Relationship dossier
Vatican City
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Relationship assessment
Papal engagement and a bilateral agreement underpin cooperative Holy See–Bosnia and Herzegovina ties.
Vatican City toward Bosnia and Herzegovina
+40The Holy See has engaged with Bosnia and Herzegovina through papal visits, including visits by John Paul II in 1997 and Pope Francis in 2015, and has supported peace and interreligious dialogue in the country.
Bosnia and Herzegovina toward Vatican City
+35Bosnia and Herzegovina concluded an agreement with the Holy See regulating the legal position and activities of the Catholic Church; the agreement was signed in 2006 and ratified in 2007.
Overall relationship
+40The relationship combines sustained diplomatic engagement with a concrete agreement governing the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Papal visits and Holy See advocacy for peace and interreligious dialogue add to the cooperative ties; no specific bilateral dispute is identified in this assessment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Holy See and Bosnia and Herzegovina maintain a cooperative relationship, including papal visits and a bilateral agreement on the status of the Catholic Church. The Holy See has also engaged publicly in support of peace and interreligious dialogue in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The known ties are substantive, though the scope and implementation of bilateral arrangements are not fully clear.
Key developments
John Paul II visited Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Holy See signed an agreement concerning the Catholic Church.
Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified its agreement with the Holy See concerning the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis visited Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the bilateral agreement on the Catholic Church are unclear.
- Details of ongoing government cooperation on interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding are limited.