Pope Leo XIV faces expectations to bridge divisions in the Church

Euronews

13-05-2025

European Council President António Costa visited Sarajevo on Tuesday as part of his Balkans tour. He was given a warm reception upon his arrival prior to his meetings with members of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In a statement, the European Council chief announced that the EU 'remains committed' to European future of the country. He also praised Željka Cvijanović, Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić and Borjana Krišto – all members of the presidency – for their role in maintaining stability and security in the country and the region.
Recently, tensions have been brewing domestically over the leader of Republika Srpska – Milorad Dodik – actions, which the government has denounced for undermining the country's constitutional order.
Western powers and the EU have condemned Dodik for his provocations after he had suggested that the Dayton Agreement, the peace agreement that formally ended the Bosnian War in 1995, have outlived their purpose.
In his statement, Costa underlined the importance of the Dayton accords, set to mark its 30th anniversary this year.
'And this year, on the 30th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide and the Dayton/Paris agreement, I believe that it is an important message to remember,' said Costa.
Costa also outlined that some reforms are needed to ensure Bosnia remains on the path to EU membership.
'We need the approval of two judiciary laws, the appointment of a chief negotiator, and the adoption of the reform agenda to move towards on the Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European path.'
Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only country that does not benefit from the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. Costa stressed that the implementation of these reforms are of paramount importance to ensure the citizens of Bosnia benefit from the EU plan. ]
'The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are the only ones in the region who do not benefit from the Growth Plan yet.'
'I would like to see Bosnia and Herzegovina joining the other Western Balkans partners in profiting from all that the European Union has to offer,' noted the Council president.
Costa will next travel to Montenegro and Albania on Wednesday where he will meet with President Milatović in Podgorica and President Osmani in Tirana. He'll conclude his tour with a visit to Skopje in North Macedonia where he will be meeting with Prime Minister Mickoski.
Although less than a week has passed since Pope Leo XIV was elected at the conclave of cardinals, gathered to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church, much has already been said about the new pontiff and what is expected from his papacy.
While he is widely seen as someone capable of uniting a divided Church, he is expected to continue Pope Francis' legacy.
However, some conservatives hope the new pontiff will embrace a more traditionalist approach.
His relationship with the United States will also be one to watch, especially given that some factions within the American Catholic Church align with US President Donald Trump's policies.
'He is largely unknown — that's the big question," Father Patrick Mary Briscoe, the editor of Our Sunday Visitor, told Euronews.
"Some bloggers and others have reacted quite strongly. They're nervous about some of the pope's political views. For example, we've seen tweets responding in particular to Vice President (JD) Vance, so there's a bit of concern from the right side of the political spectrum," Father Briscoe explained.
"But overall, we just don't know much - this pope hadn't said a lot before being elected, and we're only just getting to know him. I think it's too early to tell, and we'll see how things go."
Some hardliners have even suggested that the new pontiff may end up clashing with Trump on a number of issues. They argue that he doesn't appear to be supportive enough of the US president's MAGA ("Make America Great Again") political agenda.
However, others say the supreme pontiff cannot take sides.
'If the pope were too aligned with American politics it would impinge his mission. The pope has to lead the Church and that means leading the universal Church, the whole of the Catholic Church," Father Briscoe said.
"So if the pope's main concern were a particular view on American politics, it would harm his mission and role, which is to be (the heir to Saint) Peter.'
The Trump administration wants to hear this week how NATO's European member countries and Canada plan to boost defence spending to 5% of GDP, new US envoy Matthew Whitaker has said.
Briefing reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkey, US Ambassador Matthew Whitaker insisted that "5% is our number. We're asking our allies to invest in their defence like they mean it."
"Make no mistake, this ministerial is going to be different,' Whitaker said, adding that "5% is not just a number, it is a necessity for our security. The alliance is facing significant threats."
He did elaborate on what those threats were.
In 2023, as Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine entered its second year, NATO leaders agreed to spend at least 2% of GDP on national defence budgets.
So far, 22 of the 32 member countries have done so and leaders will set a new goal at a summit in The Hague on 25 June.
Trump, who has cast doubt over whether the US would defend allies that spend too little, insists NATO members should commit to spending at least 5%, but that would require investment at an unprecedented scale.
NATO leaders insisted at a summit last year that "Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to Allies' security," but some countries have grown uneasy about Trump's links to President Vladimir Putin.
Last week, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that NATO's chief expects the leaders "to aim for 3.5% hard military spending by 2032," and to "1.5% related spending such as infrastructure, cybersecurity and things like that. Also achievable by 2032."
While the two figures do add up to 5%, factoring in infrastructure and cybersecurity would change the basis on which NATO traditionally calculates defence spending.
The seven-year time frame is also short by the alliance's usual standards.
Asked about his demand, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte did not deny it, but he said: "I'm not going to confirm the figures." He said that "there are many rumours floating around" as envoys discuss the new spending goal.
Whitaker appeared to confirm the "defence investment" plan, saying that it "also includes things like mobility, necessary infrastructure, cyber security. It is definitely more than just missiles, tanks and howitzers."
"But at the same time, it's got to be defence-related. It's not a grab bag for everything that you could possibly imagine," Whitaker added.
It remains difficult to see how many allies might reach even 3.5% of GDP on defence investment.
NATO's most recent estimates show that 22 allies would reach the 2% goal last year, compared to a previous forecast of 23.
Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain would not, although Spain does expect to reach the 2% goal in 2025, a year too late.
Even the United States was estimated to have spent 3.19% of GDP in 2024, down from 3.68% a decade ago, when all members vowed to increase spending after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
It's the only ally whose spending has dropped.
Whitaker also said that any European investments in "defence industry capabilities must also include the fair treatment for American defence technology firms."
He said that excluding the US and others "would undermine NATO interoperability, slow Europe's rearming, raise costs and stifle innovation."
Last month, the European Union announced a new drive to break its security dependency on the United States, with a focus on buying more defence equipment in Europe.