Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday held talks with the Bishop of Banja Luka, Franjo Komarica, on the status of Croats and Catholics in the Diocese of Banja Luka. Given that the local Catholics, priests and sacral objects had experienced the worst of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the talks focused on Croatia’s assistance in revitalizing the life in the diocese.
In accordance with its constitutional obligation of helping Croats abroad, Croatia has been assisting politically and financially for a number of years the return of displaced persons as well as the reconstruction of sacral and cultural objects in the Diocese of Banja Luka. Grlić Radman and Komarica agreed that this assistance was still needed, given the political and economic circumstances in the diocese and Bosnia and Herzegovina in general. The minister underscored Croatia’s readiness to place said issues on the EU’s political agenda.
In addition, Grlić Radman thanked the Catholic Church and Bishop Komarica for their continuous work on preserving the national and religious identity as well as cultural heritage of Banja Luka Croats. This was Komarica’s first trip after the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, so Grlić Radman thanked him for visiting Zrinjevac first.