VATICAN - The Pope tells Bishops of the Caucasus: “The difficult situations of the past century have not extinguished the flame of the Gospel that, from generation to generation, has found a fertile ground in the Caucasus.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “I greet you all with affection and through you, I wish to send my sincerest thoughts to the priests, your primary collaborators, the consecrated persons, and all the faithful of your communities, as well as the members of other Christian faiths and other religions that live in the Caucasus, a land that is rich in history and culture, birthplace of civilization, and crossroads between East and West.” With these words, the Holy Father Benedict XVI greeted the Bishops of the Southern Caucasus, whom he received in an audience in the late morning on April 24, for their “Ad Limina Apostolorum” visit.
“Since the fall of the Soviet Union,” the Pope said in his address, “your peoples have seen significant social changes along the road to progress. Yet difficult situations persist: many are the poor, the unemployed, and the refugees whom war has forced from their homes. Nonetheless, the difficult situations of the past century have not extinguished the flame of the Gospel that, from generation to generation, has found a fertile ground in the Caucasus, despite there having been no lack of violent confrontations, both internal and from outside, which have caused many victims, among whom the Church includes many martyrs of the faith.”
Benedict XVI emphasized that pastoral activity is taking place “in a land where social and cultural challenges continue to exist and where the Catholic community is a ‘small flock,’ that lives its own faith in contact with other Christian faiths and other religions.” The Holy Father encouraged all Catholics there to intensify their collaboration with the other Churches and with the members of other religions. “They should also be careful to not allow that, where Communism was unable to erode Catholic identity, insidious manners of pressure enter, weakening in some the sense of belonging to the Church. With that in mind, I unite myself to the aspirations of your Catholic communities, that they may be recognized in their juridical nature, in respect to the very nature of the Catholic Church.”
This path is not without its difficulties and the Pope called them to have hope and trust even in the midst of trials: “Encourage and support your faithful, so that in the face of difficulties, their joy at professing the faith and of being members of the Catholic Church may not diminish. This is the joy that springs forth from the heart of he who follows Christ the Lord and is willing to give testimony to His Gospel.”
The Pope then encouraged them to pray for vocations and promote vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. “It is necessary to ensure that future generations in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have saintly priests who live their vocation with joy and generously dedicate themselves to caring for all the faithful.” Special attention should be given to families, that “due to the mentality ingrained in the society and passed down from the Communist era, are facing no small number of difficulties and are affected by those wounds and those attacks on human life which, unfortunately, take place in so many other parts of the world.”
The Holy Father seemed impressed by the attention given to the poor and those in difficulty, pointing out that these activities “are done with an evangelical spirit.” After expressing the need that “each community always work with this spirit,” Benedict XVI recalled that among the Pastors of Christ’s flock, there is a need for “relationships of constant collaboration, characterized by trust and mutual support,” that is fostered by encounters and periodic moments of coming together to verify the pastoral plans drawn up, especially as concerns preparation for the sacraments. “Such plans aim above all at the formation of the consciences of the faithful according to evangelical ethics, with a particular attention for the young,” the Pope said, entrusting the Church in the Caucasus to the Virgin Mary. “May She grant us the gift of unity and peace so that, journeying in Christ’s name and rising above all diversity, we may work together in building a society where justice and peace reign.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 25/4/2008; righe 51, parole 681)