The Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croatian: Biskupska Konferencija Bosne i Hercegovine) is the permanent assembly of Catholic bishops in Bosnia and Herzegovina founded in 1994 by the Holy See.[1]
The president of the Conference is elected among the bishops for a term of five years. Tomo Vukšić, Archbishop of Vrhbosna, is the incumbent president of the Conference.
The Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a member of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE).
History
Before the formation and stabilization of independent Bosnia and Herzegovina, the bishops from the region were part of the Episcopal Conference of Yugoslavia.
In 1994, at the request of the bishops present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, with the approval of the Secretariat of State’s Department for Relations with States, granted permission for the establishment of the Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This approval was officially given on 8 December 1994[2], marking a significant step in the formalization of the Catholic Church’s structure in the newly independent country.
Five years later, in December 2003, the same Congregation approved the Statute of the Episcopal Conference, which, in seven chapters and 39 articles, outlines the fundamental structure and functioning of the conference.[3]
Since 1998, the Episcopal Conference of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have met annually in joint sessions. These gatherings focus on aligning pastoral practices for the Croatian diaspora, coordinating missionary efforts in other countries, and planning initiatives or events that celebrate their common cultural heritage and history.[4]
Current membership
The membership of the BKBIH consists of all active and retired Latin Church Catholic and Eastern Catholic bishops of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
82nd Session of the Conference held in Sarajevo in 2021.
As of August 2025, The Conference is composed of the Assembly, the Permanent Council and the General Secretariat, as demanded by 1983 Code of Canon Law.
It consists also of councils, committees, offices and organizations that carry out the work and decisions of the Assembly.[8]
Councils
Permanent Council - Tomo Vukšić (president), Petar Palić, Željko Majić (members)
Council for Dialogue among Religions and Cultures - Petar Palić (president)
Council for Clergy and Seminaries - Petar Palić (president)
Council for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Council for Laity - Željko Majić (president)
Pedagogical Council for Catholic Schools in Europe
Council for Communications - Tomo Vukšić (president)
Council for the Pastoral Care of the Croatian Diaspora (joint council of Episcopal Conferences of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Tomo Vukšić (president)
Committees
Committee for Doctrine of the Faith - Tomo Vukšić (president), Petar Palić and Željko Majić (members)
Committee Iustitia et Pax - Željko Majić (president)
Committee for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons - Tomo Vukšić (president)
↑ According to the Statute of the Conference, eparch of Križevci is not a permanent member of the Conference, but can be called on the Council of the Conference.[7]
References
↑ Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina (8 December 1994). "Dekret osnutka". bkbih.ba (in Croatian). Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
↑ "Osnutak". bkbih.ba (in Croatian). Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
↑ Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina (25 December 1995). "Statut Biskupske konferencije Bosne i Hercegovine". bkbih.ba (in Croatian). Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
↑ Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. "Tijela BK BiH". bkbih.ba (in Croatian). Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
↑ "Djelatnici". bkbih.ba (in Croatian). Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
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