Vatican City, 16 March 2015 (VIS) –
The prelates of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina
were received in audience this morning by the Pope, at the end of
their “ad Limina” visit. In the written discourse he handed to
them at the end of the visit the Holy Father, who will shortly visit
Sarajevo, emphasised “the charity, the care and the closeness of
the Church of Rome” with “the heirs of many martyrs and
confessors, who during the troubled centuries-long history of the
country have kept the faith alive”.
“Migration is justly one of the
social issues close to your heart”, he writes. “It evokes the
difficulty of return for many of your co-citizens, the scarcity of
sources of work, the instability of families, the emotional and
social laceration of entire communities, the practical precariousness
of many parishes, and the still fresh memories of conflict, both at a
personal and community level, in which wounded hearts are still
painful. I am well aware that, in your hearts as Pastors, this gives
rise to bitterness and concern. The Pope and the Church are with you
in prayer and in active support for your programmes to assist those
who live in your territories, without any form of discrimination. I
therefore encourage you to spare no energies in supporting the weak,
helping – in all ways possible – those who have a legitimate and
honest desire to remain in the land of their birth, bring succour to
the spiritual hunger of those who believe in the indelible values,
born of the Gospel, that throughout the centuries have nurtured the
life of your communities”.
“The society in which you live has a
multicultural and multi-ethnic dimension. And you have been entrusted
the task of being fathers to all, in spite of material limits and the
crisis within which you work. May your heart always be large enough
to accommodate all, just as the heart of Christ is able to receive in
itself – with divine love – every human being. Every Christian
community knows that it is called upon to open itself up and to
irradiate the light of the Gospel; it cannot stay closed within its
traditions, noble though they may be. It must come out of its
'enclosure', firm in faith, supported by prayer and encouraged by
pastors, to live and announce the new life of which it is a
depository, that of Christ, Saviour of all men. From this
perspective, I encourage the initiatives that can extend the presence
of the Church beyond liturgical parameters, assuming with imagination
every other action that may affect society, bringing with it the
fresh spirit of the Gospel. … Seek to promote a solid social
pastoral ministry in relation to the faithful, especially the young,
to ensure that consciences are formed, willing to remain in their own
territories as agents and key actors in the reconstruction and the
growth of your country, from which they cannot expect only to
receive. In this educational and pastoral work, the social doctrine
of the Church is of valid assistance. It is also a way of overcoming
the residue of old materialism that still persists in the mentality
and behaviour of some sectors of the society in which you live”.
The Pope remarks that the ministry of
the prelates of Bosnia and Herzegovina assumes various dimensions –
pastoral, ecumenical and interreligious – and underlines the
intense work that they carry out in these sectors, an expression of
their paternity towards the people entrusted to them. “I encourage
you and remind you that, while with respect for all, this does not
absolve you of the need to give open and frank testimony of your
belonging to Christ. The priests, men and women religious and lay
faithful, who live in close contact with citizens of different
religious traditions, are able to offer you valid advice regarding
your mixed communities. I consider an approach of this type to be
wise as it may bear the seeds and fruits of pacification,
understanding and collaboration”.
With reference to the relationship
between clergy and men and women religious, Francis comments, “I
know through direct experience the complexity of these relations, as
well as the difficulties in harmonising their respective charisms.
But the most important fact is that in both dimensions … a single
mission is pursued: to serve the Kingdom of Christ. … In this year
dedicated to Consecrated Life, we must show that all charisms and
ministries are destined to the glory of God and the salvation of all
men, taking care to ensure that these are effectively orientated
towards the edification of the Kingdom of God and not contaminated by
partial aims; that they are carried out in a regime of human and
fraternal communion, bearing each other's burdens with a spirit of
service”.
The Pontiff concludes with “a
personal word between bishops, as is appropriate in full charity”.
“I am aware that historical events make Bosnia and Herzegovina
different in many areas. And yet you are a single body: you are
Catholic bishops in communion with the Successor of Peter, in a
frontier location. One word alone emerges spontaneously from my
heart: you are in communion. Although at times imperfect, such
communion is to be pursued vigorously at all levels, setting
individual peculiarities aside. It is necessary to act on the basis
of your belonging to the same Apostolic College; other considerations
are of secondary importance and are to be analysed in the light of
the catholicity of your faith and your ministry”.
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