August 1998 
  Vol. IV, No. 5

Above, left to right: Cardinal Vinko Puljic and his translator, Father Mato Zovkic; Father Radomir Rakic; Mustafa Ceric; and Jacob Finci.

osnia’s three major religious groups have no other viable option but to live peacefully together, says Jacob Finci, leader of the country’s Jewish community. “Otherwise, you will have three ghettoes.”

Finci—along with Mustafa Ceric, reis ul-ulema of Bosnia’s Islamic community, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, archbishop of Sarajevo for the Roman Catholic church, and Father Radomir Rakic representing the Serbian Orthodox church—discussed their recent efforts to promote interfaith cooperation in Bosnia and the region at a meeting May 21 in Washington, D.C.

The event was co-hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Council for America’s First Freedom, an international organization based in Richmond, Virginia, that is dedicated to fostering religious freedom worldwide.

Puljic implored the West to “help us build an open society ” by providing “the international support to implement the fundamental human right of all refugees to return to their places of origin.”

Ceric noted that the situation in Bosnia—although it is now “better than its enemies would like to see it”—is nevertheless still “worse than friends would like.”

The religious leaders said, however, that they have made progress in getting their respective communities to work together. For example, a Catholic priest and Islamic imam recently held a joint burial service at a mass graveyard in the city of Bihac. The event was broadcast on television.

The religious leaders visited the United States to highlight the establishment in June 1997 of the Inter-Religious Council (IRC), and the signing of a Statement of Shared Moral Commitment. This historic statement condemned all acts of hatred based on ethnicity or religion and pledged the leaders to a common vision of mutual respect and cooperation. They formed the IRC to further these goals through dialogue, information sharing, and practical interfaith projects such as rebuilding destroyed churches and mosques.

“The Institute is pleased to have played a role in this important meeting in 1997 and in follow-up efforts,” said David Little, senior scholar in religion, ethics, and human rights. “We will continue to work closely with the leaders on issues of reconciliation and peacebuilding in the future.”

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David Little

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