This afternoon in Sarajevo, the Holy Father left the Apostolic Nunciature and travelled by car to the Cathedral dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where he met with priests, Religious men and women and seminarians.
Welcomed upon his arrival by the Rector of the Cathedral, the Pope paused in prayer at the tomb of the Servant of God, Josip Stadler, the first Archbishop of Sarajevo who was the builder of the Cathedral.
Following some words of welcome offered by the Archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, a priest, a Franciscan brother and a Religious Sister gave testimonials in the Pope's presence of the suffering and persecution they had suffered during the Balcan war which took place twenty years ago.
Stricken by their testimony, Pope Francis then spoke off the cuff with those who were present, choosing to provide them with written texts of the speech which had been prepared.
I prepared a speech for you, but after having heard the testimonials of this priest, this Religious priest and this Sister, I feel the need to speak from the heart.
They have told us about life, they have told us about their experiences, they have spoken about so many brutal and beautiful things. I will give the text of my speech - which is beautiful - to the Cardinal Archbishop.
The testimonies speak for themselves. This is your people's memorial! A people that forgets its memory has no future. This is the memory of your fathers and your mothers in faith: here, only three people spoke, but behind them, there were many others who also suffered the same things.
Dear sisters and brothers, you do not have the right to forget your history - not for the sake of revenge but rather in order to seek peace; not in order to see these testimonies as something strange, but in order to love as they have loved. In your blood, in your vocation, there is a vocation, there is the blood of these three martyrs. There is the blood and there is the vocation of many Religious women, many priests, many seminarians. The author of the Book of Hebrews says: I recommend that you not forget your ancestors, those who have passed on the faith. These three (he points to those who gave witnesses) have passed on the faith; they have passed it on as a living faith. Saint Paul himself tells us: Don't forget Jesus Christ, the first Martyr. And these three have walked in the footsteps of Jesus.
Take up your memory in order to make peace. There are a few words still in my heart. One is repeating over and over: forgive. A man, a woman who is consecrated to the service of the Lord and who does not forgive, is useless. To forgive a friend who has spoken a bad word, with whom you have had a fight, or a sister who is jealous of you - that's not so difficult. But to forgive someone who has beaten you, tortured you, who has trampled on you, who has threatened to kill you with a gun, this is difficult ... and they have done it, and now they preach what they have done!
Another word that remains in my heart is that of the 120 days spent in a concentration camp. How many times has the spirit of the world caused us to forget our ancestors, the sufferings of our ancestors! Those days are numbered, not by days but by minutes, since every minute, every hour is a torture. Everyone living together, dirty, without food, without water, in the midst of heat or cold, and for such a long period of time! And we, we complain when we have a toothache, or because we want a television in our bedroom and many other comforts, and we gossip about our Superiors when te food is not so good ... Don't forget, please don't forget the witnesses of your ancestors. Thank about how much they have suffered: think about the six litres of blood that the father received - the first one who spoke - in order to survive. And live a life that is worthy of the Cross of Jesus Christ.
Worldly Sisters, priests, bishops and seminarians are a caricature, they are useless. They do not posses the memory of the martyrs. They have lost the memory of Jesus Christ crucified, our only glory.
Another thing that comes to mind is the militiaman who gave the pear to the Sister; and the Muslim woman who now lives in America, who is a waitress ... All of us are brothers. Even the cruel man thought ... I don't know what he thought, but he felt the Holy Spirit in his heart and perhaps he thought of his mother and said: Take this pear and don't say anything. And the Muslim woman was able to see beyond religious differences: she was able to love. She believed in God and did good.
Seek good in everything. Everything has possibility, the seed of good. We are all children of God.
Blessed are you, that you have these testimonials so close to you: don't forget them, please. Your life grows with such memories. I think of the priest whose father died when he was a child, and then his mother died, and then his sister died and he was left alone ... But he was the fruit of love, of matrimonial love. Think about that martyred nun: she too was the child of a family. And think also about the Franciscan, with two sisters who were also Franciscans; and I remember the one that the Cardinal Archbishop spoke about: what is going on in the garden of life, in the family? Something horrible is going on: it does not blossom. Pray for families, that they might blossom with many children and that there may also be many vocations.
