To teach young people how to live together, religious leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina are encouraging them to run together.
One of the Archdiocese of Sarajevo’s most successful interreligious initiatives for youth is its “Run for Peace,” a yearly race sponsored by its John Paul II Youth Center, which was established after the country’s three-year civil war to promote peace, friendship and dialogue among young people.
“When children run together, it matters,” says Mario Hrgić, whose daughter ran in the center’s race last autumn.
“Will it be this generation that changes things? I don’t know,” he says, but adds, “through sport, meeting one another, they’re moving in the right direction — easing, if not erasing, the tensions left by the war.”
Today the John Paul II Center is the only ecumenical and interreligious youth project of its scale in the country, drawing young people of all confessions. Alongside Catholic programs, its ecumenical and interreligious initiatives range from volunteer opportunities and training workshops to sports events and educational trips. The Run for Peace is coordinated with the local Orthodox youth center.
“We chose John Paul II as the center’s patron,” says Father Šimo Maršić, founding director. “He had deep trust in youth and urged the building of bridges between peoples and religions. We continue that mission.”
The design of the eight-story building is intended to encourage dialogue, with a café and terrace for group meals, a configurable conference hall with a stage and projector, and offices for team projects and a prayer room. Each year, the center publishes “Little Steps,” a collection of successfully completed peacebuilding initiatives. Each week, it accommodates up to 200 young people with safe onsite lodging — vital for children and teens traveling from remote parts of the country. The center has also taken its mission online, developing a digital pastoral outreach.
The foundational idea is that faith and belief unite people, Father Maršić says.
“In every faith, in every religion, we speak about loving each other,” he says. “We can overcome the prejudices and build bridges between us.”
Read more about the efforts toward peace, dialogue and reconciliation in Bosnia-Herzegovina in “No Alternative to Dialogue” in the December issue of ONE.