This Saturday, Pope Francis received the social democrat Denis Bećirović, representative of Bosnia in the Presidency of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the Vatican. Bećirović then met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and the Holy See’s foreign affairs representative, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. The Vatican later announced that the internal situation was discussed during the negotiations. It was also about wars around the world and the expansion of the EU into the Balkan countries.
Cardinal Victor Fernandez, who has been head of religious authority at the Vatican for about a month, will also advise in the future on the interpretation of the Church’s legal texts. Like this …
During discussions at the Secretariat of State, “appreciation for positive bilateral relations was expressed” – “and some open issues in the relationship between Church and State were also addressed,” according to the statement. With regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was reaffirmed that “the basis for peace and stability is the legal and social equality of all constituent peoples and the dialogue of all political actors”.
Participants at the meetings also discussed the international situation, “including the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Holy Land, the expansion of the European Union to include the countries of the Western Balkans, and the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Europe” was the focus”.
(Vatican news – sst)