And finally, I want to tell you that this was a story of cruelty. Even today, in the wars throughout the world, we see so so so much cruelty. Always strive to do the opposite of cruelty: strive for an attitude of tenderness, of fraternity, of forgiveness. And carry the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Church, the holy Mother Church wishes it this way: small, small martyrs, in the face of these little martyrs, we seek little testimonies of the Cross of Jesus.
May the Lord bless you! And, please, pray for me. Thank you.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you with affection, and I ask you to express my warmest greetings to the members of your Congregations and Institutes who, because of illness or old age, cannot be here but are spiritually united to us. I thank Cardinal Puljić for his words, as well as Sister Ljubica, Father Zvonimir and Brother Jozo for their testimonies. I thank you all for your service to the Gospel and to the Church. I come to your land as a pilgrim of peace and dialogue, to strengthen and to encourage my brothers and sisters in the faith, and in particular you, who are called to work full time in the vineyard of the Lord. He says to us, I am with you always, to the close of the age (Mt 28:20). This certainty fills us with consolation and hope, especially when your ministry experiences difficulties. I think of the sufferings and trials both past and present in your Christian communities. Although you have lived through these circumstances, you did not halt, you endured, and worked hard to confront personal, social and pastoral challenges with a tireless spirit of service. May the Lord bless your efforts!
I can imagine that the Catholic Church’s being numerically a minority in your country, coupled with the failures that sometime occur in ministry, may at times make you feel like Jesus’ disciples when, although having toiled all night long, caught no fish (cf Lk 5:5). However, it is precisely in these moments, if we entrust ourselves to the Lord, that we experience the power of his word, the strength of his Spirit, which renews trust and hope in us. The fruitfulness of our service depends above all on faith: faith in Christ’s love, from which, as Saint Paul reminds us, and which he knows from experience, nothing can separate us (cf Rom 8:35-39)! Fraternity within our communities also sustains and strengthens us: fraternity among priests, among men and women religious, among consecrated lay persons, among seminarians. In fact, fraternity among all of us, whom the Lord has called to leave everything so as to follow him, gives us joy and consolation, and renders our work ever more fruitful. We are witnesses to fraternity!
Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock (Acts 20:28). With these words - recorded in the Acts of the Apostles - Saint Paul reminds us that if we want to help others become holy we cannot neglect ourselves, that is, neglect our own sanctification. And vice versa: dedication to God’s faithful people, being close to them in their lives, especially to the poor and the needy, helps us be conformed ever more to Christ. Attention to one’s own sanctification and pastoral charity towards people are two sides of the same coin and are mutually enriching. They must never be separated.
What does it mean, today, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for a priest or a consecrated person to serve the Lord’s flock? I think it means to carry out a pastoral ministry of hope, caring for the sheep that are in the sheepfold, but also going out in search of those who await the Good News and who do not know where to find it, or who on their own cannot find their way to Jesus. It means to meet the people where they live, including those sheep who are outside the sheepfold, far away, who may not yet have heard of Jesus Christ. It means taking care of the formation of Catholics in their faith and in their Christian lives. Encouraging the lay faithful to be protagonists in the evangelizing mission of the Church. For this reason, I exhort you to develop Catholic communities which are open and going forth, able to welcome and to encounter, and to be courageous in their evangelical witness.
The priest, the consecrated person, is called to live the anguish and the hope of his or her people; to work in concrete circumstances often characterized by tensions, discord, suspicions, insecurities and poverty. Faced with these painful situations, we ask God to grant us hearts that can be moved, capable of showing empathy; there is no greater witness than to be close to the spiritual and material needs of the faithful. It is the task of us bishops, priests and religious to make the people feel the nearness of God; to feel his comforting and healing hand; to be familiar with the wounds and tears of our people; to never tire of opening our hearts and offering a hand to all who ask us for help, and to all those who, perhaps because they feel ashamed, do not ask for our help, but who are in great need of it. In this regard, I wish to express my deep appreciation to Religious Sisters for everything they do with such generosity, and above all for their faithful and dedicated presence.
