The authorities of the Republika Srpska and I, as its president, will provide at least three million euros for the completion of the Cathedral in Mostar, and I believe that this could be enough to complete the said work, said the President of the RS Milorad Dodik on Thursday before the donor lunch for the restoration of the said church Dodik.
“We believe that this should almost certainly be enough to finish the job. In the next year, we will gather all public institutions and distribute this obligation so that the church can count on it, and I think it is very important that we finish it as soon as possible. Many people from Banja Luka who pass by and go to the seas during the summer are always noticed and stay in Mostar, so it is important for them to have a place where they can stop, rest, devote themselves to prayer, and I think that in this way it integrates this whole space,” said Dodik.
He also pointed out that the patriarch’s arrival in Mostar is extremely important.
“Wherever the patriarch comes, it is a sign that we integrate, gather, we are dedicated to faith in God and the desire for love among people, this is what our Orthodox Church teaches us and we remain committed to it. In order to succeed, we must gather around our temples,” said Dodik.
He stated that the status of the Serbian community in Mostar is not good.
“We have to work on ensuring that the Serbian national community in this city has a better status because it is not good. We have problems with equality in terms of employment, but we have made some progress and I believe that we can make it in line with realistic and necessary expectations, and in this regard we are cooperating with the city and other authorities at the federal level, but we must do much more,” said the president of RS.
He added that there is interest from people who left to return to these parts.
“A significant number of them testify to this, but we must provide them with a status that is safe and that people have a guarantee that they will be able to live here, educate their children and work, and the temple itself will be a good guarantee for all that. I believe that when we finish the Cathedral in Mostar, it will never be demolished again and will remain as an eternal witness of the efforts of the people, of our community, which in difficult circumstances throughout all these years allocated significant funds to maintain this kind of attitude towards the church,” stressed Dodik.
Serbian Patriarch Porfirije pointed out that he is spiritually strengthened, refreshed and comforted, and that he will leave Mostar as such.
“I think it is important that, above all, we pray to God in places like this. Personally, I am spiritually strengthened, refreshed and comforted, and so I will leave Mostar first of all because of the fact that the city lives to the fullest and that, what is particularly important for me, but also for all the people who live here, the places of worship that were were destroyed. Their renewal shows that we are all aware that man is not only a material and biological being, but also a spiritual one. The spiritual dimension of our existence is the foundation and goal, and it should permeate all other elements of human life and the lives of all of us,” said Porfirije.
He states that restored sanctuaries give the possibility of internal renewal.
“Since everyone has hurt everyone’s shrine, that is, the shrine of the other, the now restored shrines give us the opportunity to renew ourselves spiritually and, coming to the shrines, pray to God and establish peace with him, and then at the same time peace among ourselves. The one who wants to have inner peace and peace with God cannot have it only for himself if he does not build and secure it for other people as well. Only when we strive to ensure peace for others, peace for our neighbors and neighbors, will we have peace within ourselves,” said Patriarch Porfirije.
The President of the FBiH Government, Nermin Nikšić, stated that the Government will provide 50,000 marks from the budget for the reconstruction of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Mostar.
“We inherited this budget and in it we managed to secure the stated amount, and our wish is that in the next year, when these works are completed, the FBiH Government will provide funds in the budget to support the construction to finally complete this specific work,” said Nikšić, Fena reports.
