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Vinko Puljić

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His Eminence

Vinko Puljić
Cardinal, Archbishop emeritus of Vrhbosna
Puljić in 2015
ArchdioceseVrhbosna
Appointed19 November 1990
Installed6 January 1991
Term ended29 January 2022
PredecessorMarko Jozinović
SuccessorTomo Vukšić
Other post(s)Cardinal-Priest of S. Chiara a Vigna Clara
Previous post(s)President of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995–2002; 2005–2010)
Personal details
Born
Vinko Puljić

(1945-09-08) 8 September 1945 (age 79)
Banja Luka, Democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina, DF Yugoslavia
NationalityBosnia and Herzegovina
DenominationCatholic
ResidenceArchdiocesan Chancery of Vrbosna, Sarajevo
MottoPo Mariji u vjeri, nadi i ljubavi (With Mary in faith, hope and love)
Coat of armsVinko Puljić's coat of arms
Ordination history of
Vinko Puljić
History
Priestly ordination
Ordained byStjepan Bauerlein
Date29 June 1970
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorPope John Paul II
Co-consecratorsGiovanni Battista Re
Justin Francis Rigali
Date6 January 1991
PlaceSt. Peter's Basilica
Cardinalate
Date26 November 1994
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Vinko Puljić as principal consecrator
Pero Sudar7 January 1994
Tomo Vukšić2 April 2011

Vinko Puljić (pronounced [ʋîːŋko pǔːʎit͜ɕ]; born 8 September 1945) is a Bosnian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since 1994. He was the archbishop of Vrhbosna from 1991 to 2022.

Early life and education

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The twelfth of thirteen children, Vinko Puljić was born in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina (then part of Yugoslavia), to Ivan and Kaja Puljić. His mother died when he was three-years-old, and his father then remarried. In addition to his family, young Vinko's spiritual formation was deeply influenced by the Trappist Mariastern Abbey, located not far from his native village. One of the monks helped Vinko's father to send his son to the minor seminary of Zagreb. Father Ante Artner sold his motorbike and gave the proceeds to Vinko's father, who did not have enough money to pay his board there. Vinko then studied philosophy and theology at the major seminary of Đakovo.

Priesthood

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Puljić was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Stjepan Bauerlein on 29 June 1970, and then served as a chaplain in the Diocese of Banja Luka until 1973, whence he became an official of the diocesan curia. He was a parish priest in Sasina from June to November 1973, and in Ravska from 1973 to 1978. In 1978, he was named spiritual director of the minor seminary of Zadar. During this time, he also served as a confessor at a Benedictine monastery and organized spiritual retreats for priests, seminarians, and nuns.

In 1987, he returned to the Diocese of Banja Luka, where he served as a parish priest in Bosanska Gradiška. He was later transferred to Sarajevo in 1990 as vice-rector of the Sarajevo major seminary.

Episcopal ministry

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On 19 November 1990 Puljić was appointed Archbishop of Vrhbosna by Pope John Paul II. He thus became the sixth archbishop of that see after the reconstruction of the ordinary ecclesiastical hierarchy in 1881 after the Ottoman occupational rule which had lasted more than four centuries. He received his episcopal consecration on 6 January 1991 from John Paul II himself, with archbishops Giovanni Battista Re and Justin Francis Rigali serving as co-consecrators, at St. Peter's Basilica.

Puljić was created Cardinal-Priest of S. Chiara a Vigna Clara by John Paul II in the consistory of 26 November 1994. He was 49 years old when he became the youngest member of the College of Cardinals. On 18 October 2001 he was invested as bailiff of the Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Puljić was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave, which selected Pope Benedict XVI and in the 2013 papal conclave, which elected Pope Francis.[1]

He served as president of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1995 to 2002, and again from 2005 to 2010. On 18 September 2012 Pope Benedict XVI named him as a Synod Father of the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which was held in October 2012.[2]

Views

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Puljić and Pope John Paul II in Sarajevo, 13 April 1997

Role during the Bosnian War

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When the Bosnian War broke out in 1992, Puljić immediately became involved in helping the thousands of refugees and exiles, mobilizing all the forces of the local Church. During the war, he frequently risked his life while making pastoral trips to his parishes, so he was imprisoned during one visit for twelve hours by the Serbian military in Ilijaš, running a serious risk when he rode in a United Nations Protection Force tank to Vareš. John Paul II once said to him, "When I imposed hands on you...to consecrate you in the office of Pastor of the Church of Sarajevo, I had no idea that very shortly your cross would be so heavy and your cup so bitter."

