Pope Francis accepted the request of the Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Bosnia, Vinko Puljic, to retire on Saturday and he will be succeeded by current Archbishop Coadjutor Tomo Vuksic.

Cardinal Puljic has been at the helm of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese for 31 years. He was appointed by Pope John Paul II. on December 7, 1990.

Puljic remained in the besieged Bosnian capital throughout the war in the country, although he occasionally left the city when needed. For a time, he was the only religious leader present in the BiH capital.

Due to persistent efforts advocating an end to the conflict and achieving mutual reconciliation and dialogue in the country, Pope John Paul II named him a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church in 1994. He thus became the first cardinal in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.