A brief meeting with the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina

At 8:30am today, in the Study of the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in Audience, His Excellency, Mister Dragan Čović, President in turn of the Collegial Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with representatives of the State and Church Organizing Committee for the recent papal visit to Sarajevo (June 6, 2015).

Pope Francis was greeted by children
when he visited Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier this year

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina

I wish to thank you for your visit.  As Mister President has said, I still keep in my heart many great and beautiful things which I learned from you: the capacity for suffering - you have suffered so much; the capacity to forgive, or at least to seek forgiveness; the capacity to unite your efforts and to work together; the capacity for dialogue.  Thank you for these examples which you provide for all humanity.  Thank you so very much.

I ask you to greet your people on my behalf, all of them; greetings to the two other Presidents, greetings to the community who follow various religions but who meet to speak and to enter into dialogue for the good of your country.  This is a service they provide for the good of your people; and I am truly grateful.  Through them, I hope to continue the conversation and truly to help your people to continue on this road.

And please greet the wonderful young people!  I remember the questions that they asked me.  They are the promise of your country!  Thank you very much ... and please, I ask you to pray for me.

Now, let us ask God, the God of all people, God the Father of all, to bless you, to bless our lives, to bless our countries, to bless our families, to bless our children and to bless the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Now, let us continue along the way.  Amen.