Who is Pope Francis coming to see, Čović or all of us?

The arrival of Pope Francis in Sarajevo is a world event, whose benefits should be protected from political and other abuses.

The worst service to the Pope's visit comes from several Croatian officials who are trying to interpret this visit through a Catholic matrix. Dragan Čović, member of the Presidency of BiH and leader of HDZ, says that "Catholics, who are predominantly Croats, will express their gratitude to Pope Francis", which distorts the context of Pope Francis' visit, who in his video message repeatedly emphasized that he is coming – for everyone. Surely all people of good will in BiH will express their gratitude to Pope Francis, not just Catholics!?

It is generally forgotten in the BiH public that Pope Francis is a statesman, as the Vatican is a state, and Pope Francis is the head of this state, and that the Vatican's contacts with the BiH state cannot go below the level of state interests, which means respecting Sarajevo as a metropolis and respecting the multi-ethnic imperative for those who wish Bosnia and Herzegovina well. We know how neighboring Serbia and Croatia do it when they pursue hegemonic, not state-level policies, so Prime Minister Milanović walks around so-called West Mostar, and Prime Minister Vučić around Banja Luka, so Dragan Čović has breakfast with President Kolinda, and Milorad Dodik reports in Belgrade.

Because if Pope Francis had been swayed even a little by the HDZ and Dragan Čović's matrix, he would have gone to so-called West Mostar, not Sarajevo, since HDZ members are pushing so-called West Mostar as the metropolis of Catholicism, where they erected that large cross and built that large bell tower for that purpose.

From the very first information that Pope Francis would visit Sarajevo, attempts were made to frame the entire context with Croatian and Catholic attributes. Not to mention all the Croats who paraded in front of the microphones!

The intention of the official Vatican is clear: to separate this visit from the effort to direct Pope Francis' visit only towards Catholics, which can also be seen from the notice of the competent federal ministry that on Friday work will only last until 12 PM.

And look at the paradox! From several Bosniak media outlets, there is discontent that Pope Francis is so important that because of him, who is coming on Saturday, work on Friday will only last until 12 PM, even though this move is directly aimed against the Greater Croatian aspiration for Pope Francis' visit to be exclusively Catholic.

How? Precisely because certain political structures recognized the intention of "Croatizing" Pope Francis' visit and because they thus sought to make the entire social community honored and festive on the occasion of the arrival of one of the most important world figures in Sarajevo.

Here is another illustration. The "Holy See" recently honored the member of the Presidency of BiH Željko Komšić with the order "Commando con placca dell'Ordine Puno", although Komšić is a declared atheist, Titoist, leftist, therefore, someone who is not a declared Catholic or a spokesperson for Catholic interests in BiH, as Dragan Čović tries to present himself in that light.

Because if the "Holy See" were what the HDZ wants it to be, then the leader of the HDZ would surely be the first on the list of awardees! Instead, it is Željko Komšić.

It is usually thought that the Vatican deals naively and romantically with issues of spirituality, that Pope Francis indiscriminately sends various messages of peace, supports some, does not support others... In fact, the Vatican, like any other state, has at least an unofficial intelligence sector, from where it measures and weighs what the office of the Pope should support and what not.

If that is the case, and it is, there is no chance that Vatican intelligence officers have not made a significant distinction between the HDZ's policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and what are the official, public, strategic interests in BiH – to support the institution of Bosnian togetherness.

Fortunately, the official Vatican has sufficient intelligence data on everything and anything, so Pope Francis cannot fall for the deception of those who are breaking up togetherness, yet want to be good hosts to Pope Francis who is coming here to strengthen togetherness – as a measure of love, happiness, and prospects for all the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina.