The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Cardinal Paul Richard Gallagher, who was on an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Sunday visited the Marian shrine of Medjugorje and held talks with Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, special apostolic visitator for that parish.

During his visit to Medjugorje, he was accompanied by Mostar Bishop Petar Palic.

Medjugorje, a southern town and one of the most popular Catholic pilgrimage sites, was the last stop of Archbishop Gallagher's four-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On Friday, the dignitary visited Sarajevo and said on that occasion that Pope Francis was closely following the developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, affected by a deep political crisis.

Pope Francis is very interested in the social and economic situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and strongly supports the coexistence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting that diversity is a wealth, the cardinal said in Sarajevo, after meeting the country's officials.

During his stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the dignitary also visited the seats of the Catholic dioceses in Mostar and Banja Luka and held talks with the local bishops on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in which the Roman Catholic population has been dwindling since the outbreak of the 1992-1995 war.

According to the latest estimates, roughly 340,000 Catholics live in the country.