The co-ordainers were the retired Archbishop of Vrhbosna, the venerable Cardinal Vinko Puljić, and the Archbishop of Zagreb, Metropolitan Msgr. Dražen Kutleša. They were joined by the Apostolic Nuncio in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Francis Assisi Chullikat, the bishops: Mostar-Duvno Msgr. Petar Palić, Banja Luka Msgr. Željko Majić, retired Bishop of Banja Luka Msgr. Franjo Komarica, retired Auxiliary Bishop of Banja Luka Msgr. Marko Semren, and about 30 other (arch)bishops. About 100 priests concelebrated, including the provincials of both Franciscan provinces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, OFM Zdravko Dadić and OFM Jozo Grbeš, and the general definitor of the Order of Friars Minor for the Slavic countries, OFM Konrad Cholewa.

Serving the people

After the solemn entrance procession from the Vrhbosna Theological Seminary to the cathedral, the opening words were delivered by Msgr. Vukšić, greeting first the appointed Bishop Miro, and then the present (arch)bishops and priests from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Italy, Austria, Albania and Slovakia. He also greeted the relatives and friends of Msgr. Relota, the believers from Busovača, where he was born, representatives of other religious communities and state authorities, especially the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and representatives of the diplomatic corps and NATO and EUFOR forces.

"Dear Monsignor Miro, we have come to join you in prayer and to testify that we want to support you in your future service to the people of the merciful Lord. We ask Him to continue to support us in what we have done well and to forgive us our weaknesses, so that we may be for the glory of God and the good of all His creatures", said the Archbishop of Vrhbosna in his introduction.

After the proclamation of the Gospel, the accompanying presbyters, OFM Petar Karajica and rev. Žarko Relota, accompanied Msgr. Relota to the altar, with which began the ordination ceremony.

In the introductory part, the Apostolic Nuncio, Msgr. Chullikat, showed the bull of appointment and read the apostolic mandate.

Truth Incarnated in Life

This was followed by a fitting homily entitled Be a role model for the faithful in word, doings and love, at the beginning of which Msgr. Vukšić expressed his joy that this provincial Church had gained a new bishop. He then referred to the proclamation from the beginning of the Old Testament Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, one of those passages from Holy Scripture that the Church proposes for consideration in the celebrations of episcopal ordination, explaining how Jeremiah was taken aback and surprised by his election and expressed fear and tried to free himself from such an important responsibility. "In this sense, in this celebration, which marks the beginning of a new episcopal ministry, the words that the Lord God addressed to Jeremiah at the beginning of his prophetic ministry resonate in a particularly strong way. First, the Lord confirmed his election as a new prophet and then called him to go to those to whom he would send him and tell them everything that he would command him. God then calls Jeremiah not to be afraid and promises that he will always be with him to save him, and for this purpose he put his words in his mouth (Jer 1:7-9). In this he is the image of every messenger of God, and especially of a bishop", emphasized Msgr. Vukšić, explaining that Jeremiah is also a role model "because the most beautiful characteristic of his writings, life and actions consists in the fact that they do not primarily convey religious truths as theoretical knowledge, but are primarily a reflection of the realized truths of faith and embodied in his life."

Furthermore, he spoke about the mission of Jesus' disciples, whom he tasked with preaching the truth that the kingdom of God has come near. "Jesus also sends the apostles to wish peace to every house they enter. This is peace, which is the consequence of the application of God's rules. That is, it is a peace that corresponds to the kingdom of God, the rule of God's rules, eternal peace, God's peace, which is a sign of complete harmony between God and man, man and man, people and people, state and state. Therefore, the proclamation of God's peace is in fact the preaching of Christ himself. Namely, as the apostle Paul teaches, He is our peace because He, as the applied rule of God,  destroyed in His body all hostility and all dividing walls and proclaimed peace to those far and near, so that through Him both of us in one Spirit have access to God (Eph 2:14-17)", explained Archbishop Tomo.

A witness to hope through the example of his own life

He then spoke about the episcopal ministry, i.e. the order of bishops who in the Church succeeded the college of apostles in teaching and pastoral administration. "The bishop is sent to be a witness of hope through the example of his own life firmly rooted in God and completely dedicated to the service of the Church. In doing so, he knows that the Gospel of Christ is above every service in the Church. It governs all of them and directs each one. To this end, the task of the bishop is to proclaim the complete Gospel, that is, to present the entire mystery of Christ and eternal bliss, and to call people to live in accordance with the rules of the Gospel. At the same time, their mission is to show with their lives and interpret in words the will of God, that every human person and their freedom should be respected, especially human life, the family, its unity and strength, the procreation and upbringing of children", said the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, adding that the mission of Jesus' apostles is to present ethical principles for resolving difficult and important issues of ownership, acquisition and fair distribution of material goods, peace and war, and fraternal relations and equality among all people and nations.

