The Archbishop of Vrhbosnia, Msgr. Tomo Vukšić sent a Christmas message to the faithful, emphasizing that the celebration of Christmas is extra festive this year, because it takes place in the jubilee year of 2025 from the birth of Jesus, which all of Christianity experiences every 25 years.
He said that this jubilee puts before the believers the truth that Christmas is not just a memorial but a living encounter, God enters human history as a weak Child, but all-powerful in love, bringing light that overcomes all darkness.
He stated that during the past 12 months, the members of the diocesan communities with great joy joined the general celebration of the jubilee year, together with their pastors and religious teachers, they made pilgrimages to the churches declared jubilee, attended the sacrament of reconciliation, performed personal devotions and spiritual exercises, gathered as members of different classes and professions and performed acts of mercy towards people in need.
Together with numerous believers from dioceses in the Republic of Croatia, he said, the jubilee pilgrimage of Croatian Catholics to Rome took place, and they are grateful that the Holy Father honored them with a special audience in St. Peter’s Square, which he marked as a rare gift and encouragement for the people.
He also reminded that the 1,100th anniversary of the Split councils was marked, with a grateful memory of their role in shaping church and national history and directing pastoral activities among Croats.
He pointed out that celebrating important anniversaries has full meaning only if the memory of important dates and deserving people encourages new creation, courage for new solutions, following good examples, serious analysis of the present moment and searching for answers to its challenges in order to plan and implement future actions.
The Christian memory of important people and events from the past, he said, is not a memory just for the sake of keeping memories, but an opportunity to strengthen the will of people who mark anniversaries, in order to make a new contribution to the Church and the people.
In his speech to the Croatian pilgrims, the Archbishop said, the Pope combined the memory of the past with an incentive for the future, the numerous and prayerful presence of the pilgrims speaks of the vitality of the faith of the Croatian people, who over the centuries knew how to remain firm in communion with the Church and faithful to the successor of the Apostle Peter.
He added that he is comforted by the fact that the roots of faith did not remain immobile in the past, but continue to bear fruit today thanks to the testimony of Croatian families, parish communities and associations. The tradition received from the fathers, it was pointed out, is a priceless treasure that we carefully guard and are called to constantly renew, always remaining open to recognizing what the Holy Spirit inspires.
The Pope emphasized that faith grows and becomes stronger when it is shared, and called on them to joyfully pass on to new generations the Christian values that have shaped our long history and culture, so that we can be the leaven of peace, goodness and hope in a world torn apart by violence and wars, which we also know from our past.
The Archbishop said that Christians celebrate Christmas by remembering and acting – Jesus was born to do good and build peace on earth and for the eternal salvation of all people, and he gathered disciples and sent them to act, show the glory of God, announce the truth about his salvation and build peace among people.
“Christmas invites us to allow the light of Bethlehem to permeate us, and the silence of the manger to teach us to look at people with the eyes of mercy, and to become bearers of light in this restless and often wounded world. In addition to giving glory to God and building peace, there are many other goods and values that Christmas calls to all people, especially Christian believers. Depending on the historical moment and the social circumstances in which they are threatened, some of them become even more relevant and should be recognized for their protection,” said the archbishop.
In this sense, he pointed out, on the stage of the Christmas event, whose basic content is the truth about God’s incarnation, one should observe the woman and the mother and the birth and the child, as well as the need to protect them, it is about the human persons of the woman and the child, their dignity and rights, but also about the fundamental values of every society.
According to the available data, he stated, 83,000 women and girls were killed in the world last year, of which more than half of the victims were family members, and one woman is exposed to some form of violence every ten minutes. He emphasized that, unfortunately, no region in the world is spared from this, and that the painful truth is that it is also present in our regions, where femicide is an increasingly common phenomenon.
He added that the number of children exposed to violence in the family, school, community and in the digital space is growing, with the information that more than half of boys and girls have been exposed to it at least once, verbally, physically, sexually or psychologically. In contrast to these unfortunate occurrences, he emphasized the Christmas message that every child has the right to safety, a dignified upbringing and an environment that protects him.
“The son born on Christmas night reminds that every conceived child has the right to be born and calls for the obligation to protect human life from conception. The Christmas message is important at a time when abortion is the leading cause of death in the world, and according to available data, more than 73 million abortions were performed in the world in 2024, while slightly more than 67 million people died during that time due to all other reasons combined, which means that abortions accounted for almost 52 percent of all deaths, in which Bosnia and Herzegovina also has its share,” said Msgr. Vukšić.
He added that there were 11,000 more deaths than births in Bosnia and Herzegovina last year alone, to which Catholics also contributed, and he said that because of this, it becomes quite clear how current and important the message about the birth from Christmas night is.
“Respected and dear brothers and sisters, together with the Pope, we invite you to joyfully pass on to new generations the Christian values that have shaped our long history and culture, and in this way be the leaven of peace, goodness and hope in the world,” said Archbishop Vukšić.
He congratulated all priests, religious men and other believers of Christ on Christmas and wished them, as well as everyone who lives with Catholics, a peaceful and blessed day in the new year 2026.