Status of Međugorje

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Puljić, speaking at the 2004 assembly of the Synod of Bishops, said that the unity of the Church is threatened by the disobedience of the Franciscan monks serving at Međugorje, who "impose their own points of view".[3] In 2006, the Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina considered setting up a commission to examine the alleged Marian apparitions.[4] He later served on the commission chaired by Cardinal Ruini.

Relations with Muslims

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Puljić has said that before the war, relations with Muslims were very good, but that in recent times, the situation has somewhat deteriorated. The first sign was the arrival of humanitarian aid from Arab countries. It was distributed only to Muslims, while at the same time it was prohibited to give it to Christians.[5] In 2012, Cardinal Puljić warned about the spreading of Wahhabism in Southeastern Europe, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stating that the state authorities are not capable of preventing it. At the same time he warned about the discrimination of Catholics in the Bosnian society, demanding equal treatment for Catholics in employment, education, and other areas. He confirmed that he will continue to try to establish a dialogue and peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was disrupted by the recent war in the country.[6]

Women and marriage

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In May 2016, Puljić drew controversy [7] after appealing to women in a sermon in Zadar, Croatia not to have sexual intercourse before marriage so that they wouldn't become a "štraca", which is a local slang word for a "whore".[8][9] The word became a meme, as well, spawning the creation of various Facebook groups numbering thousands of people.[10][11] The cardinal claimed in response that his words were "taken out of context" despite different implications based on the transcript of the sermon, but concedes that the word he used is too harsh.[12]

Clergy sex abuse

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In February 2019, Puljić said in an interview that there were several cases of clergy abuse in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well,[13][14] but that he did not report them to the police.[15] Puljić did not publish the names of the abusers or the place where they were at the service.[16]

Personal life

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On 2 December 2020, it was confirmed that Puljić tested positive for COVID-19, amid its pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina;[17] by 12 December, he recovered.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "List of cardinal-electors for a papal conclave". Catholic News Service. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Nomina di Padri sinodali della XIII Assemblea Generale Ordinaria del Sinodo dei Vescovi (7-28 ottobre 2012)" [Appointment of Fathers of the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (October 7–28, 2012)]. Daily Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Medjugorje a Source of Division in the Church". Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Cardinal says commission to review alleged apparitions at Medjugorje". Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Cardinal Puljic's Cautions About Islam". Archived from the original on 9 June 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  6. ^ "Radical Islam on the rise, Sarajevo Cardinal warns". Catholicism Pure and Simple. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  7. ^ Ljudi na internetu se prilično dobro zabavljaju s onom izjavom kardinala Puljića o ‘ženama štracama’ at Telegram.hr
  8. ^ Ljudi na internetu se prilično dobro zabavljaju s onom izjavom kardinala Puljića o ‘ženama štracama’ at Telegram.hr
  9. ^ Kardinal Puljić: Žene, nemojte isprobavati muškarce prije braka da ne postanete štrace! at Slobodna Dalmacija
  10. ^ Štraca at Facebook
  11. ^ REGISTAR ŠTRACA at Facebook
  12. ^ Kardinal Puljić tvrdi da su njegove riječi izvučene iz konteksta, no transkript propovijedi govori nešto sasvim drugo at RTL.hr
  13. ^ "VIDEO Kardinal Puljić za N1 o svećeničkom zlostavljanju djece i situaciji u BiH". N1 BA (in Bosnian). 22 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  14. ^ "KARDINAL PULJIĆ PRIZNAO DA SU SVEĆENICI U BIH SEKSUALNO ZLOSTAVLJALI DJECU: Nijedan od njih nije završio na sudu". Net.hr (in Croatian). 22 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  15. ^ "VIDEO Kardinal Puljić za N1 o svećeničkom zlostavljanju djece i situaciji u BiH". N1 BA (in Bosnian). 22 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  16. ^ N.N (22 February 2019). "Puljić: I u BiH je bilo zlostavljanja djece". Nezavisne novine (in Serbian). Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  17. ^ E.Sk. (2 December 2020). "Kardinal Vinko Puljić pozitivan na koronavirus, ima blage simptome" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  18. ^ N.V. (12 December 2020). "Kardinal Puljić se oporavio od koronavirusa i izašao iz bolnice" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Archbishop of Vrhbosna
19 November 1990 – 29 January 2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Cardinal Priest of S. Chiara a Vigna Clara
26 November 1994 – present 		Incumbent
New title President of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina
1995–2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina
2005–2010
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