnici, redovnice i vjerni Božji narode!

 

Dok su mnogi dijelovi Kristove Crkve na našem kontinentu tijekom prošlih stoljeća teologiju mirno proučavali na učilištima, naše crkvene zajednice su istovremeno pa sve do naših dana svoje kršćansko uvjerenje učile, živjele i dokazivale najčešće na križu. I vrlo uspješno su položile ispit iz teologije mučeništva. Stoga smo duboko zahvalni Gospodinu Bogu za milost ustrajnosti i vjernosti. I dok se približavamo Božiću, spasiteljskom događaju, koji sve obnavlja i uzdiže, molimo Bogočovjeka Isusa Krista, da svojoj Crkvi u našim biskupijama udijeli milost i snagu obnove, ponovnoga poleta i rasta u dobroti i svetosti. Tu svoju molitvu povjeravamo moćnom zagovoru Blažene Djevice Marije, Majke Božje i Majke Crkve, blaženoga Ivana Merza, „Drinskih mučenica“ i svih neznanih svetaca i mučenika iz naših biskupija.

Zazivamo na sve vas i cijelu našu zemlju blagoslov Trojedinoga Boga Oca i Sina i Duha Svetoga.

Vaši biskupi

 

Mons. Tomo Vukšić, vojni biskup

 

 

 

To the priests and religious and all the faithful – the peace and blessing of God!

 

by neglecting his commandments and decrees and statutes!” (Deuteronomy 23:6; 8:11)

 

“The joys and the hopes, the grieves and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the grieves and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” (see GS 1). And what the Church proclaims in these resonant opening words of the Pastoral Constitution of Vatican II applies to its relations with the Croat people and the other peoples in our country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Church has been close to the population through the long centuries of their dramatic history. The Church has been deeply and strongly rooted in the everyday life of our Croat people. And our people are as deeply and strongly rooted in the fertile soil of the Catholic Faith and ecclesial community, which even today displays the healthy fruit of this precious relationship.

Conscientiously and diligently looking to the study of history as a great teacher of life, this year we wish to highlight in different ways and in different places, one of the most significant and decisive events for the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which took place a hundred and thirty years ago. This was the restoration of the diocesan hierarchy decreed by the successor of the Apostle Peter, Pope Leo XIII, in his Apostolic letter ("Ex hacaugusta") of July 5, 1881. In his letter, Pope Leo explains that he has acted "for the greater glory of Almighty God,” and “for the growth and elevation of the Catholic Faith among the local people." He stresses that "thehierarchical administration of the life of the Church, through differences of degree and responsibility, contributes in a remarkable way to the mutual harmony and well-being of all the parts, because of the common ties of faith and love and the authority of the supreme leader who governs and rules everything." He expresses "thevery strong hope" that "nothing will bring more delight” to the whole Catholic people of the country, for whose benefit the diocesan hierarchy has been restored, than to unite with the Apostolic See on which the Church is built, “by daily stronger obedience, and efforts of devoted will."

In this Pastoral Letter, we the bishops together, once again wish to present to all of you, and also to others, our reflections on the past decades of the existence and activity of the restored Church hierarchy in our country, as well as the present condition of the Church in our country, and the difficulties, challenges and tasks now being faced by Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

ask your elders and they will tell you.”(Deuteronomy 32:7)

The process of restoring the diocesan hierarchy in Bosnia and Herzegovina progressed in parallel with the end of Ottoman rule following the Congress of Berlin (1878) and the inclusion of these areas in the Central European political and cultural environment.

At that time the Catholic Church in our country was organized in two Apostolic vicariates headed by bishops – Apostolic vicars, and Trebinje-Mrkan Diocese, led by the Bishop of Dubrovnik as Apostolic vicar. At the same time, the Franciscan fathers, who constituted a majority of the pastors in both of the vicariates, belonged to the two provinces: “BosnaSrebrna” (Silver Bosnia) and the Herzegovinian Custody, which in 1892 was elevated to the status of Province.

Previously, during more than four centuries of Ottoman rule, all God's people in Bosnia and Herzegovina miraculously, and with great sacrifice and suffering, experienced and gave witness to their fidelity to Christ. Ordinary believers, Franciscan friars, Glagolitic priests, other diocesan priests in the Trebinje-Mrkan diocese, and the bishops themselves – the Apostolic vicars – like the early Christian "confessors of faith", gave witness to their Catholicism, and because of this they endured suffering of all kinds, risked their lives, and resisted and survived in the land of their ancestors, praising the Lord God for giving them the rich earth and the holy places of their homeland.

As with the members of the Catholic Church in the past, so too was the experience of the former ecclesiastical institutions: the Apostolic vicariates, the Franciscan provinces, parishes, chaplaincies, and monasteries. While the former were maltreated, persecuted, and reduced in number, so the latter were burned, demolished, subject to violence, without any possibility of rebuilding.