Emphasizing that we live in a time “when there are increasing numbers of individuals and systems that, through irresponsible behaviour and harsh words, steal people’s hope, sow fear, avoid dialogue, do not encourage economic development, or when they make it difficult to respect human and people’s rights, when the majority group abuses the law against the dignity of the minority community and, because of all this, the construction of a just society is delayed”, and that because of this, it is necessary “to show by good example in the name of God what the will of God is and how it should be, and to raise our voices publicly for this reason.”

“This is one of the moral obligations of all church officials, especially bishops, and is part of their mission”, underlined Msgr. Vukšić, emphasizing that it is “an honour to be a herald of the Gospel, a witness to its values, and an interpreter of social ethics.”

At the end of the sermon, given the specificity of the service of a military bishop, which, as he said, is also marked by the need for direct cooperation with those responsible in state institutions, especially for the purpose of building and strengthening a just peace, Archbishop Tomo touched on the episcopal motto of Msgr. Relota, Servant of God's Peace, saying that this peace is "a gift from God and a task entrusted to be spread by those who live the Gospel with humility, meekness and in the spirit of brotherhood. The motto thus summarizes the spiritual and pastoral program and conveys the message that the episcopal ministry is focused on building peace, reconciliation and unity among people."

"We wish you, dear Miro, God's blessing that in your future service you may be a model in word, act, love, faith and purity. Nurture the gift of grace that was given to you by the laying on of hands of the present brother bishops. Strive for this and let your progress be evident to all", he concluded by addressing the newly appointed bishop, saying: "Pay attention to yourself and to the teaching of others! For by doing this, you will save both yourself and those who listen to you."

The ordination ceremony

Then followed the act of episcopal ordination itself, at the beginning of which Msgr. Relota promised until his death to carry out the ministry entrusted to him by the apostles, to faithfully and persistently preach the Gospel of Christ, to keep the deposit of faith pure and whole, to build and remain permanently in the Church of Christ and in unity with the college of bishops under the authority of the successor of Peter the Apostle, to be obedient to the Holy Father, to care for the holy people of God, and to be kind and merciful to the poor and strangers and to all who are in need.

While the ordaining person lay on the ground before the altar, the bishops, priests, monks, nuns and all the people sang the Litany of All Saints.

The central act of ordination was the laying on of hands by the chief ordaining person, Msgr. Vukšić, on the head of the ordaining person, which was then done by the co-ordainers, Cardinal Puljić and Msgr. Kutleša, the nuncio and all the archbishops present.

During the ordination prayer, an open evangelist was held over the head of the ordaining person. Then Archbishop Vukšić anointed the head of the ordained Miro with the oil of holy chrism and gave him the evangelist, placed the bishop's ring on his hand, and the solideo and mitre on his head. He also handed him the shepherd's staff as a sign of the episcopate. At the end of the ordination ceremony, Bishop Relota exchanged the kiss of peace with all the bishops present.

Serving in humility

After the prayer at the communion, speeches of thanks were given by: Nuncio Chullikat; on behalf of the bishops Msgr. Kulteša; on behalf of the province, the monks and nuns OFM Zdravko Dadić; on behalf of the clergy of the Military Ordinariate, the Vicar General of the Military Ordinariate in BiH, Msgr. Željko Čuturić; on behalf of the Ministry of Defense, Deputy Minister of Defense of BiH, Slaven Galić.

Then the ordained Bishop Miro also said a few words, thanking first Pope Leo XIV, and then everyone who participated in this celebration. "Dear brothers and sisters, I want to live my episcopal ministry as a service – in humility, closeness to every person and fidelity to the Gospel.

I will especially strive to be close to the members of the Armed Forces, providing them with spiritual support, encouragement and prayer in their honourable service for peace and security. I ask you: accompany me with your prayers, so that, relying on God's grace, I may be a good shepherd of the flock entrusted to me", the military bishop called.

At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the new military bishop, accompanied by his co-ordinators, walked through the cathedral, distributing the episcopal blessing.

The liturgical singing was animated by the Magnificat choir under the direction of OFM Emanuel Josić.