RELIGION, SPIRITUALITE

Le pape François est arrivé samedi matin à Sarajevo où des milliers d'habitants de cette ville, toujours meurtrie 20 ans après une guerre entre communautés aux confessions différentes, l'attendent avec espoir.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 L'avion s'est posé à 07H00 GMT. Près de 100.000 personnes, outre les habitants de Sarajevo, vont se rassembler dans la capitale pour accueillir le souverain pontife.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Des dizaines de milliers de fidèles étaient déjà rassemblés au stade olympique de Sarajevo où le pape doit célébrer une messe, selon des journalistes de l'AFP.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             "Je suis ici puisque je souhaite que la paix règne dans le monde entier et que les guerres et la haine cessent", a dit Branimir Vujca, 50 ans, un médecin de Kiseljac (centre) présent au stade avec son épouse et ses trois enfants adolescents.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Quelques 20.000 personnes devraient affluer de Croatie voisine où près de 90% de la population est de confession catholique.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        "Sarajevo appelé +Jérusalem de l'Occident+, une ville qui a tellement souffert dans l''Histoire et qui est sur un beau chemin de paix. C'est pour cela que je fais ce voyage comme un signe de paix une prière pour la paix", a dit le pape aux journalistes durant le vol.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 La guerre de Bosnie (1992-95) a fait près de 100.000 morts et plus de 2 millions de réfugiés et de déplacés, soit plus de la moitié de la population du pays.

Vingt après les accords de Dayton (Etats-Unis), qui ont mis fin à cette guerre entre Serbes orthodoxes, croates catholiques et musulmans bosniaques, la ville est en paix, mais semble comme figée sans véritable réconciliation, en dépit de nombreux efforts au sein de la population.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   "La Bosnie a besoin du message de paix que le pape va envoyer vu que le manque de confiance perdure entre les communautés de ce pays", a dit Katarina Dzrek, une Croate bosnienne, venue accueillir le pape.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Dans ce contexte, Jorge Bergoglio, deuxième pape à se rendre à Sarajevo après Jean Paul II en 1997, entend avant tout prêcher la coexistence, le "croisement" des mondes et des religions.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              "Je viens parmi vous pour exprimer mon soutien au dialogue oeucuménique et interreligieux, et surtout pour encourager une cohabitation paisible dans votre pays", a écrit le pape dans un message adressé lundi aux habitants de Sarajevo.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Dès son arrivée, le pape rencontrera les membres de la présidence tripartite tournante du pays (serbe, croate et musulmane). Le pape prendra la parole, avant de dire la messe dans le grand stade olympique.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Le temps fort de cette visite éclair, qui ne durera qu'une dizaine d'heures, sera la rencontre interreligieuse avec des représentants des confessions musulmane, juive, orthodoxe et catholique.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          "Le pape va dans cette ville, que Saint Jean-Paul II a définie comme la +Jérusalem d'Europe+, comme pèlerin de dialogue et de paix", a déclaré vendredi matin sur Radio Vatican le cardinal Pietro Parolin, secrétaire d'Etat du Vatican, équivalent d'un Premier ministre.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Dans ce pays de 3,8 millions d'habitants, les musulmans représentent quelque 40% de la population. Viennent ensuite les orthodoxes serbes avec 31% et les catholiques, presque tous croates, avec 10%. Les juifs ne sont plus qu'une petite minorité.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Mais la minorité croate catholique se sent à l'étroit dans ce pays divisé en deux par les accords de Dayton de 1995.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Le pape entend toutefois les encourager à rester, et à vivre ensemble, en dépit des plus de 300.000 catholiques (sur 800.000 avant la guerre) ayant déjà quitté la Bosnie depuis les années 90.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Le souverain pontife arrive à Sarajevo dans un contexte sécuritaire très délicat et sa visite représente, selon des experts, un important défi pour les forces de sécurité.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Des islamistes se réclamant du groupe Etat islamique ont appelé au jihad dans les Balkans dans une vidéo qui a été relayée vendredi par la presse locale, à la veille de la visite du pape. Environ 5.000 policiers devraient être déployés samedi dans Sarajevo.