The survival of Catholics and their institutions was made possible mainly through the persistence of personal faith and fidelity to Christ of a large number of individuals – lay people and their pastors – and through the fostering of Christian morality, especially among married couples and family communities.

Constant perseverance in fidelity to Christ and the love of the Mother of Christ, and to the Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Christ on Earth, in spite of all the sufferings through the centuries – this perseverance is the clearest message and lesson that has been handed down to us from our ancestors. We can see an element of this in the ancient folk song in honor of Our Lady, which is still sung in many of our parishes:

 

New ones I now foretell.”(Isaiah 42:6a, 9a)

 

The termination of the missionary organization of the Church in Apostolic vicariates and the restoration of diocesan church administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina was possible only after Ottoman rule had ended. The Holy See first signed a contract with the new authorities on June 8, 1881 (Convenzionetrala Santa Sede e ilGoverno Austro-Ungarico per la BosniaedErzegovina), under which the restoration (ristabilimento) of the Church hierarchy was agreed. After this, Pope Leo XIII, through the Apostolic letter cited above, abolished the two Apostolic vicariates that then existed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and formed a new ecclesiastical province of Vrhbosna. From the beginning, four dioceses were included in the new ecclesiastical province, three new dioceses – the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna with its seat in Sarajevo, the two suffragan dioceses, Mostar-Duvno Diocese with its seat in Mostar, and Banja Luka Diocese with its seat in Banja Luka, and the existing Diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan, which continued to be administered by the Bishop of Dubrovnik as the Apostolic administrator until 1890, when the Bishop of Mostar became permanent Apostolic administrator of the diocese. This structure remained until February 1, 2011, when Pope Benedict XVIestablished the Military Ordinariate of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the four decades of Austro-Hungarian rule (1878 to 1918) the Catholic Church flourished in many areas. First of all,the number of Catholicsincreased. We would remind readers that 209,391 (18.08% of the population) Catholics were recorded as living in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the year of the first official census (1879). The figure for Orthodox was 496,485 (42.88%), and for Muslims 448,613 (38.75%). During the Austro-Hungarian period many new parishes were established. At the same time, a number of Eastern Rite Catholics settled in Bosnia from other parts of the multinational Empire (mainly Ukrainians), and several parishes were established for them. Also during this period, four new theological seminaries for the education of priests, including colleges of Philosophy and Theology, were established. The Theological Seminary of Vrhbosna opened in Travnik in 1890, moving to Sarajevo three years later as it did not have its own premises in Travnik. The Theological Seminary of Herzegovina Franciscan province opened in Mostarin 1895. Following the merger of the Livno and Sutjeska monastic schools of the "BosnaSrebrna" province, the Franciscan Theological Seminary of the province moved to Sarajevo in 1909. Furthermore, the Theological Seminary and School of Philosophy at the “MarijaZvijezda” Trappist Abbey near Banja Luka was already operating at the beginning of the 20^th century, certainly before 1907.

In the same period, four junior seminaries with high schools (gymnasia) were established: inter-diocesan in Travnik in 1882, Franciscan, in Kreševo in 1882 (moving to Visoko in 1900), Franciscan at SirokiBrijeg from 1889 and at the "MarijaZvijezda" Trappist Abbey probably from around 1900.

Of course, all these activities were possible because, at that time, there was sufficient freedom for Church activity, but also because the institutions of this kind, either of the Catholic Church or of other faith communities, were to a greater or lesser extent funded by the government.

The Catholic Church, in this period made a remarkable and distinctive contribution to the progress of this undeveloped country, particularly in the fields of education, and social andcultural life.

In 1910, however, in spite of the fact that large numbers of new schools open to all denominations had been established since the beginning of Austro-Hungarian rule the figures for illiteracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina werein the meantime haditself opened many new schools that were equally open to attend for all children, in Bosnia there were still 77.45% for Catholics, 89.92% for Orthodox and as 94.65% for Muslims (cf. Die Ergebnisse der Volkszählung in Bosnien und Herzegowinavom 10. Oktober 1910, Sarajevo 1912, pg. XLVI).

Arriving in Bosnia and Herzegovina, new religious orders and congregations, such as the Jesuits, the Trappists, the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of the Adoration of the Precious Blood and the Daughters of Divine Love, opened schools, boarding schools, hospitals, kindergartens, and homes for the elderly. Metropolitan Archbishop of VrhbosnaJosipStadler, in addition to being a leader in the fields of religion, culture, education and the improvement of social conditions through the foundation of ecclesiastical institutions and buildings and by launching a broad range of practical pastoral and charitable initiatives, also founded a community of female religious, the Servants of the Child Jesus. This community, like many other religious communities, works in particular to ensure the welfare of poor and abandoned children, by providing education and social support, and looks after the elderly. The number of religious men and women grew, so that in the course of time, especially after the Sisters of St. Francis teaching congregation arrived, several provinces of female religious were founded.

