BANJA LUKA, June 22 (Hina) - During Mass in Banja Luka on Sunday, Pope John Paul II called on all Catholics in Bosnia-Herzegovina, especially the young, not to leave their country and to contribute to its building and spiritual
renewal.
BANJA LUKA, June 22 (Hina) - During Mass in Banja Luka on Sunday,
Pope John Paul II called on all Catholics in Bosnia-Herzegovina,
especially the young, not to leave their country and to contribute
to its building and spiritual renewal. #L#
"The future of this region depends on you. Don't look elsewhere for
a more comfortable life, don't run away from your responsibility
waiting for somebody else to solve your problems," the Pontiff said
in his homily.
The pope especially urged members of the Church in Bosnia to set an
example in contributing to the process of reconciliation and
forgiveness.
The Holy Father voiced regret because of the injustice and
suffering inflicted by members of the Catholic faith to others in
the region in the past. He added that relations of new brotherhood
and understanding could be built only on the basis of mutual
forgiveness and reconciliation.
"From this city, which has been marked with so much suffering and so
much blood throughout history, I pray to the Lord Almighty to be
merciful to the acts committed against man, his dignity and
freedom, even by some sons of the Catholic Church ... Only in an
atmosphere of true reconciliation, the memory of so many innocent
victims and their sufferings will not be futile and will encourage
us to build new relations of brotherhood and understanding," the
Pontiff said.
(hina) lml sb