Inter-religious meeting sows seeds of peace

Monday 17 September 2012

By Reinhard Backes
 
THE Archbishop of Vrhbosna (High Bosnia, Sarajevo), Cardinal Vinko Puljic, described the three-day Inter-religious Peace Meeting in Sarajevo which ended on Tuesday as an encouraging sign of reconciliation and enduring peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina. "At 35 round tables we talked about a lot of things, such as the consequences of the war for Sarajevo, forms of living together and experience with peace initiatives in other parts of the world," Cardinal Puljic stressed at the conclusion of the meeting in an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. "Interest was great wherever you looked. The crowds exceeded all expectations. They desire peace," Cardinal Puljic claimed.

In particular the Archbishop of Vrhbosna appreciated the visit of the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej, who was attending such a meeting for the first time as the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Peace Meeting had also highlighted the fact that the different faith communities and denominations could have a positive effect on the way people live together. Special recognition was accorded to the role of the Catholic Church in the peace process. Among other things the “European Schools” for children and young people of all faiths initiated by the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna had served the cause of reconciliation. The project was also being sponsored by "Aid to the Church in Need".
 
The gathering which took place for the 25th time at the invitation of the Catholic community of Sant’Egidio was held this time under the heading "Living Together is the Future – Religions and Cultures in Dialogue". From 9 to 11 September Sarajevo saw the coming together of, among others, Cardinal Puljic, Belgrade Patriarch Irinej, Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric, Chief Rabbi Yitshak Asiel as well as Heads of State Bakir Izetbegovic (Bosnia), Ivo Josipovic (Croatia), Filip Vujanovic (Montenegro) and Valentin Inzko, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
20 years ago the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina was still the scene of bitter battles. The Peace Meetings are the continuation of a tradition established in 1986 by Pope John Paul II. At that time the Pope invited the representatives of all the world's religions to a peace summit in Assisi.
 
 
Photo courtesy of Aid to the the Church in Need