Dear priests, dear men and women religious, I encourage you to joyfully carry out your pastoral ministry whose effectiveness is the fruit of faith and grace, but also the fruit of a humble life, one detached from worldly concerns. Please, do not fall into the temptation of becoming a self-absorbed élite. The generous and transparent witness of priestly and religious life sets an example and gives encouragement to seminarians and to all those who the Lord calls to serve him. Standing by the side of young men and women, inviting them to share experiences of service and prayer, you will help them to discover the love of Christ and to open themselves up to the call of the Lord. May the People of God see in you that faithful and generous love which Christ has left to his disciples as a legacy.
I wish also to offer a word to you, dear seminarians. Among the many beautiful examples of priests and consecrated men in your country, we remember in particular the Servant of God Petar Barbarić. His example unites Herzegovina, where he was born, to Bosnia, where he made his religious profession, as he also unites all priests, diocesan or religious. May this young candidate for the priesthood, whose life was so full of virtue, be a powerful example to each one of you.
The Virgin Mary is always near to us, like a caring mother. She is the first disciple of the Lord, the first example of a life dedicated to him and to his brothers. When we find ourselves in difficulty, or when we are faced with a situation that makes us feel the depth of our powerlessness, let us turn to her with childlike trust. Then she always says to us – as she did at the Wedding at Cana – Do whatever he tells you (Jn 2:5). She teaches us to listen to Jesus and to follow his word, but to do so with faith! This is her secret, which as a mother, she wishes to pass on to us: faith, a genuine faith, enough so that even a grain of it can move mountains!
By abandoning ourselves in trust, we can serve the Lord with joy, sowing hope everywhere. I assure you of a remembrance in my prayers and I bless each of you and your communities. I ask you please, do not forget to pray for me.
Welcomed upon his arrival by the Rector of the Cathedral, the Pope paused in prayer at the tomb of the Servant of God, Josip Stadler, the first Archbishop of Sarajevo who was the builder of the Cathedral.
Following some words of welcome offered by the Archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, a priest, a Franciscan brother and a Religious Sister gave testimonials in the Pope's presence of the suffering and persecution they had suffered during the Balcan war which took place twenty years ago.
Stricken by their testimony, Pope Francis then spoke off the cuff with those who were present, choosing to provide them with written texts of the speech which had been prepared.
Impromptu speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sarajevo
I prepared a speech for you, but after having heard the testimonials of this priest, this Religious priest and this Sister, I feel the need to speak from the heart.
They have told us about life, they have told us about their experiences, they have spoken about so many brutal and beautiful things. I will give the text of my speech - which is beautiful - to the Cardinal Archbishop.
The testimonies speak for themselves. This is your people's memorial! A people that forgets its memory has no future. This is the memory of your fathers and your mothers in faith: here, only three people spoke, but behind them, there were many others who also suffered the same things.
Dear sisters and brothers, you do not have the right to forget your history - not for the sake of revenge but rather in order to seek peace; not in order to see these testimonies as something strange, but in order to love as they have loved. In your blood, in your vocation, there is a vocation, there is the blood of these three martyrs. There is the blood and there is the vocation of many Religious women, many priests, many seminarians. The author of the Book of Hebrews says: I recommend that you not forget your ancestors, those who have passed on the faith. These three (he points to those who gave witnesses) have passed on the faith; they have passed it on as a living faith. Saint Paul himself tells us: Don't forget Jesus Christ, the first Martyr. And these three have walked in the footsteps of Jesus.