By raising levels of knowledge and literacy and by expanding the Catholic press, the Church promoted religious education, personal responsibility and the commitment of believers to the common good of the Church and of individual communities. So the Church had an immediate influence on the the country’s overall social progress and development.

 

in their every affliction.“ (Isaiah 63:8b)

 

The growth and fruitful work of the Church continued in many ways after 1918, although the political situation in the country had radically changed. The new government often tried to manipulate ecclesiastical matters, ecclesiastical lay movements and associations, and deepen divisions among them. The Church fostered resistance to such behavior by the state, and polemics between Church and state became common. Some priests, especially as a result of activities related to Croat ethnicity, were prosecuted and sent to prison. Some Church newspapers were banned for the same reason. The state promoted the activities of the Old Catholic Church and several small parishes of this community were established during this period. Furthermore, it should be noted that the Serb Orthodox Church, which had the status of a state religion, maintained disputes with the Catholic Church. These disputes resulted in the resistance of the Serbian Orthodox Church to the ratification and implementation of the concordat between the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Holy See in the mid-thirties. Because of this, when the state itself was abolished the legal position of the Catholic Church and its organization, as envisaged in the concordat, had not been resolved.

 

or make void your covenant.” (Daniel 3:31, 34)

During World War II, the Catholic Church in our country suffered considerably. Many believers and clergy were murdered, and churches, parishes and cultural assets were destroyed. But the murders that followed, immediately after the end of the war were disastrous for the Church. In particular, in 1945, during the first post-war months, many Catholics were murdered and the biological survival of the population was seriously jeopardized. As a direct or indirect consequence of the war and the subsequent persecution, by 1952 as many as 160 priests and dozens of male religious had been killed. Furthermore, many priests and male and female religious were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment on charges that were without any foundation. By the end of 1949 / beginning of 1950 in Bosnia and Herzegovina not a single bishop was free. Mostar Bishop PetarČule had been subjected to a show trial in 1948 and was sentenced to many years in prison. The state tried to manipulate believers and priests who had not been imprisoned, through discrimination and intimidation and through the "Good Shepherd" association of clergy, established by the state in 1950 at a time when not a single bishop was free. Many Church institutions were forcibly closed, including the inter-diocesan theological seminary in Sarajevo, the Franciscan theological seminary in Mostar, the Trappist theological seminary near Banja Luka and the junior seminaries (high schools) in Travnik and ŠirokiBrijeg and the "MarijaZvijezda" Trappist Abbey near Banja Luka. All female religious were expelled from Bosnia and Herzegovina by the communist regime. Some sisters, however, managed to stay on and continue their work in a lay capacity. The same hostile regime expropriated almost all Church property, and all Church charitable, cultural and educational institutions were entirely forbidden to work, except for the Franciscan seminary in Visoko and the Franciscan theological seminary in Sarajevo. The Catholic press was almost completely destroyed and during the many decades that followed, it was not allowed to operate.

State persecution of the Catholic Church moderated slightly after 1960 and after 1970 a new Catholic press slowly began to emerge. At the end of communist rule, there were four monthly magazines: “Našaognjišta” (Our Hearth, Tomislavgrad), “Radosnavijest” (The Good News, Sarajevo), “Crkvanakamenu” (The Church on the Rock, Mostar) and “Svjetloriječi” (Light of the Word, Sarajevo), and several professional reviews. In addition to these monthly magazines and their publishing companies of the same name, the Franciscan theology and Vrhbosna Catholic theology faculty in Sarajevo were also known as publishers, producing a number of titles, and there were a small number of other Catholic publishers.

After the expulsion of female religious at the beginning of the communist regime, nuns later returned. Four congregations established provinces: the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (Sarajevo), the Servants of the Infant Jesus (Sarajevo) and the Sisters of St. Francis teaching congregation (Mostar and Sarajevo).

As time passed, the Church, generally speaking, found a way to function more effectively in still difficult circumstances. The inter-diocesan seminary in Sarajevo was not allowed re-open until 1969, and then only after the Archbishop of Sarajevo had managed to buy back from the state the building of the Theological Seminary, originally owned by the Archdiocese. The oldest high school in Bosnia and Herzegovina – the Vrhbosna School of Theology – was turned into the Theological Faculty by the Congregation for Catholic Education in 2009. The Travnik seminary and gymnasium were revived as late as 1998. In the dioceses of Herzegovina and Banja Luka there has been no junior seminary or theological seminary since 1945. However, the Theological Institute was established in Mostar in 1987, where lay catechists are educated, and in the early nineties, another institute was established in Sarajevo and one in Banja Luka. In Banja Luka, however, as a result of the forced emigration of Catholics, the institute has since been closed.

