THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN THE PROCESS OF RECONCILIATIONIN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

Abstract

The paper will show the results of a research on the role
of religion in the reconciliation process that took place on the
territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2012 to 2019. The first
part of the paper will show the views of the general population
from 2606 respondent. The second part will show a qualitative
analysis of the content of the interview with the representatives of
three traditional religious communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The interview was conducted from the summer of 2018 until spring
2019, with people who are prominent in their public role in society
with professors of religious universities, religious school directors
and religious teachers who were part of this sample, patrons
of Orthodox, Islamic, Roman Catholic, Judaism and Protestant
theologians. The results of the survey show that there are
potentials for building a stable process of reconciliation. Primarily,
the right to choose is for the common good of all citizens of Bosnia
and Herzegovina in order to create an atmosphere of acceptance,
understanding and respecting differences of members of different
national backgrounds and religious traditions. There are many
ways to realize the process of reconciliation, and those that are
recognized are open dialogue about the past, admitting and
apologizing, recognizing the victims and respecting their religious
identity, giving special attention to minority groups that feel
vulnerable in certain areas. Religion has potentials for reconciliation
if their believers accept both the differences and the commonalities
of others. Religious leaders, more than lay people, are in a position
to contribute to reconciliation.