Take up your memory in order to make peace. There are a few words still in my heart. One is repeating over and over: forgive. A man, a woman who is consecrated to the service of the Lord and who does not forgive, is useless. To forgive a friend who has spoken a bad word, with whom you have had a fight, or a sister who is jealous of you - that's not so difficult. But to forgive someone who has beaten you, tortured you, who has trampled on you, who has threatened to kill you with a gun, this is difficult ... and they have done it, and now they preach what they have done!
Another word that remains in my heart is that of the 120 days spent in a concentration camp. How many times has the spirit of the world caused us to forget our ancestors, the sufferings of our ancestors! Those days are numbered, not by days but by minutes, since every minute, every hour is a torture. Everyone living together, dirty, without food, without water, in the midst of heat or cold, and for such a long period of time! And we, we complain when we have a toothache, or because we want a television in our bedroom and many other comforts, and we gossip about our Superiors when te food is not so good ... Don't forget, please don't forget the witnesses of your ancestors. Thank about how much they have suffered: think about the six litres of blood that the father received - the first one who spoke - in order to survive. And live a life that is worthy of the Cross of Jesus Christ.
Worldly Sisters, priests, bishops and seminarians are a caricature, they are useless. They do not posses the memory of the martyrs. They have lost the memory of Jesus Christ crucified, our only glory.
Another thing that comes to mind is the militiaman who gave the pear to the Sister; and the Muslim woman who now lives in America, who is a waitress ... All of us are brothers. Even the cruel man thought ... I don't know what he thought, but he felt the Holy Spirit in his heart and perhaps he thought of his mother and said: Take this pear and don't say anything. And the Muslim woman was able to see beyond religious differences: she was able to love. She believed in God and did good.
Seek good in everything. Everything has possibility, the seed of good. We are all children of God.
Blessed are you, that you have these testimonials so close to you: don't forget them, please. Your life grows with such memories. I think of the priest whose father died when he was a child, and then his mother died, and then his sister died and he was left alone ... But he was the fruit of love, of matrimonial love. Think about that martyred nun: she too was the child of a family. And think also about the Franciscan, with two sisters who were also Franciscans; and I remember the one that the Cardinal Archbishop spoke about: what is going on in the garden of life, in the family? Something horrible is going on: it does not blossom. Pray for families, that they might blossom with many children and that there may also be many vocations.
And finally, I want to tell you that this was a story of cruelty. Even today, in the wars throughout the world, we see so so so much cruelty. Always strive to do the opposite of cruelty: strive for an attitude of tenderness, of fraternity, of forgiveness. And carry the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Church, the holy Mother Church wishes it this way: small, small martyrs, in the face of these little martyrs, we seek little testimonies of the Cross of Jesus.
May the Lord bless you! And, please, pray for me. Thank you.
Prepared speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the encounter at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Sarajevo
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you with affection, and I ask you to express my warmest greetings to the members of your Congregations and Institutes who, because of illness or old age, cannot be here but are spiritually united to us. I thank Cardinal Puljić for his words, as well as Sister Ljubica, Father Zvonimir and Brother Jozo for their testimonies. I thank you all for your service to the Gospel and to the Church. I come to your land as a pilgrim of peace and dialogue, to strengthen and to encourage my brothers and sisters in the faith, and in particular you, who are called to work full time in the vineyard of the Lord. He says to us, I am with you always, to the close of the age (Mt 28:20). This certainty fills us with consolation and hope, especially when your ministry experiences difficulties. I think of the sufferings and trials both past and present in your Christian communities. Although you have lived through these circumstances, you did not halt, you endured, and worked hard to confront personal, social and pastoral challenges with a tireless spirit of service. May the Lord bless your efforts!
I can imagine that the Catholic Church’s being numerically a minority in your country, coupled with the failures that sometime occur in ministry, may at times make you feel like Jesus’ disciples when, although having toiled all night long, caught no fish (cf Lk 5:5). However, it is precisely in these moments, if we entrust ourselves to the Lord, that we experience the power of his word, the strength of his Spirit, which renews trust and hope in us. The fruitfulness of our service depends above all on faith: faith in Christ’s love, from which, as Saint Paul reminds us, and which he knows from experience, nothing can separate us (cf Rom 8:35-39)! Fraternity within our communities also sustains and strengthens us: fraternity among priests, among men and women religious, among consecrated lay persons, among seminarians. In fact, fraternity among all of us, whom the Lord has called to leave everything so as to follow him, gives us joy and consolation, and renders our work ever more fruitful. We are witnesses to fraternity!
Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock (Acts 20:28). With these words - recorded in the Acts of the Apostles - Saint Paul reminds us that if we want to help others become holy we cannot neglect ourselves, that is, neglect our own sanctification. And vice versa: dedication to God’s faithful people, being close to them in their lives, especially to the poor and the needy, helps us be conformed ever more to Christ. Attention to one’s own sanctification and pastoral charity towards people are two sides of the same coin and are mutually enriching. They must never be separated.
What does it mean, today, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for a priest or a consecrated person to serve the Lord’s flock? I think it means to carry out a pastoral ministry of hope, caring for the sheep that are in the sheepfold, but also going out in search of those who await the Good News and who do not know where to find it, or who on their own cannot find their way to Jesus. It means to meet the people where they live, including those sheep who are outside the sheepfold, far away, who may not yet have heard of Jesus Christ. It means taking care of the formation of Catholics in their faith and in their Christian lives. Encouraging the lay faithful to be protagonists in the evangelizing mission of the Church. For this reason, I exhort you to develop Catholic communities which are open and going forth, able to welcome and to encounter, and to be courageous in their evangelical witness.
The priest, the consecrated person, is called to live the anguish and the hope of his or her people; to work in concrete circumstances often characterized by tensions, discord, suspicions, insecurities and poverty. Faced with these painful situations, we ask God to grant us hearts that can be moved, capable of showing empathy; there is no greater witness than to be close to the spiritual and material needs of the faithful. It is the task of us bishops, priests and religious to make the people feel the nearness of God; to feel his comforting and healing hand; to be familiar with the wounds and tears of our people; to never tire of opening our hearts and offering a hand to all who ask us for help, and to all those who, perhaps because they feel ashamed, do not ask for our help, but who are in great need of it. In this regard, I wish to express my deep appreciation to Religious Sisters for everything they do with such generosity, and above all for their faithful and dedicated presence.
Dear priests, dear men and women religious, I encourage you to joyfully carry out your pastoral ministry whose effectiveness is the fruit of faith and grace, but also the fruit of a humble life, one detached from worldly concerns. Please, do not fall into the temptation of becoming a self-absorbed élite. The generous and transparent witness of priestly and religious life sets an example and gives encouragement to seminarians and to all those who the Lord calls to serve him. Standing by the side of young men and women, inviting them to share experiences of service and prayer, you will help them to discover the love of Christ and to open themselves up to the call of the Lord. May the People of God see in you that faithful and generous love which Christ has left to his disciples as a legacy.
I wish also to offer a word to you, dear seminarians. Among the many beautiful examples of priests and consecrated men in your country, we remember in particular the Servant of God Petar Barbarić. His example unites Herzegovina, where he was born, to Bosnia, where he made his religious profession, as he also unites all priests, diocesan or religious. May this young candidate for the priesthood, whose life was so full of virtue, be a powerful example to each one of you.
The Virgin Mary is always near to us, like a caring mother. She is the first disciple of the Lord, the first example of a life dedicated to him and to his brothers. When we find ourselves in difficulty, or when we are faced with a situation that makes us feel the depth of our powerlessness, let us turn to her with childlike trust. Then she always says to us – as she did at the Wedding at Cana – Do whatever he tells you (Jn 2:5). She teaches us to listen to Jesus and to follow his word, but to do so with faith! This is her secret, which as a mother, she wishes to pass on to us: faith, a genuine faith, enough so that even a grain of it can move mountains!
By abandoning ourselves in trust, we can serve the Lord with joy, sowing hope everywhere. I assure you of a remembrance in my prayers and I bless each of you and your communities. I ask you please, do not forget to pray for me.
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