Reisul-ulema Kavazović: Pope Francis was the voice of the disenfranchised, he wanted to build a better world with Muslims

(Patria) - On the occasion of the death of Pope Francis, the Reisul-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein-ef. Kavazović, expressed his condolences to Msgr. Dr. Tomo Vukšić, Archbishop of Vrhbosna and Apostolic Administrator of the Military Ordinariate in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"We were all taken by the sad news of Pope Francis's death this morning. As believers, we know our path, which we inevitably follow. Nevertheless, the departure of good people always brings sadness to our hearts.

Pope Francis was a good man, the voice of the poor and disenfranchised. He wanted to build a better world with Muslims. We hope to follow his path.

Dear Archbishop Vukšić, please accept my sincere condolences. I pray for his soul. May he rest in God's peace," said the Reisul-ulema during a conversation with Archbishop Vukšić.

The Reisul-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein-ef. Kavazović, today expressed his condolences to the Apostolic Nuncio in our country, Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, on the occasion of the death of Pope Francis.

– Dear Archbishop Chullikatt,

We are taken aback by the news that the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, passed away this morning. On this occasion, I express my sincere condolences to you, as the representative of the Roman Catholic Church in our country, to the clergy of the Church, to the sisters, and to the faithful.

Pope Francis was a beloved and very influential religious leader, welcomed with love everywhere. He made enormous efforts to replace hatred in the world with love and tolerance, to build bridges, not walls, between people, and to nurture and develop a culture of dialogue. His repeated calls to stop the frenzied killing of civilians, women, and children in Gaza, to stop the war raging between Russia and Ukraine, and to establish a fairer distribution of material goods in the world will echo across horizons for a long time to come.

I still remember my meeting with him in Sarajevo in June 2015 and the messages he conveyed to us in Bosnia, as well as to people around the world. All of them were imbued with care for humanity and commitment to peace and goodness in the world.

The Catholic world lost its spiritual leader this morning and is shrouded in sadness today. The Muslim world also has reason to mourn his passing. If he had done nothing else, the Document on Human Fraternity, which he signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi in 2019, would have been enough for him to be remembered and mourned for his departure from this world.

With the hope that his successor will continue his path, I pray to Almighty God that Pope Francis rests in God's peace – reads the condolence telegram from Reisul-ulema Kavazović.