BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA BISHOPS' CONFERENCE ENDS TWO-DAY SESSION

MOSTAR, Jan 29 (Hina) - Bosnia-Hezegovina's Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference ended its first session in Mostar today. Sarajevo Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Banja Luka Bishop Franjo Komarica and Mostar Bishop Ratko Peric decided that the conference would be officially called the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina, a statement said. Cardinal Puljic was elected president of the Bishops' Conference while Bishop Komarica was elected vice president. The spokesman for the Conference will be Pero Sudar, an assistant bishop of the Sarajevo archdiocese. Bishop Peric would be in charge of the areas coinciding with the jurisdiction of the Bishops' Conference of Croatia. The two-day session focused on the organization and programme of the Bishops' Conference and the situation in Catholic dioceses. The session particularly concentrated on how to alleviate the plight of people affected by war and stop further expulsions and violations of fundamental human and civil rights. Bishops heard reports by directors of local Caritas organizations and amended the Statute of the Sarajevo metropolitan Caritas, which now became the Caritas of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Bishops' Conference. Also discussed was the position of the Sarajevo divinity college. Special attention was paid to relations with other religious communities at the level of dioceses and the Bishops' Conference. Bishops reaffirmed their openness to ecumenical and inter- confessional talks which could contribute to peace and tolerance in the region, the statement said. The session also included Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Francesco Monterisi and representatives from the Bishops' Conference of Croatia, Split Archbishop Ante Juric and Dubrovnik Bishop Zelimir Puljic. Also present was the retired Bishop of Mostar, Pavao Zanic. Greetings were read from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who relayed blessings from the Holy Father; the president of the Bishops' Conference of Croatia, Cardinal Franjo Kuharic; and Sarajevo Assistant Bishop Pero Sudar, who participated on behalf of Cardinal Puljic in commemorations marking the 1,000 days of the Sarajevo siege. (hina) mm vm 291725 MET jan 95