BOSNIAN BISHOPS FORWARD APPEAL FOR RECONCILIATION AND LAWFULNESS

SARAJEVO, Dec 21 (Hina) - Catholic Bishops in Bosnia-Herzegovina forwarded an appeal to the citizens of Bosnia and international political officials to more determinedly establish just peace in the country. At an extraordinary session of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Bishop's conference held in Sarajevo on 19 and 20 December, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, bishops Franjo Komarica, Ratko Peric and Pero Sudar signed a statement in which they declare their co-responsibility for the future of Bosnia-Herzegovina and its residents, the Catholic news agency KTA said. Participants of the Bishops' Conference confirmed that they would continue to aid all persons, communities and peoples to whom injustice had been done, to respect every man, its dignity, rights and freedoms. #L# "The upcoming Christian holiday Christmas additionally impels us to again appeal to you who also have man in your heart, as an individual and as a member of his ethnic and national community," they said in the appeal. The bishops reiterated that after the horrible sufferings of war and spiritual and material wasteland, all were obligated to join forces and remove the detrimental barrier of distrust among people, heal the wounds of evil, hatred and revenge and to establish peace on the grounds of love and forgiveness. The bishops called for the establishment of civil law, justice and freedom, for the return of rights to those who had lost them, the release of unjustly imprisoned and the safe return of people to their homeland. The two-day session mostly focused on the return of refugees and displaced persons. The bishops also discussed the possibility of providing pastoral care to Catholics in the police and army. Bosnian Bishops agreed that an inter-religious council should be established as a body which would incorporate the representatives of all religious communities in the country. (hina) lm 211436 MET dec 96