1997Visit of Pope John Paul II to the Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Full sheets

In his inaugural sermon on St. Peter’s Square in Rome on October 22, 1978, the new Pope, 58-year-old Polish cardinal Karol Wojtyla, addressed to world with the following encouraging words: Don’t be afraid! Open, or better, spread the doors open to Christ. Christ knows what is in the man. It’s he only who knows it! Fifteen years later, having seen the tragedy of the besieged Sarajevo, the Pope sent a message of hope to the suffering people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, full of wartime scars, filed with distrust, indecision and restraint, he is coming to drive away suffering through the power of his moral authority and offer love and peace to each and every man. There is a heavy load on the god’s emissary. How is he to convey message about the necessity of reconciliation and the rebuilding of mutual confidence? The Pope believes that there are people of good will in Bosnia and Herzegovina who wish to get out of the abyss of evil. They have to be encouraged and motivated to overcome hatred and intolerance and consequently become the salt of this soil.