VATICAN - “ Following the example of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, may the Christians of your countries be credible witnesses to the universal brotherhood which Christ taught his disciples!”: Pope Benedict XVI encourages the members of the Regional Bishops' Conference of North Africa

Monday, 11 June 2007

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The diversity of the human and ecclesial situations in your countries is no impediment to the fraternity which you live in your Bishops' Conference, where you find appreciable support for your ministry, in particular in the trials suffered by some of your local Churches. Your unity is a authentic witness to the Lord's teaching ”. Pope Benedict XVI said this in his address to the Bishops of the Regional Bishops Conference of North Africa C.E.R.N.A., whom he received in audience in the morning of Saturday 9 June on the occasion of their ad limina visit.
Speaking in French the Pope said “Fraternal encounter with the men and women among whom you live is one of the themes which you wish to develop to express the mission of the Church in your region. In this regard I warmly encourage you to lead the faithful to an authentic encounter with the Lord who will lead them to the encounter with their brothers and sisters… So that, as it was intensely lived by Fr Charles de Foucauld whom your diocesan Churches had the joy of seeing beatified a few months ago, the Eucharist may be the centre of the life of your communities!”
Recalling some leading members of the Christian communities of the region who in the first Christian centuries helped to “build bridges between the shores of the Mediterranean”, Benedict XVI said “today the members of your community present great diversity for the origin and for the duration and reason of their presence in the Maghreb. In this way they offer an image of the universality of the Church whose Gospel message is addressed to all nations”.
The Holy Father then stressed the importance of religious witness in the family, at work, places of study etc: “The spiritual quality of Christian communities founded on the certainty that the Lord is ever present and working in each one of them, is essential if they are to give reasons for the hope with which they are animated. United with their bishops in a spirit of fraternal charity, may they be places where communion is lived and manifestations of God's love for all men and women”.
“In this perspective - the Pope said - , inter-religious dialogue has an important place in the pastoral activity of your dioceses … I am happy to see that through initiatives of dialogue and places of encounter such as study centres and libraries, you are resolutely committed to developing and deepening the existing relations between Christians and Muslims, in order to promote reconciliation, justice and peace. In daily sharing Christians and Muslims can find the principal basis for better reciprocal knowledge. By means of fraternal mutual sharing of joys and sorrows, especially in the most significant moments of life, and also through collaboration in the fields of healthcare, education, culture, or the most humble services, you demonstrate authentic solidarity, which strengthens bonds of trust and friendship among individuals, families and communities.”
Among other important questions which the Bishops of this region have to face the Pope recalled “emigration of people from Sub-Saharan Africa who attempt to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe in search of a better life”; the importance of the consecrated life; collaboration between the Churches of the Middle East and Africa, “is a witness of great value for your region, which is a meeting point between Africa, Europe and the Arab world”. Benedict XVI concluded encouraging the Bishops in their ministry: “Following the example of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, may the Christians of your countries be credible witnesses to the universal brotherhood which Christ taught his disciples! I entrust your communities to the maternal protection of Our Lady of Africa”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 11/6/2007; righe 45, parole 645)


Share: