Vatican City, Feb 26, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Pope John Paul II called on Bosnians this morning to take up “the path of peace and justice,” and create “conditions for sincere forgiveness and authentic reconciliation, freeing the memory of rancor and hatred derived from injustices suffered from artificially constructed prejudices.”
“This great task requires the active collaboration and serious commitment of all components of society, including political leaders,” the Pope said while receiving the Letters of Credence of the new ambassador of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Miroslav Palameta.
In his speech in Croatian, he focused on finding solutions to the problems that affect local populations and emphasized that “it is the challenge of a multiethnic and multicultural society like Bosnia-Herzegovina” to find solutions that are beneficial to all.
The Pope referred to “the unresolved question of the refugees and exiles of Banja Luka, Bosanska Posavina and other areas in Bosnia. The more time that passes, the more urgent the duty becomes to respond to their legitimate aspirations: their suffering requires our solidarity.”