Pope Aims to Strike Peaceful Note in Bosnia

Weeks ahead of the eagerly-expected arrival of Pope Francis in Sarajevo, Bosnia's Roman Catholic Primate, Cardinal Archbishop Vinko Puljic, has revealed the first official organizational details.

During his visit to the Bosnian capital on June 6, Pope Francis is scheduled to hold an open air mass and meet political leaders.

At the press conference on Tuesday, Cardinal Puljic said the official motto of the papal visit would be "Peace be With You" while the logo of the official banners at the event will include images of Bosnia's flag as well as a white cross and a dove carrying an olive branch.

These biblical symbols of peace show that the Pontiff intends to make peace-building the main focus of the visit, Puljic said, noting that this message had been clearly communicated to him by the Pope himself during the recent visit of Bosnia's bishops to the Vatican.

"The expression 'peace be with you' is the expression with which Jesus greeted his followers at his ascension. This has its own symbolism. We live in insecure times and we need such an encouragement for all people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially to us Catholics," Puljic said.

The Cardinal added that Bosnian authorities will have prime responsibility for handling security issues.

"No one will be able to go into the area where the mass will be held without a ticket, which will be distributed by the parishes and the central committee for the visit," Puljic said, inviting all those interested to start registering.

The site of the main mass has not been confirmed but Church officials indicated earlier that it might be the Olympic stadium at Zetra, which has a capacity to hold 40,000 people.

This will be the third papal visit to Bosnia and...