RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN BH STRIVE FOR COMMON WELL-BEING - PULJIC

( Editorial: --> 1368 ) BRUSSELS, Feb 12 (Hina) - The heads of the four religious communities in Bosnia-Herzegovina do not deny the fact that the programme on the restoration of trust, reconciliation and forgiving they put forward in Brussels is in truth a political engagement. The heads of the Catholic, Orthodox, Islamic and Jewish communities are this week visiting the European Union. The programme they put forward to EU representatives Thursday would be carried out by a council for inter-religious cooperation, for whose establishment and work the communities' heads requested financial assistance. The head of the European Commission Hans van der Broek promised the programme would be closely considered. Asked by reporters were their goals not in truth political, the head of the Catholic Church in Bosnia cardinal Vinko Puljic said the Church was decisively distancing itself from the political struggle for power. The struggle for common well-being is another level of the political battle, Puljic said, adding on that level "no one is excluded". "The best good of the Church is spiritual well-being, and what religious communities have to do is to stimulate the growth of spiritual well-being and moral values. In this field the activity of religious structures necessarily interweaves with all structures working for the common well-being of the person and society", Puljic said. Talks in Brussels were held with representatives of the EU, NATO and Belgium. The heads of Bosnia's religious communities were Puljic, Orthodox metropolitan Nikolaj Mrdja, Muslim reis Mustafa Ceric, and the president of the Jewish community Jakob Finci. (hina) ha jn 121430 MET feb 98