Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Nicosia (Agenzia Fides) - “I reiterate my personal appeal for an urgent and concerted international effort to resolve the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, especially in the Holy Land, before such conflicts lead to greater bloodshed.” These were the words spoken by the Holy Father Benedict XVI on Sunday, June 6, at the end of the Mass celebrated in the Eleftheria Sports Center of Nicosia, prior to the consignment of the Instrumentum Laboris of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, which will be held in October.
In his address, the Holy Father began by recalling Bishop Luigi Padovese, President of the Turkish Bishops' Conference, who was killed June 3 and who had contributed to the preparation of the Instrumentum Laboris: “I entrust his soul to the mercy of almighty God, mindful of how committed he was, especially as a bishop, to interreligious and cultural understanding, and to dialogue between the Churches. His death is a sobering reminder of the vocation that all Christians share, to be courageous witnesses in every circumstance to what is good, noble and just.” The Pope then spoke of how the Middle East has “a special place in the hearts of all Christians, since it was there that God first made himself known to our fathers in faith.” Since then, the message of the Gospel has spread all over the world, but “Christians everywhere continue to look to the Middle East with special reverence, on account of the prophets and patriarchs, apostles and martyrs to whom we owe so much, the men and women who heard God’s word, bore witness to it, and handed it on to us who belong to the great family of the Church.”
Reflecting on the upcoming Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Holy Father revealed that it “will attempt to deepen the bonds of communion between the members of your local Churches, and the communion of these churches with each other and with the universal Church,” thus it will be a source of encouragement in witnessing to the faith in Christ, where the faith was born and from where it spread. The Holy Father continued: “The Special Assembly is an opportunity for Christians from the rest of the world to offer spiritual support and solidarity to their brothers and sisters in the Middle East. This is an opportunity to highlight the significant value of the Christian presence and witness in countries of the Bible, not only for the Christian community worldwide, but also for your neighbours and fellow citizens. You are help the common good in countless ways, for example through education, health care and social assistance, and you work to build society. You want to live in peace and harmony with your Jew and Muslim neighbors. Often, you act as peacemakers in the difficult process of reconciliation. You deserve recognition for the invaluable role you fill. This is my serious hope that your rights are increasingly respected, including the right to freedom of worship and religious freedom, and that you will never again suffer discrimination of any kind. I pray that the work of the Special Assembly will help to focus the attention of the international community on the plight of those Christians in the Middle East who suffer for their beliefs, so that just and lasting solutions may be found to the conflicts that cause so much hardship.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 7/06/2010)
