Catholics continue to struggle.

Rome -- Father Mijo Dzolan, Provincial of the Franciscans of Bosnia-Herzegovina, says that nothing there has changed for the better for the Church. More than half of Bosnian Catholics have left since the start of the Bosnian war. Catholics are still discriminated against by the 1995 Dayton peace accord: they cannot live safely and prosper, and they continue to seek refuge abroad, especially in Croatia, the United States, and in Australia. Fr. Dzolan says that, "The most sensitive issue for the Church is how to help our brothers and sisters live in hope."

Bishop Franjo Komarica of Banja Luka says that between 70,000 and 80,000 Catholics were expelled from their diocese, and only 3% have been able to return. There has been almost no restitution of their confiscated property. Bosnia and Herzegovina have 4.4 million inhabitants of which 40% are Muslim, 31% are Orthodox and 11% are Catholic. The bishop stated that 95% of the churches in his diocese were destroyed in the war, and there is no money to restore them.

On February 24, 2006, Pope Benedict received the bishops from the country at their ad limina visit. Among urgent problems discussed, the Pope mentioned the situation of the exiled, whose return he advocated, thanks to "appropriate agreements that ensure respect for the rights of all." Unfortunately, the agreements are not being honoured. Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo told Catholic News Service that Bosnian Muslims have access to funding and permits to build their mosques, but that Catholics have neither. He has been waiting for eight years for a building permit. "All we want are the same rights as Muslims and Serbs."