The news of the appointment was announced at noon in Rome, and at the same time in Sarajevo, it was announced at the Archbishop's residence by the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Metropolitan Tomo Vukšić. In addition to the newly appointed Bishop Relota, the following were present: the vicars general of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna, Msgr. Slađan Ćosić, and the Military Ordinariate in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Msgr. Željko Čuturić, the provincial of Bosna Srebrena, OFM Zdravko Dadić, members of both ordinariates, as well as the administration of the province, and several military chaplains.

A Gift of God

In his speech, the Archbishop expressed his joy because “we believe that your episcopal appointment is a gift of God’s providence to this part of the Church of God and that you will continue to strive to be a messenger of God’s message to people and a humble servant of other means of salvation of the merciful God with which He, through the service of the Church, constantly teaches every person and constantly bestows blessings on all His creatures”. “The Church sends you to proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel of Christ from now on as a bishop in that part of it called the Military Ordinariate in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I know that this will be a completely new experience for you, but know also that you have been sent among the believers of Christ who love their Church, its priests and the military bishop, and expect them to be their spiritual support. I can testify to this from my personal experience as a military bishop, which has lasted for almost 15 years”, said, among other things, the Archbishop of Vrhbosna.

"Consultation" with the Most Holy

The newly appointed Bishop Relota said in his address that "with a sense of Franciscan simplicity and personal shortcomings" he received from the Apostolic Nuncio Francis Assis Chullikatto the Pope's wish to appoint him to the service of military bishop of Bosnia and Herzegovina. "Upon hearing this news, I went to the chapel in the nunciature and I don't know how long I remained alone before the Blessed Sacrament. First came a great storm, then a gentle wind and finally silence. And then the thought of Blessed Jakov Zadranin, who until his death carried out his mission in the town of Bitetto in southern Italy, came to mind. It was as if I heard his words often repeated to those who sought his advice: 'Ite secure! Go safely.' I stood up and returned to the nuncio, who patiently and with a smile welcomed me. I said: 'If this is the wish of the Holy Father, then here I am' (…) I can tell you that as a friar – a monk, I have learned to live order, work and discipline. I hope that together with you I will be a witness to the love of Christ in what concerns your life and your work. Our Archbishop Tomo has organized the Military Ordinariate in the best way and for that I thank him from the bottom of my heart. In addition to your own abilities, you priests have certainly been a great relief to him, to get used to it, military chaplains or even better, more simply, brothers in service, in Christ. Our Archbishop Tomo has made good progress, and I am convinced that as time goes by and as things are happening rapidly, that we still have many challenges ahead of us", said, among others, Bishop Miro.

Let us recall that Msgr. Relota, as the second Military Ordinary in BiH, succeeds Msgr. Vukšić, who has held this position since 2011, first as a bishop, and after being appointed Archbishop of Vrhbosna, then as apostolic administrator. The episcopal ordination of the newly appointed Bishop Miro is scheduled for February 14^th 2026, in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Sarajevo.

Biography of the newly appointed bishop

Monsignor Miro Relota, OFM, was born on July 1^st 1965 in Gusti Grab, in the parish of St. Anthony of Padua in Busovača.

After completing primary and two years of secondary school in his hometown, he continued his education at the Franciscan Classical Gymnasium in Visoko, where he graduated. He began his philosophical and theological studies at the Franciscan Theology School in Sarajevo, and completed them in Bari (Italy) at the Santa Fara Seminary. He took his solemn vows on September 22^nd 1990, and was ordained a deacon on October 1^st of the same year. He was ordained a priest on March 19^th 1991, belonging to the Franciscan Province of St. Michael the Archangel in Puglia and Molise, in the Diocese of Bari Bitonto. During his 26 years of service in Italy, OFM Miro held numerous positions: he was a clerical educator, parish priest in Lucera and Foggia, guardian and provincial definitor, and secretary for formation and studies; vice-rector for the Holy Land and envoy for the Apulian emigrants in Toronto and New York. During this period, he also led the cause of canonization of Blessed Jakov Zadarski, a 15^th-century Croatian friar, whose incorrupt body is venerated in the church of St. Francis in Bitetto.

He returned to the Franciscan Province of Bosna Srebrena in 2015, where he continued his pastoral ministry, first as parish vicar, and then as parish priest and guardian in the monastery and parish of the Holy Spirit in Fojnica. At the same time, he was a confessor at the Seminary in Nedžarići, Sarajevo. He is currently the spiritual director of the seminarians and a member of the Provincial Administration as a definitor. During his ministry, OFM Miro was also the Visitator General of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, a Missionary of Mercy by decree of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, an external confessor for diocesan seminarians and nuns in Sarajevo. In addition to these services, he is also the Deputy Director for the Diaconal Year of Friars and Diocesan Candidates for the Priesthood in Bosnia and Herzegovina.