Pope Leo XIV received Borjana Krišto, the head of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s government, on March 26, two weeks after the Pontiff received the nation’s three-member collective head of state.
Krišto said that in a social media post that she was honored to meet with the Pope “ahead of Holy Week and Easter. We discussed equality, institutional stability, and the rights of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Grateful for the Holy See’s support and extended an invitation to visit.”
Krišto subsequently met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed “the situation of the Catholic community” and “certain outstanding matters in Church–State relations,” as well as the enlargement of the EU.
Krišto also discussed a meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness. The Vatican statement made no mention of Krišto’s meeting Cardinal Parolin.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Balkan nation of 3.7 million (map), is 50% Christian (40% Orthodox, 10% Catholic) and 46% Muslim. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey to Sarajevo, the nation’s capital, in 2015.