CATHOLIC BISHOPS MEET FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN SARAJEVO

SARAJEVO, Oct 5 (Hina) - European Roman Catholic bishops want the Iraqi crisis to be resolved peacefully and with respect for international law, the president of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE), the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Murphy O'Connor, said in Sarajevo on Saturday. #L# The presidents of European bishops' conferences met in the Bosnian capital for their regular annual meeting to discuss the Catholic Church in Europe today, evangelisation and ecumenism, however, the problem of a possible war against Iraq found its way into the agenda. O'Connor told reporters the bishops believed that respect for international law and the United Nations should be taken into account when discussing the Iraqi crisis. The CCEE believes that the Church must raise its voice in the interest of peace and justice, he said. According to O'Connor, the Iraqi crisis bears witness to the need for more dialogue, including dialogue between Catholicism and Islam. So far, that dialogue has been insufficient and the example of dialogue between Catholicism and Islam in Bosnia-Herzegovina could serve as a good example, he said. Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic, one of the CCEE vice-presidents, said that participants in the conference had met members of the Bosnian Inter-Religious Council which gathers the leaders of the country's three largest religious communities. "Sarajevo has always been a city of unity and mutual respect, setting an example in Europe," Bozanic said. The European bishops confirmed their commitment to ecumenism and the preservation of Christian values in the process of expansion of the EU to Central and East European countries. The conference ends on Sunday with the adoption of conclusions. The next conference of the presidents of European bishops' conferences is to take place in Vilnius in October 2003. (hina) rml