Bosnian bishops say Catholics in some regions near extinction

Published: 2006-02-23

ROME (CNS) -- Catholics in the Balkan nation of Bosnia-Herzegovina have become "second-class" citizens and, in some regions, are on the verge of extinction, said a group of Bosnian bishops visiting Rome. While the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords brought an end to ethnic violence and bloodshed between Serbs, Muslims and Croats, the bishops said the accords were flawed and unfairly enforced, resulting in a lack of true peace, justice and adequate human rights protections in the country. On the eve of the start of their weeklong "ad limina" visit to the Vatican, Bosnian Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo, Bishop Franjo Komarica of Banja Luka, and Auxiliary Bishop Pero Sudar of Sarajevo spoke to journalists at a Feb. 22 press conference hosted by Italy's Catholic Action movement. The bishops appealed to the international community to help transform Bosnia-Herzegovina from its current two-government existence to a unified, decentralized democracy that would no longer be split along ethnic lines. The bishops said they would be informing Pope Benedict XVI about their appeal and the situation of the country's Catholics.

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