 

by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.” (Hebrews 6:10)

Despite the anti-religious and anti-ecclesial atmosphere in which our native Church has found itself during past decades, God has blessed the victims and heard the prayers of His people, and He has given His people priestly and religious vocations.

Thus, at the end of 2010 the Diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan had 31 ordained priests (15 in the Diocese), the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno had 70 (54 in the Diocese), the Diocese of Banja Luka had 38 (22 in the Diocese) and the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna had 224 (144 in the Archdiocese). The FranciscanProvince of "Silver Bosnia" at the same time had 288 priests (216 inBosnia and Herzegovina) and the Province of Herzegovina had 184 (113 inBosnia and Herzegovina).

The Dominicans have a house and lead a parish in Zenica (1 priest), the Jesuits have a house in Sarajevo (3), the Salesians lead a school center in Žepče (3), the Trappists have a monastery in Banja Luka (3) the Carmelites have a house at Buško Lake near Tomislavgrad (4), and the Neocatechumens have maintained a seminary at Vogošća (1) since October 2011.

A total of 540 nuns were living and working in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of 2010. The Sisters of St. Francis teaching congregation had 164 sisters in Mostar province and 120 in the Bosnian-Croatian province. In the province of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul there were 64 sisters, and in the province of the Servants of the Infant Jesus there were 59 sisters. Sisters of other congregations were also present with monasteries or religious houses, including the Daughters of Divine Charity - 43, the Sisters of the Adoration of the Precious Blood - 45, the Daughters of Mercy - 6, the Servants of the Infant Jesus, from Split Province - 3, the Servants of Mercy - 3, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary - 4, the Sisters of Mary - 2, the Ursulines - 4, the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception - 2, the Missionaries of Love - 4, the Poor Clares - 4, and the Carmelites - 7.

While most domestic priests, monks and nuns perform their ministry in Bosnia and Herzegovina, quite a number serve, in various capacities, in other European countries, and in Australia, Africa, the Americas and Asia. In addition to the aforementioned, there are many priests and religious, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are members of various dioceses and religious orders outside this area, especially in Croatia.

If we calculate how many priests have been ordained in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the last 130 years and how many young men and women entered different religious orders and congregations, and if we add those descendants of our emigrants who entered clerical orders outside of our dioceses, we would surely see a special blessing of God and a special reason for our deep religious gratitude for this gift. During the same period, 28 former diocesan priests and 6 former Franciscans were ordained bishops and served here or in other dioceses around the world. These bishops either came originally from our domestic clergy or were part of this clergy.

Among the many places of pilgrimage where believers gather in large numbers should be mentioned the shrines of Our Lady in Komušina, Olovo, Stup, ŠirokiBrijeg and Hrasno, the Sacred Heart in Studenci, St John the Baptist in Podmilačje, St Anthony of Padua in Humac, St Leopold Mandić in Maglaj and St Theresa, the Little Flower, in Presnače and Ledinac.

Among the notable church events in our country during the last three decades, we recall the celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the restoration of the diocesan hierarchy (1981), the Eucharistic congresses in all our dioceses (1982), the 700 years’ anniversary of the Franciscans’ arrival (1991), Archbishop VinkoPuljić’s elevation to the cardinalate (1994) and the historic Apostolic Visits of Pope John Paul II to Sarajevo (1997) and Banja Luka (2003). As the crowning event in this series of joyful events for Catholics in this country, we would cite the beatification of the young layman Ivan Merz (2003) and the Drina Martyrs (2011). Furthermore, it should be noted that currently the Congregation for the Causes of Saints is conducting proceedings for the beatification of Fr. ŠimonFilipović OFM, the seminarian PetarBarbarić, and Archbishop JosipStadler.

As in some earlier periods of the Church hierarchy’s activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, even today, unfortunately, our nativehomeland Church has not been spared unnecessary intra-ecclesial controversies and disagreements between members of the diocesan hierarchy and even the Holy See, on one side, and a (small) number of “disobedient” Franciscan priests, on the other. There are good prospects that this problem will be settled soon, for the benefit of Christ’s Church in our country.

The collapse of the communist state of Yugoslavia marked the beginning of a new and terrible war in 1991 and the emergence of new states. In 1992 the Holy See established diplomatic relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and in 1993 the first Apostolic Nuncio was appointed. Following the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, the Holy See established the Bishops' Conference for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994.

