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it would have been the duty of “native and foreign officials” to create a general “political, legal and material” framework that would have made it possible for the Catholic minority to remain in the country, but this did not happen.

“In this country, which is seen as peaceful and moderate in the eyes of the world, one brother has raised his hand against another brother [and] blood was shed.”

“These things create opportunities for a sense of freedom and democracy to develop, so open and constructive dialogue with those in power is extremely important.”

“Ayasofya is a nationalist question. The return serves no purpose from a cultural point of view since Istanbulites have far more mosques than they need, many of them huge and magnificent.”

“The stakes were very high, with many human rights under threat since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, and particularly religious freedom curtailed in many countries.”

“I tell them that Jesus Christ is very close to them in their suffering, for he suffered some of the same symptoms as those fighting the disease; he too struggled to breathe.”

“We pray that these from a human perspective terrible times, will help us  all people to grow in faith, in hope and in love for God and our neighbors.”

The group that arguably suffered the most in the Bosnian war, and that continues to suffer, is the minority Croat Catholic community. Still today many Croatian villages in the heart of Bosnia, destroyed during the fighting, stand empty.

“I did not beg them for bacon, money or clothing. I only begged for love and at the very end I asked whether they would join me in praying for their suffering brothers in Germany. They prayed with tears in their eyes.”

“The ‘Christian people’ of Turkey’ are extremely cautious, given what they have been through.”