Pope celebrates stadium Mass in Bosnia

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Pope Francis has celebrated Mass in front of tens of thousands of Catholics at a stadium in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the BBC reports.

The pontiff’s visit to the capital, Sarajevo, is aimed at promoting peace and reconciliation across the country.

The Pope is also meeting members of the Muslim, Orthodox Christian and Jewish communities during his one-day trip.

Bosnia remains divided along religious and ethnic lines, 20 years after its civil war which depleted the Catholic population.

“War never again!” Pope Francis urged in his homily before 65,000 worshippers at Sarajevo’s Kosevo stadium.

“War means children, women and the elderly in refugee camps; it means forced displacement, destroyed houses, streets and factories. Above all countless shattered lives,” he said.

“You know this well having experienced it here,” he added in reference to the 1992-95 Bosnian conflict, which left some 100,000 dead and two million displaced.

The Pontiff also warned that the world faced “a kind of third world war being fought piecemeal and, in the context of global communications, we sense an atmosphere of war”.

The Pope was welcomed in Sarajevo by children wearing traditional costume representing Bosnia-Herzegovina’s three main faiths.

He also spoke to the three-member presidency and called on the country to reject division and continue working for peace to create “a melody of sublime nobility and beauty, instead of the fanatical cries of hatred”.

Speaking to reporters on his flight to Sarajevo, he described Sarajevo as the “Jerusalem of the West”.

“It is a city of very different ethnic and religious cultures. It is even a city that has suffered much during its history. Now it is on a beautiful path of peace. I am making this trip to talk about this, as a sign of peace and a prayer for peace.”

At least 5,000 police are on duty and authorities have published a helpline number if members of the public spot any suspicious activity during the visit.

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