Delegation of the members of the European People’s Party in Medjugorje

date: 01.04.2019.

Delegation of the members of the European People’s Party (EPP), in charge for the intercultural and religious dialogue came to visit Mostar and Medjugorje on March 30, 2019. This delegation led by the representative Zeljana Zovko visited Apparition Hill, Cenacolo community and they had a meeting with the Apostolic Visitor Archbishop Henryk Hoser, as well as with the Provincial of Herzegovinian Franciscan Province, Fr. Miljenko Steko. They also paid a visit to the Information Centre Mir Medjugorje.

The delegation was made of the representatives from Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia and Croatia, all involved for many years in the intercultural and religious dialogue.

Vedran Vidovic, Director of the Information Centre Mir Medjugorje and chief editor of Radio Mir Medjugorje, Sanja Pehar, presented the work and the activities of this Centre to them. Vedran Vidovic emphasised how many people throughout the world follow the evening prayer programme in their languages, he presented some of the books that this Centre published to them as gifts and thanked them for this visit.

''I am delighted to be in this holy place and I am very much impressed. I got to know about these events and what Our Lady did here and I am so impressed by the devotion of this place”, said Dutch representative of EPP, Wim van de Camp, who came here for the first time.

Željana Zovko, the representative said how their goal was to see the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning Catholics and all ways that can be done to improve that situation and position.

''In the last few years we are aware of the huge number of Catholics who are leaving this country and even the Cardinal Vinko Puljić told us that more than 10.000 of Catholics no longer live here. I am part of the group that is dealing with the position of the Christians in all countries where they are minority and we are trying actively to work on that situation in the European Parliament'', said Željana Zovko and she stressed that there was hardly anything that was done to improve the position of Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as we could see in the last elections. Many young people due to the pessimistic situation are leaving this country and something needs to be changed rapidly in order for this not to continue any more.

The delegation after this visit then joined the evening prayer programme in the church of St. James in Medjugorje. (photo)