The Roman Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Roman Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina

History

Christianity was introduced into Bosnia and Herzegovina from Salona at a very early date. Many of the dioceses which were suffragans of the Archdiocese of Salona in the 6th century must be sought within the present limits of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is especially true of the Bishopric of Bistue (Bestoeensis ecclesia) which was situated in the heart of the upper part of the present Bosnia.[1]

The 1969 Banja Luka earthquake destroyed the cathedral of the Diocese of Banja Luka.[2] The new cathedral was built from 1972 to 1973.

Following the 1992-95 war, many Croatian catholics of Bosnia and Herzegovina fled to Croatia, and the local Bishop was said to be struggling to have the Croats return to their homeland because of persistent difficulties there.[3]

John Paul II's visit to Banja Luka and Bosnia-Herzegovina of 23.06.2003. helped to draw the attention of Catholics worldwide to the need to reconstruct the Church in the country.[4] The destruction of churches and chapels was one of the most visible wounds of the 1992-95 war. In the Diocese of Banja Luka alone, which the Pope visited Sunday, 39 churches were destroyed and 22 suffered considerable damage. Nine chapels were destroyed and 14 were damaged; two convents were devastated and one severely damaged, as were 33 cemeteries.[4]

In 2009 the remains of fra Maksimilijan Jurčić, killed by Partisans on 28 January 1945 were discovered and subsequently buried in Široki Brijeg.[5][6] Among those in attendance at the funeral was Ljubo Jurčić the friar's nephew, and the Croatian consul-general in Mostar Velimir Pleša.[7] The cause of the martyrdom of the Herzegovinian Franciscans is led by the Vicepostulation Fra Leo Petrović and 65 Comrades.[8]

Demographics

There are an estimated 625,000 baptised Roman Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, roughly 16% of the population. Within Bosnia and Herzegovina the hierarchy consists of:

* Archbishopric
o Bishopric
* Vrhbosna (Sarajevo)
o Banja Luka
o Mostar-Duvno
o Trebinje-Mrkan
* The Diocese of Skopje which is located in the Republic of Macedonia is also under the Vrhbosna Archdiocese.
* The Bishops of Mostar-Duvno serve also as perpetual Apostolic Administrators of the Diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan.
* There are two Franciscan provinces in the country, the Franciscan Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary based in Mostar and the Franciscan Province of Bosna Srebrena based in Sarajevo.

References

1. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia:Bosnia and Herzegovina
2. ^ 35 godina od katastrofalnog potresa u Banjoj Luci, Vjesnik
3. ^ ZENIT
4. ^ a b Pope's Trip Helped Highlight the Plight
5. ^ Široki Brijeg: Pokopani posmrtni ostaci fra Maksimilijana Jurčića
6. ^ Misa za 66 ubijenih hercegovačkih franjevaca, Catholic Press Agency Zagreb
7. ^ FRA MAKSIMILIJAN POKOPAN CRKVI UZNESENJA BL. DJEVICE MARIJE
8. ^ Vicepostulatura postupka mučeništva »Fra Leo Petrović i 65 subraće«