Date Set for Pope's Trip to Bosnia
VATICAN CITY, MAY 8, 2003 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II will visit Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 22, his 101st international apostolic trip, the Vatican confirmed.
On that Sunday the Pope will beatify Ivan Merz (1896-1928), born in that city of the Srpska Republic, an entity of Serbian majority in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vatican press office director Joaquín Navarro-Valls said today.
Following his trip to Spain last weekend, the Pope is now planning his 100th international trip, to Croatia, from June 5-9. He plans to go to Mongolia sometime in August.
Ivan Merz, a philosopher and theologian, was a consecrated layman who dedicated his life to the education of youth in Catholic Action. His motto was «Sacrifice-Eucharist-Apostolate.» Merz played a key role in the liturgical movement among Croatian Catholics.
ZENIT Daily dispatch - The World Seen from Rome
8. mai 2003