On the first anniversary of the election of Pope Benedict XVI, on April 19, 2006, in Sarajevo, the "Basic Agreement between the Holy See and Bosnia and Herzegovina" was formally signed. On September 29, 2006, as an integral part of the Agreement, the "Additional Protocol to the Basic Agreement between the Holy See and Bosnia and Herzegovina” was also signed. This agreement came into force on October 25, 2007, when it was ratified by the Vatican. In due course the "Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Holy See on spiritual guidance for Catholic believers, members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina" was drawn up. This was signed in Sarajevo on April 8, 2010, and came into force on September 14, 2010, when it was signed in the Vatican.

In addition to these international agreements, which define the legal framework for the existence and activities of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the "Law on Freedom of Religion and Legal Position of Churches and Religious Communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina" of 2004, regulates the concrete legal relationship between the churches, including the Catholic Church, and the state authorities.

To our deep regret, we must express our sorrow and disapproval over the fact that the government has not shown enough energy and goodwill to implement the agreement with the Holy See and abide by decisions under the Law. As a result, Church activity has been circumscribed and believers have been deprived of their rights. This affects crucial issues that the State is charged with implementing, such as religious holidays, the inviolability of the secret of Confession, permits for the construction of religious buildings, health, disability and pension insurance of church officials, the status of Church educational, charitable and social institutions, the residence of the Military Ordinary and other matters.

 

You will be hated by all nations because of my name.” (Matthew 24:7a, 9)

By far the most painful experience for the Church in our country during all these one hundred and thirty years has been the violent physical rooting out of hundreds of thousands of Catholics as a result of the recent "ethnic cleansing" and their inability to return to their homes and remain in their homeland.

During the war from 1991to 1995the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered heavy damage, which becomes clear in light of the following statistics.Before the conflict,as many as 800,000 Catholics lived this country; today there are around 440,000, just over half of the pre-war number!The Banja Luka diocese was mostly destroyed (as happened during World War II) with two-thirds of believers now missing from the diocese; the figure for the Vrhbosna archdiocese is three-fifths of believers missing!Furthermore, during the war and postwar years many Catholics were killed, including 10 priests and 2 nuns.Damage to Church buildings has also been enormous.According to evidence in the dioceses of Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka, during the conflict, 65 parish churches, 60 other churches, 63 chapels, 65 parish houses, 8 convents and 8 cemeteries were completely destroyed.At the same time, 54 parish churches were heavily damaged as well as 53 other churches, 55 chapels, 84 parish houses, 14 monasteries and 53 cemeteries.Partially damaged were another 66 parish churches, 55 other churches, 109 chapels, 77 parish houses, 8 monasteries and 103 graveyards. The total number of completely destroyed, heavily damaged or partially damaged church buildings is thus 1,000.Of this number, 294 objects were destroyed in attacks by the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 706 objects were targets of the Army of RepublikaSrpska. Other cultural assets of the Catholic Church were also severely damaged, but to this day these cases have never been adequately investigated.However, we should mention two major libraries that were destroyed: one at the Franciscan Theological Seminary in Sarajevo and the other at the Bishops’ Residence in Mostar.

Even now, when we remember the victims and losses of the Catholic Church and experience a sense of apprehension about its future, we do not lose sight of other people’s suffering and losses.On the contrary, we repeat what we have written in our joint epistle of 1996 -"Of all those who were in any way mistreated or felt injustice at the hands of sons of the Catholic Church, we ask forgiveness – as we forgive all those who have committed injustice and evil ..."

During the war, in spite of great suffering and pain, the Church managed to develop major charitable activity. The diocesan and archdiocesan chapters of Caritas in Mostar, Banja Luka and Sarajevo, established or renewed before the war, deserve particular credit for their charitable work, as well as Caritas of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, founded during the war, in 1994. Here we should also mention the activity of the "St. Anthony’s Bread" association of the Franciscan provinces, and some other Catholic charities.

In addition to the many benefactors, especially religious groups from several European countries and the United States, who stood in solidarity with us in our suffering, we owe great and enduring gratitude to our greatest benefactor – to our Church and to our entire country – Blessed Pope John Paul II.

Even during the war (1994) and especially in the new circumstances after the war, in addition to regular religious activities, the Church opened seven new Catholic school centers with thirteen elementary and secondary schools, in Sarajevo, Zenica, Tuzla, Travnik, Žepče, Konjic (later closed), Banja Luka, and Bihać, followed by educational institutions for disabled children, homes for abandoned and indigent schoolchildren and young people, boarding schools and residential houses, nursing homes, medical centers and kindergartens. The Church has also helped to rebuild thousands of homes for returnees, created jobs by helping to start cooperatives and partnerships, and helped to provide financial support and health care for hundreds of thousands of citizens, not just Catholics but many non-Catholics too.

We have already mentioned that the biggest problem facing the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the present time is a dramatic fall in the size of the Catholic population. This should be viewed in its historical context. The process began long ago, and has intensified in the last two decades. This is illustrated in the size of the Catholic population as a percentage of the total population, compared to other religions.

