One of the few unrestored buildings in Sarajevo

After the course at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia (see separate report on the website), Jim Payton traveled to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jim saw that the city has been rebuilt after the devastation it suffered in the warfare and siege of the first half of the 1990s. Only one or two buildings remain unrestored, as testaments to the horrors the city endured during that time.
In Sarajevo, Jim met with Prof. Fr. Marko Orsolic, a Franciscan theologian and priest. Fr. Orsolic heads up the interreligious dialogue center, “Zajedno” (“together”). We talked about the challenges in the contemporary Bosnian situation for the center’s work. We also discussed the endeavors of IMIC (the International Multireligious and Intercultural Center), which provides a platform for promoting interreligious dialogue and the development of discourse on justice and peace in Bosnia. (CAREE has long been one of the international supporters of Zajedno and the IMIC.)
Jim also met with Prof. Fr. Ivo Markovic, another Franciscan theologian. We also discussed the challenges for interreligious dialogue in contemporary Bosnia. Not surprisingly, such endeavors can only proceed fitfully and slowly, after the tensions of the 1990s. Even so, Fr. Markovic has played a significant role in a striking initiative in this regard: he helped to found and has continued to be involved in an interfaith choir in Sarajevo. The choir has Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish, and evangelical Christian members; they have cut several CDs, which include religious music from the various traditions. Jim was allowed to listen in on one of the choir’s practices; the choirmaster certainly put the members through their paces! The CD Jim received as a gift is a beautiful collection of songs from the respective religious traditions. This interfaith initiative allows people of the various backgrounds to interact with each other and develop respect for the music of each tradition; the close interaction helps break down suspicions and barriers.
Fr. Markovic and Jim also went to the Islamic University (Faculty of Islamic Studies) in Sarajevo, where Fr. Markovic presented a guest lecture. While there, they met with Professor Ahmet Alibasic and discussed the challenges and hopes for interreligious interaction in the contemporary situation in Bosnia.

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