Tension continues in Bosnia and Herzegovina

It is almost 25 years since the Bosnian War came to an end. Bosnia and Herzegovina is now at peace, but underlining issues still remain. This has caused problems for the Catholic minority , who have begun to leave the country in greater numbers.

By ACN Staff

Children pray before the altar in a ruined church in the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

The breakup of Yugoslavia led to the bloodiest series of wars seen in Europe since the end of the Second World War. The Bosnian War was particularly bloody, with place names like Srebrenica being seared into our minds. During that war, 100,000 people tragically lost their lives. The war came to an end with the Dayton Accords, which were signed on 14 December 1995. The United States played a key role in ending the conflict, the involvement of the European Union was also vital. Today, roughly half of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s population is Muslim (ethnic Bosniaks), and the other half is Christian (Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs). Catholics make up somewhere between 12-14% of the population and are mainly drawn from the country’s Bosnian Croat population. The Bosnian Serbs are mostly Eastern Orthodox and make up the remainder of the Christian population.  

The beginning of construction work at the Church of St. John in Stjepan Krst. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

The Dayton Accords have achieved their purpose of halting the fighting and killing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The accords divided the nation’s territory into two separate administrative divisions: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska. Power was divided between the Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks. The accords have however been used as a governmental structure for the country, something that were never been intended to do. This lack of a permanent constitution has caused issues. The Catholic bishops of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been critical of the lack of a constitution and the use of the accords in the place of a constitution. Their main complaint is the lack of protection for ethnic and religious minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are also issues surrounding the return of refugees and other displaced persons, there is currently no right for these people to return. This is compounded by the lack of compensation for loss of property or property damage caused by the war. The bishops have further explained that this has caused the issues underlining the conflict to smoulder under the surface.

A procession of Catholics. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

This has led to a dramatic exodus of Catholics from the country. For example, the bishops explain that in the Republic Srpska “the Catholic population […] has almost completely been eradicated, while the numbers have been declining steadily in the Entity Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina”. The emigration of young Catholics has been an area of serious concern. The bishops have been particularly critical of the lack of effort made by both local and international officials in ensuring the future of Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), in order to help give a future to young Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, have offered support to youth initiatives and groups run by the local dioceses.  ACN encourages all of the Faithful to offer prayer for the future of Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and if you wish to help ensure the future of Catholics in countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina to considering making a donation to help ACN in our work and mission.