 

Year	C a t h o l i c s
Around 1450	Estimate 750,000	Estimate 87%
Census according to religious affiliation:
1879	209,391	18.08%
1885	265,788	19.88%
1895	334,142	21.31%
1910	434,061	22.87%
1921	440,431	23.48%
1931	557,836	24.01%
1948	614,123	23.9%
Census according to ethnic affiliation:
1953	654,227	23.0%
1961	711,665	21.7%
1971	772,491	20.6%
1981	758,140	18.4%
1991	760,852	17.4%

 

The historical process, in which the former demographic majority has been turned into today’s minority and the former minority into today's majority, is well illustrated by the table above. It summarizes the results of scientific research conducted at the beginning of Ottoman rule, using an estimate of the population on one side, and data from official state census between 1879 and 1991 on the other side. From 1879 to 1948, the census was always made according to religious affiliation, and after that period according to ethnic affiliation. When we read the table it is easy to see that the process of reducing the number of Catholics was particularly severe during the centuries of Ottoman rule. During the Austro-Hungarian period the number of Catholics began to increase but this trend stopped in 1931. After that, the steady reduction of the Catholic population as a percentage of the overall population continued, particularly in the years immediately after World War II. The downward trend intensified after 1971, and then progressed fatally during the most recent conflict and the post-conflict period, primarily due to ethnic cleansing, already cited above, and to the Dayton Agreement – which was unjust to Croat Catholics and has been implemented in an unjust way.

 

and holding fast to him.” (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20a)

 

Our native Church continues its pilgrimage into the future. On the horizon we can see new obstacles and new challenges and we must focus on issues that cannot be avoided. We share at least two challenges in common with the Church in Western countries: one challenge is demographic and the other is cultural.

The demographic question: According to the data from different dioceses as of January 2011, there are 441,432 Catholics (Banja Luka 36,513, Sarajevo 194,783, Mostar 188,864, Trebinje 21,272), which would amount to about 11.5% of the 3,843,000 population estimated by the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, concrete annual data from our dioceses points to a worrying conclusion and this is that, after a slight increase in the total number of Catholics registered in the immediate post-war years and continuing up until 2006 (except for a break in 1998 to 1999), in the last five years there has been a steady fall in the number of Catholics.

In addition to the decline in the total number of Catholics, a process that deeply concerns us is the sharp drop in the natural growth of the Catholic population. The figures regarding natural growth can be traced more accurately than the total number of believers, thanks to data from parish registers of the baptized and buried. According to this evidence, the Catholic population in Bosnia and Herzegovina immediately after the war registered positive growth. However, amid a process of continuous decline in the total number of Catholics, which started at the same time, the natural growth of the Catholic population fell below zero for the first time in 2002. As can be seen in the following table, this negative process is continuing. In 2010, in all the parishes of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were 1,410 more burials than baptisms.

Year	Baptized	Died	Growth	Believers
1996	6,739	5,272	1,467	424,915
1997	7,127	5,841	1,286	451,385
1998	6,779	5,956	823	451,208
1999	6,736	5,892	844	448,186
2000	6,409	5,831	578	456,058
2001	5,734	5,655	79	457,355
2002	5,543	5,565	-22	463,687
2003	5,256	5,996	-740	464,821
2004	5,184	5,937	-753	464,694
2005	5,244	5,896	-652	462,690
2006	5,146	5,892	-746	463,131
2007	4,915	6,155	-1,240	459,102
2008	4,799	6,214	-1,415	454,921
2009	4,686	6,075	-1,389	448,147
2010	4,726	6,136	-1,410	441,432

 

The cultural question: A cultural challenge, not only for the Christians of our time, but for believers in general, is the attitude of modern man, particularly on the continent of Europe, to spiritual and religious values, to the power of transcendence, and to revealed sources of truth and morality. If we acknowledge that the dramatic demographic change is already affecting our house, then we must accept that this no less disturbing cultural phenomenon is already at the threshold of our house and in towns and cities it is already in our homes.

“Postmodern” thinking holds that there is no objective truth, no absolute truth, especially in matters of faith and spirituality. When confronted with the reality of God’s Revelation, and permanently valid principles of religious practice, it offers a relativistic answer according to which any form is at best just one among many possibilities. So, speaking from a Christian standpoint, the challenge of postmodernism could be interpreted as a system that does not accept the absolute truth but inclines to a philosophy of relative truth and negative religious pluralism in which religious belief or religious practice cannot be accepted as objectively valid, but only as truth "for me". In other words, religion is something “of this world", something created: it is good and true to the extent that the follower feels it as good or true. In such a situation, every person “now" seeks for himself or herself a solution to his or her anxiety, or insecurity, to his or her needs, and in this way arrives at a religious haven of meaning and safety. This is individualism in which the sum of the individuals does not create a healthy pluralism or fellowship that would ennoble us, but rather a group of individuals governed by a culture of “good feeling”. Following these ideas, the individual creates his own “god", his own "moral rules" and his own “religion” – atheism and immorality in new ways and new forms.

