Bosnia's Catholics to honour Pope Francis with memorial Masses

The announcement came in a circular issued by the Archdiocese and signed by Vicar General Monsignor Sladjan Cosic and Chancellor Rev. Mladen Kalfic. It outlined liturgical guidelines to be observed across the region in connection with Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome.

All churches in the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna are instructed to hold memorial Masses either on the day of Pope Francis’s burial—Saturday, 26 April—or as soon as practically possible thereafter. Clergy and parishioners alike are encouraged to join in prayer for the repose of the late pontiff’s soul.

In a symbolic gesture of mourning and unity, church bells across the Archdiocese are to toll for ten minutes beginning at 10 am local time, coinciding with the start of funeral rites in the Vatican.

Each priest is also encouraged to offer an additional Mass privately, dedicated to the memory of Pope Francis.

“May these days of liturgical observance be imbued with our gratitude for the gift of Pope Francis’s Petrine ministry and our prayer that the Risen Lord may welcome him among the saints,” the circular reads.

In addition to the central Mass in Sarajevo, Bishop Petar Palic of Mostar-Duvno, who also serves as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan, will lead a separate memorial service on Thursday, 24 April. That Mass will take place in the Cathedral of Mary, Mother of the Church in Mostar.

These services mark a profound moment of collective remembrance and spiritual reflection among Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who join the global Church in bidding farewell to the 266th Bishop of Rome.