The Holy Mass was led by the Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Msgr. Tomo Vukšić, in communion with the retired Archbishop of Vrhbosna, cardinal Vinko Puljić, the Military Ordinary, Msgr. Miro Relota, and with the concelebration of the Vicar General of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, Msgr. Slađan Ćosić, the Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Bosna Srebrena, OFM Zdravko Dadić, and about 120 other priests.

Introducing in to the Holy Mass, Msgr. Vukšić recalled the Gospel scene of the risen Christ coming among his disciples and finding a way to encourage them and give them peace, and expressed gratitude that he comes among his disciples again “every time the Eucharistic celebration is celebrated, which is manifested under the occasion of bread and wine, and is ready to open the doors of souls, closed by sin and fears, and free them with the same greeting: 'Peace be with you!'”

Love of God

In his sermon entitled The Program of Priestly Ministry is Truth That the Son of God Did Not Come to Judge the World, but to Save the World, Archbishop Tomo encouraged reflection on a passage from the Gospel of John (3:16-21) describing one of Jesus' stays in Jerusalem and the conversation with Nicodemus, in which Christ emphasizes one of the most significant lessons recorded in the Holy Scriptures, which is that the love of God is the only, decisive and true reason why the Son of God became man and thus, as the Word of God that became flesh (cf. John 1:14), visibly settled in the world. "As the Only Born, as the second person of the Most Holy Trinity, the Son has a direct experience of God, and as the one who became man, the same Son has an experience of the world. And it is precisely this world that God loved so much that he gave his Son" Monsignor Vukšić reminded us, noting that God did not send the Son to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

He then touched on a passage from the Acts of the Apostles 5:17-26, which describes the dangers, condemnations, and prohibitions to which the apostles were exposed, but more importantly, which highlights the truth that they courageously continued to serve God's work of salvation and did not allow the dangers to distract them from that path. "The message to us presbyters is: If Jesus' apostle and his priest are, by the nature of their ministry, 'another Christ' in the world, and that is precisely what Christian spirituality and theology call them, then the trials of the cross and the misunderstanding of the environment are also, at least sometimes, an integral part of their mission. Of course, it is always entirely appropriate to repeat Jesus' prayer: Lord, if it is possible, let this pass from me. But nevertheless, so that the will of God may always be done (cf. Mt 26:39)", Archbishop Tomo encouraged.

He then spoke about the strength of the preacher of the gospel, saying that a free preacher does not allow himself to be conditioned, but gladly cooperates with everyone for the common good and thus brings light to the areas of social shadows.

Finally, he talked about the service "that the world may be saved", that is, the basic content, driving force, justification and purpose of the overall missionary activity of the Church and of each individual disciple of Jesus. "Serving Jesus' desire to save the world is the fundamental purpose of the sacrament of Holy Orders and priestly ministry (…) Since God loved the world so much, the priest, who is the 'second Christ', should also love the world and the earth, their sons and daughters, spaces, beauties, wounds, challenges and sufferings. You see, we are not Christians only because we love God, but, before that, to believe that God loves us", said Msgr. Vukšić, concluding by calling on priests not to judge the world, but to follow the example of Jesus, the patient and merciful spiritual guide, and to help people, illuminating their darkness with the Light that came into the world.

The liturgical singing was animated by Rev. Marko Stanušić, regens chori of the Sarajevo Cathedral.

Working part of the meeting

After the Holy Mass, the working part of the meeting took place in the hall of the Priests' Home, where greetings and welcome were expressed by Msgr. Ćosić, who moderated the meeting, then Archbishop Tomo, who, among other things, congratulated the Franciscans on the great anniversary - eight centuries since the death of St. Francis, thanking them for their pastoral contribution to the archdiocese, and Provincial Dadić, who spoke about the relevance of the Franciscan message and also reminded of the events in this Jubilee Year of St. Francis.

Three lectures were then held on the document Declarations and Decisions of the First Synod of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna.

The first was given by a professor at the Catholic Faculty of Theology, Dr. Rev. Ljubo Zadrić, who spoke about the theological perspective of the document. He said that the theological foundation is contained in the motto Renewing All in Christ, which reflects the faith of the entire people of God. He stated that the church mission is not a “personal hobby”, but rather participation in a community that bears witness to the truth about Christ, with a special emphasis on the “pedagogy of accompaniment” and an individual approach to each person. He pointed out the serious work that needs to follow, referring to a serious and different organization of pastoral care for the faithful.

The second lecture was also given by a professor at the Sarajevo Catholic University of Theology, Dr. Rev. Ilija Marković, who presented on the legal nature and binding nature of the Declarations and Decisions of the First Synod of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna. With an appropriate presentation, he spoke about the number of decisions classified by services: the ministry of proclamation – 118 decisions, the ministry of consecration – 62, and the management – 38. As Rev. Marković stated, these are 218 decisions of documents that regulate the life of the Archdiocese, including the strict obligation of ongoing formation of priests, the prohibition of their political engagement, and the introduction of mandatory written contracts for the work of religious in parishes. The protection of the dignity of the Eucharistic sacrifice was particularly emphasized through the prohibition of collective Holy Mass intentions.

The third lecture, on the pastoral aspect of the document, was given by the Commissioner for Youth and Family Ministry of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna, Dr. Rev. Ante Vrhovac. He emphasized that the Declarations and Decisions represent a means and a guide for pastoral action, understood primarily as the gift of life, and not only as the implementation of a program. They also concern all members of the people of God - laypeople, consecrated persons and priests, with special concern for families, young people, vulnerable groups and the development of vocations. He emphasized that the key characteristics of pastoral work are the "pedagogy of accompaniment" and greater involvement of the laity, which builds communion and moves from a "service" to an evangelizing approach.

He also emphasized specific decisions such as the establishment of the Office for Pastoral Care and the strengthening of formation, which would provide guidelines for future systematic and joint pastoral work.

Finally, Rev. Josip Marković, serving at HKM Stockholm, presented an application that can significantly facilitate parish administrative work, and could, as it was emphasized, be applied at the level of the entire Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Those present then had the opportunity to make their suggestions and ask questions, and the fellowship continued with a lunch socialising in the premises of the Vrhbosna Theological Seminary.