 

 “... the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth ...” (John 16:13)

 

Considering these and other challenges and obstacles as specific signs of the present time, we do not have any right to close our eyes; nor should we simply grieve, nor should we lose hope.On the contrary, with even greater enthusiasm born of our faith in Christ the Savior, our divine leader and teacher, and with confidence in the Holy Spirit, together we firmly advocate stronger unity among all members of our native Church and better knowledge of Church doctrine, and we work in good faith to shape our everyday life in the spirit of the Gospel and the Church’s teaching.We devote particular attention to our Catholic family and to Catholic matrimony, Christian education and spiritual renewal among our lay persons, including young people and we support the founding of lay Catholic associations and movements as well as their devoted work.

And we assert the central importance of our decisive and continuous commitment to protecting human life from conception to natural death.

We cannot but continue to strive for truth, justice, forgiveness and lasting peace in our parishes, in our dioceses and all across a country in which untruths and injustices, and other negative consequences of the recent war are still manifest.For all of us, ensuring the return of tens of thousands of refugees and displaced believers to their parishes and their native soil is a moral and practical necessity. That is why we will continue to advocate and campaign wholeheartedly in support of the return process until it has been completed.

Fostering our national language and our cultural heritage will continue to be our concern, as it has been down the centuries.But in the spirit of the Church’s teachings (see GS 75), these concerns cannot and will not permit any of us to educate future generations of our believers and our people in spiritual narrow-mindedness. Rather, it will be used to develop a healthy ecumenical openness and a willingness to engage in dialogue, and to listen to believers of other communities in our country,for the common good of the entire population.

We are aware that, as the Church of Christ in our people and in this country, we must fulfill the mission and duty to imbue our people and our society with the leaven of the Gospel. The social weakness of a people, which in the case of the Croat people is mostly Catholic, also reflects weaknesses of ecclesial communion and represents a challenge to our Christian credibility.

Perhaps future generations will, in 20 or 50 or 100 years, ask where our Church hierarchy stood during the period of dramatic change at the beginning of the twenty-first century and afterwards, and perhaps the position taken by the hierarchy will be seen as the cause of this or that development in the situation of the Churchand of the people in this country. We know that judgments and people’s evaluations are not and should not be crucial for us.God is the one who will call us to account (see 1 Cor 4:3-4).In front of Him, the Lord of history, we must ask ourselves whether we, as the Church, as Christians, continue to be the salt of the earth, the city on a hill, the light that shines on the people around us?(see LG 1).

There are still fresh memories of words spoken by our unforgettable friend, Blessed Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of his secondPastoral Visit to our country and the first beatification in our homeland Church, that of Ivan Merz, in Banja Luka onJune 22, 2003: "... The Christian himself is called to become a reflection of this Light, following Jesus Christ and taking His example.To realize it, the Christian believer will listen to His word and think about it, he will participate consciously and actively in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church. He will perform the commandment of love by serving our brothers and sisters, particularly the lowly, the poor and those who suffer... Your country and your Church, dear young people, have experienced difficult times and now you must work to make life fully return to normal condition in all areas.I therefore appeal to you and invite you not to pull back, not to yield to the temptation of discouragement, but to multiply your efforts, to make Bosnia and Herzegovina once more a land of reconciliation, encounter and peace. Therefore, the future of this region depends on you too... ".

Looking impartially at the situation in which our people and other peoples in this country find themselves, and when we see our Church in them and among them it becomes clear that a shift towards new thinking is necessary: the new evangelization of us, members of the Church, in order to be able to witness to the values of Christ’s Gospel in our life environment and in this way to help this country take a new path through the understanding and cooperation of all its nations and citizens. This is a shift we should definitely make!

 

and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint ...” (Romans 5:3b, 5:4, 5:5a)

 

Relying on the belief that among so many witnesses of the Catholic faith in the history of our particular Churches through all ages there were indeed true Christian saints and martyrs, and that their blood was the seed of every reawakening of hope and of overall growth in the past, we thank the Lord for the gift of grace and for their example.They should be our inspiration and the cause of renewal of different forms of church life, and they also call us to work hard so that others among these witnesses of faith, from the recent or the distant past, can also be raised to the glory of the altars.

Preparing for the Year of Faith, which Pope Benedict XVI wishes to announce next year, we pray that all the known and unknown saints and martyrs of our region will arouse a new awareness of responsible parenthood in our families by means of their intercession and will encourage our families to follow all efforts of the new evangelization, to overcome all contemporary challenges,local and global, and to struggle in particular against individualism and against religious and moral relativism.We pray that they will ask on behalf of us all for the grace of conversion and sanctification so that we can contribute to the consecration of this time and of our contemporaries.

