Croatia-Bosnia and Herzegovina: joint plenary of Bishops on aid to quake victims, solidarity initiatives, new Missal in Croatian

The joint annual plenary meeting of the Bishops of Croatia and of Bosnia and Herzegovina took place at the headquarters of the Croatian Bishops’ Conference in Zagreb yesterday. The plenary was co-chaired by the Archbishop of Zagreb, Card. Josip Bozanic, and by the Archbishop of Sarajevo, Card. Vinko Puljic. The apostolic nuncio to Croatia, Mgr. Giorgio Lingua, also addressed the participants, briefing them on his recent audience with Pope Francis. Items on the agenda included reports on the situation of the Pontifical Croatian College of St. Jerome in Rome, which currently accommodates 22 Croatian priests studying in different Pontifical universities, and on the work of the Croatian section of Vatican Radio. Also, the report on the pastoral care of Croats abroad was of particular interest: in 2020, 14 new missionaries were sent from Croatia to their compatriots abroad, and the aid provided by these faithful to quake-affected populations in Sisak and Zagreb was also notable. The Presidents of Caritas Croatia and of Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina reported on joint projects, particularly on the 2020 Solidarity Week with the Church and People of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 2021 edition will begin on 7 March with a Mass in the parish of Saint Anthony of Padua in Petreceive, Banja Luka. During the session, discussion also focused on liturgical issues related to the new translation of the Croatian Missal, a joint work of the Liturgical Commissions of the Croatian Bishops’ Conference and of the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Iva Mihailova