Josip Jelinic, a 33-year-old Catholic evangelist from Ljubuski, has been walking through Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for eight days with a cross on his back, publicly calling on his compatriots for peace, forgiveness, and repentance.
He stated that he is ready to walk “a thousand kilometers for the reconciliation of the people in BiH,” and he arrived in the capital of BiH yesterday.
He began his journey on Wednesday, February 26th, dedicating his Way of the Cross to the reconciliation of the people in the country.
The route of his epic 45-day pilgrimage passes through Mostar, Jablanica, Konjic, Sarajevo, Zenica, Banja Luka, Bugojno, and Kupres, and anyone who wishes can join him on shorter sections of the journey.
Jelinic embarked on his thousand-kilometer-long Way of the Cross from Krizevac Hill above Medjugorje, and he will complete it on Good Friday in Rama.
He found inspiration for this endeavor in American Jim Murphy, who walked six thousand kilometers across the United States (U.S.) with a cross on his back.
Jelinic stated that he believes prayer and forgiveness can contribute to peace in BiH.
“I know that I cannot change all of BiH, but I have to start with myself. If I start with myself, you with yourself, she with herself… I believe that a fire of love will ignite and spread across BiH. I would like to dedicate this Way of the Cross to the reconciliation of the people in BiH, for us to forgive each other, to no longer have prejudices and masks on our faces, but to love each other sincerely and with open hearts,” Jelinic said to regional media.
Josip invites citizens to join him on shorter sections if they meet him along the way.
“I believe that my mission is already fulfilled because I see Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats uniting,” said Jelinic.
He says that the people he meets greet him, buy him coffee and food, and offer him accommodation.
This 33-year-old young man also runs the evangelization page “Istina” on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Faith is what drives him forward on his Way of the Cross, which he symbolically began on Ash Wednesday.
He received the inspiration at the “Fatherhood Conference,” organized last year in Zagreb by the prayer community “Nanovo rodjeni” (Born Again). The conference featured a U.S. evangelist and missionary Jim Murphy, who, in his testimony, shared how he walked a six-thousand-kilometer journey across the entire U.S. carrying a cross.
“His testimony moved me, and I felt the urge to do something similar for my country, BiH. At first, I wasn’t sure whether the urge came from me or from God, so I reflected on it in my heart for some time. In the end, I decided to present the idea to my bishop of Mostar-Duvno, Petar Palic. I said, ‘Jesus, if he approves my endeavor, I will take it as Your will. If he says it’s a good idea but tells me not to go, then I won’t go.’ The bishop received me, and when he heard my proposal, he simply stood up and went to another room. He returned after a few minutes holding a rosary in his hand. He said to me, ‘I have only three personal rosaries from Pope Francis, and I am giving you one for your Way of the Cross. Go, you have my blessing.'”
