Pope Francis meets Croatian member of Bosnia’s Presidency
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Monday with the Croatian member of the Collegial Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Covic. Leaders of country’s three ethnic communities, Bosnians, Croats and Serbs, were elected to the tripartite presidency following a ballot last November.
In a statement following the audience in the Vatican, the Holy See press office said the two leaders talked about bilateral relations and other common concerns, particularly regarding the contribution that Catholics make to the building up of society.
Please see below the full statement from the Holy See press office:
This morning, Monday 15 December 2014, the Holy Father Francis received in audience in the Vatican Apostolic Palace His Excellency Mr. Dragan ?ovi?, Croatian member of the Collegial Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by His Excellency Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial discussions, the Parties focused on the situation in the country, with particular reference to the contribution of Catholics to the edification of society and especially their commitment in the field of reconstruction following the devastation caused by floods last spring. Satisfaction was expressed regarding the good bilateral relations, and several issues were discussed in relation to the application of the 2006 Basic Agreement, which governs the relationships and collaboration between the Church and the State for the common good.
Finally, various themes relating to regional and international politics were considered.