Conservative Cardinal, 79, Cancels Participation in Conclave
He will not be able to come to Rome for health reasons, he told Vecernji.hr (April 21): "Doctors advise me against it and I do not plan to travel to Rome unless the Vatican specifically asks me to do so."
On the death of Francis, Cardinal Puljić told HRT television that Francis left behind "many memories, but also many disappointments". The Cardinal is considered a "conservative."
He has worked to bring peace to the war-torn former Yugoslavia.
One of his concerns was the declining Catholic population in Sarajevo, which he described as becoming a Muslim city. He accused the leading regimes of favouring Muslims.
Cardinal Puljić strongly opposed the "blessing" of homosexual couples, calling such proposals "exotic ideas" that contradict Church teaching.
Regarding the German Synod, he argued that its endeavours depart from the Gospel and promote secularism.
On Medjugorje, he acknowledged the position of the local bishops that "it cannot be affirmed that these events concerning apparitions and revelations are of a supernatural nature".
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