Easter was solemnly celebrated today in Srebrenica, a small parish with only a few believers, but a parish with a special historical dimension because the Franciscan province of Bosnia Srebrena originates from Srebrenica. From the Church in Srebrenica, they send a message of peace and life.
Although they are few in number, only about forty, the parishioners of the Srebrenica – Zvornik Parish are true pebbles of life in a big sea. At Easter, Mrs. Ljubica Lončarević from Bratunac tells BHRT, it is especially nice, because the masses last throughout Lent, they sing together and prepare for this great holiday. It is especially important for them to send a message of peace from Srebrenica, which recently passed its Way of the Cross.
“Peace to all people, that there be no war, that people have a roof over their heads. That they have normal food for every day. That they raise children in love”, these are the wishes sent by Ljubica.
The church is a great support for the few believers, as well as the Franciscans themselves. Mr. Ivan Milas from Srebrenica reminds us that we are standing on the foundations of the first Franciscan church and monastery in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the 13th century.
“We who come are regulars. We are like a family. We apologize, laugh, complain about everything we need. It’s good. And we wish all people a lot of happiness, health and progress for the Easter holidays,” says Milas.
In the 13th century, Franciscans came to Srebrenica together with merchants from Dubrovnik, who were very numerous at the time, because of the ores of copper, gold, silver and various metals. The past was merciless for Srebrenica over the centuries, people were often forced to leave it, but the Bosnian Franciscans are its constant.
“We want, like the whole church, that we, as a church from the margins, from this corner, send a message to people that it pays to always gather, to pray together and to do it at some of our historical sources, at historical places. With the hope that human history, no matter how difficult and unfortunate it once was, it doesn’t always have to end in a disappearance,” notes Fr. Franjo Ninić, parish manager of the Srebrenica-Zvornik Parish.
And Srebrenica is just like the Resurrection. She woke up and rose from the dead.
“We want together with the people who live here, regardless of whether they are Christians, Muslims or Orthodox, to try not to make Srebrenica a symbol of suffering, separation, a symbol of only the memory of wars and crimes. Rather, to create a space for life that could to serve as a model of common life here in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Br. Ninić.
Even today, on Easter, it is from this church that peace between people, between divided societies, has been invoked all along. Namely, Easter invites all people to be part of one civilization of love and life.