We thank the Lord for all the grace He has bestowed on his Church in our dioceses during the past 130 years. In our pastoral efforts in the coming years we will:

- continue to persevere, above all, in loyalty to the Holy See and in fidelity to the Successor of Peter, to foster fruitful cooperation with other parts of the Catholic Church and its institutions, particularly in neighboring Croatia and in Europe as well;

- consult with each other and coordinate each other’s pastoral initiatives in our dioceses;

- consolidate trust and unity among all our ecclesiastical structures, institutions and individuals;

- proclaim the “Good News” of the Gospel, and, with humble confidence in the light and power of the Holy Spirit and with the right willingness, confront the challenges thrown up by this time and by the circumstances of our actual living space;

- devote even greater concern to priests in pastoral care and to other forms of apostolic activity;

- work harder in promoting spiritual vocations, thorough the education of candidates for the priesthood;

- enhance the charism of religious orders, male and female, by caring for their new vocations;

- detect, recognize and support God's gifts among lay people and work on the spiritual renewal of the laity and encourage them to engage even more in the life of parish and diocesan communities, particularly trough voluntary work;

- work strongly on the pastoral care of Catholic families;

- seek ways of working systematically with young people;

- promote works of mercy and love, which also includes peacemaking;

- maintain the organized care of the poor, the abandoned, the displaced, those deprived of their rights and those in all kinds of need, particularly through the diocesan and parish Caritas;

- carry out faithfully and persistently the guidelines of the Church’s teaching on ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue;

- study the preparation and convening of diocesan and provincial synods for more decisive and common pastoral activity;

- continue to be, on a social level, according to Christian principles, consistent advocates and promoters of human rights, creators of a just peace, determined opponents of any discrimination and persistent advocates of equality among members of different nations and religious communities in our country, encouraging and enabling the members of the laity to carry the spirit and strength of the Gospel, "patiently and bravely", into the forms of secular life (see CL 14);

- in relations with the holders of civil authority, take as our first obligation, as explicitly stated by Blessed Pope John Paul IIon the occasion of his first Apostolic Visit to our country (Sarajevo – April 13,1997), "to raise a prophetic voice, to warn of violence, to reveal injustice, call evil a real name, and by all legal means defend the communities entrusted to us", steadily removing all political attempts to misuse the Church and its representatives.And we will insist that the Law on Freedom of Religion and Legal Position of Churches and Religious Communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Holy See, is fully applied.

 

 “See, I am doing something new! ...” (Isaiah 43:19)

“… Behold, I make all things new …” (Revelation 21:5)

 

Generations of the Church of Christ in our country, right down to the present day, have learned their Christian faith, have lived and often given witness to it in the face of temptation, of injustice, of persecution and even of physical torture. They have passed the test of Christian witness. We are deeply grateful to the Lord for the grace of their perseverance and loyalty.

Storms in the past – and in our own time – have shaken many blossoms from the Christian tree of our native Church, scattering seed and preparing the way for new blossoms. Violent events, especially in the last 70 years, have assailed our parish and diocesan communities, buffeting our people, and many of them have spread, like seeds, across the world. These trials and persecutions testify to the truth that God, despite everything, has never left us, that He calls us to hear His voice and His message of hope and life.

A new experience of God, a new reading of our own past and a new awareness of our life’s reality – these are three inseparably linked factors which give birth to a new evangelization. And evangelization, as an urgent task, is facing the whole Church on our continent, as well as in our country, Bosnia and Herzegovina. We intend to carry out this task – with trust in God – boldly and faithfully.

At the conclusion of this commemorative pastoral letter we address our fervent prayer to the Incarnate Son of God, whose nativity we will soon joyfully celebrate. This prayer was first spoken by Christ's Vicar on Earth, Blessed Pope John Paul II, during his first Apostolic Visit to our country, on April 13, 1997:

Dear brother priests, religious men and women, and faithful people of God!

 

While many members of Christ’s Church on our continent during the past centuries quietly studied theology at universities, our church communities at the same time and until the present day studied, lived and witnessed to Christian belief more often on the cross. They passed through a trial in the theology of martyrdom. This is why we show such gratitude to the Lord for the grace of perseverance and loyalty. And as we approach Christmas, our Savior’s nativity that renews and raises all things, we pray to God and Man Jesus Christ to grant his Church in our dioceses the grace and power of renewal, a new rising and growth in goodness and holiness. We make our prayer through the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, Blessed Ivan Merz, the Drina Martyrs and all the unknown saints and martyrs of our dioceses.

 

On all of you and on our entire country, we invoke the blessing of the Triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 

Your bishops