SUMMARY:
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Francis: must the Middle East suffer the lack of peace?
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Notice
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Francis:
must the Middle East suffer the lack of peace?
Vatican
City, 23 December 2014 (VIS) – Pope Francis has written a letter to
Christians in the Middle East to mark the occasion of Christmas,
aware that for many of them “the music of [their] Christmas hymns
will also be accompanied by tears and sighs”. The Holy Father
comments on the conflicts that continue to afflict a part of the
world that has long experienced trials and tribulations, and that is
now further tormented by terrorism on an unprecedented scale “which
has perpetrated all kinds of abuses and inhuman acts”, compelling
other ethnic and religious groups to abandon their homelands where
they have “the duty and the right to take full part in the life and
progress” of their nations. He also underlines the central role of
Christians in the East in the life of the Church, which needs the
support and prayer of all the ecclesial community, and he launches a
renewed appeal to the international community to promote a global
solution to the problems of the region. “How much longer”, he
asks, “must the Middle East suffer from the lack of peace?”.
The
full text of the letter is published here below:
“Dear
brothers and sisters: 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all consolation, who
consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console
those who are in any affliction, with the consolation with which we
ourselves are consoled by God'.
When
I thought of writing to you, our Christian brothers and sisters in
the Middle East, these words of Saint Paul immediately came to mind.
I write to you just before Christmas, knowing that for many of you
the music of your Christmas hymns will also be accompanied by tears
and sighs. Nonetheless, the birth of the Son of God in our human
flesh is an indescribable mystery of consolation: 'For the grace of
God has appeared for the salvation of all people'.
Sadly,
afflictions and tribulations have not been lacking, even more
recently, in the Middle East. They have been aggravated in the past
months because of the continuing hostilities in the region, but
especially because of the work of a newer and disturbing terrorist
organisation, of previously unimaginable dimensions, which has
perpetrated all kinds of abuses and inhuman acts. It has particularly
affected a number of you, who have been brutally driven out of your
native lands, where Christians have been present since apostolic
times.
Nor,
in writing to you, can I remain silent about the members of other
religious and ethnic groups who are also experiencing persecution and
the effects of these conflicts. Every day I follow the new reports of
the enormous suffering endured by many people in the Middle East. I
think in particular of the children, the young mothers, the elderly,
the homeless and all refugees, the starving and those facing the
prospect of a hard winter without an adequate shelter. This suffering
cries out to God and it calls for our commitment to prayer and
concrete efforts to help in any way possible. I want to express to
all of you my personal closeness and solidarity, as well as that of
the whole Church, and to offer you a word of consolation and hope.
Dear
brothers and sisters who courageously bear witness to Jesus in the
land blessed by the Lord, our consolation and our hope is Christ
himself. I encourage you, then, to remain close to him, like branches
on the vine, in the certainty that no tribulation, distress or
persecution can separate us from him. May the trials which you are
presently enduring strengthen the faith and the fidelity of each and
all of you.
I
pray that you will be able to experience a fraternal communion
modelled on that of the first community of Jerusalem. The unity
willed by our Lord is more necessary than ever at these difficult
times; it is a gift from God, who appeals to our freedom and awaits
our response. May the word of God, the sacraments, prayer and
fellowship nourish and continually renew your communities.
The
situation in which are you living is a powerful summons to holiness
of life, as saints and martyrs of every Christian community have
attested. I think with affection and veneration of the pastors and
faithful who have lately been killed, often merely for the fact that
they were Christians. I think also of those who have been kidnapped,
including several Orthodox bishops and priests of various rites. May
they soon return, safe and sound, to their homes and communities! I
ask God to grant that all this suffering united to the Lord’s cross
will bring about much good for the Church and for all the peoples in
the Middle East.
In
the midst of hostility and conflicts, the communion which you
experience in fraternity and simplicity is a sign of God’s Kingdom.
I am gratified by the good relations and cooperation which exist
between the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches and those of
the Orthodox Churches, and also between the faithful of the different
Churches. The sufferings which Christians endure contribute immensely
to the cause of unity. It is the ecumenism of blood, which demands a
trusting abandonment to the working of the Holy Spirit.
May
you always bear witness to Jesus amid your difficulties! Your very
presence is precious for the Middle East. You are a small flock, but
one with a great responsibility in the land where Christianity was
born and first spread. You are like leaven in the dough. Even more
than the many contributions which the Church makes in the areas of
education, healthcare and social services, which are esteemed by all,
the greatest source of enrichment in the region is the presence of
Christians themselves, your presence. Thank you for your
perseverance!
Your
efforts to cooperate with people of other religions, with Jews and
Muslims, is another sign of the Kingdom of God. The more difficult
the situation, the more interreligious dialogue becomes necessary.
There is no other way. Dialogue, grounded in an attitude of openness,
in truth and love, is also the best antidote to the temptation to
religious fundamentalism, which is a threat for followers of every
religion. At the same time, dialogue is a service to justice and a
necessary condition for the peace which all so ardently desire.
The
majority of you live in environments which are predominantly Muslim.
You can help your Muslim fellow citizens to present with discernment
a more authentic image of Islam, as so many of them desire,
reiterating that Islam is a religion of peace, one which is
compatible with respect for human rights and favours peaceful
coexistence on the part of all. This will prove beneficial for them
and for all society. The tragic situation faced by our Christian
brothers and sisters in Iraq, as well as by the Yazidi and members of
other religious and ethnic communities, demands that all religious
leaders clearly speak out to condemn these crimes unanimously and
unambiguously, and to denounce the practice of invoking religion in
order to justify them.
Dear
brothers and sisters, almost all of you are native citizens of your
respective countries, and as such you have the duty and the right to
take full part in the life and progress of your nations. Within the
region you are called to be artisans of peace, reconciliation and
development, to promote dialogue, to build bridges in the spirit of
the Beatitudes, and to proclaim the Gospel of peace, in a spirit of
ready cooperation with all national and international authorities.
In
a special way I would like to express my esteem and gratitude to you,
dear brother patriarchs, bishops, priests, and men and women
religious, who accompany the journey of your communities with loving
concern. How valuable is the presence and work of those completely
consecrated to the Lord, serving him in their brothers and sisters,
especially those in greatest need, and thus witnessing to his
grandeur and his infinite love! How important is the presence of
pastors in the midst of their flocks, especially in times of trouble!
To
the young I send a paternal embrace. I pray for your faithfulness,
your human and Christian development, and the attainment of your
hopes and dreams. I repeat to you: 'Do not be afraid or ashamed to be
Christian. Your relationship with Jesus will help you to cooperate
generously with your fellow citizens, whatever their religious
affiliation'.
To
the elderly I express my respect and esteem. You are the memory of
your peoples. I pray that this memory will become a seed which can
grow and benefit generations yet to come.
I
wish to encourage all of you who work in the very important fields of
charity and education. I admire the work you do, especially through
Caritas and other Catholic charitable organisations in the different
countries, in providing help to anyone who asks, without
discrimination. Through this witness of charity you help support the
life of society and you contribute to the peace for which the region
hungers as if for bread. Education too is critical for the future of
society. How important it is for promoting the culture of encounter,
respect for the dignity of each person and the absolute value of
every human being!
Dear
brothers and sisters, even though you may not be numerous, you play a
significant role in the Church and in the countries where you live.
The entire Church is close to you and supports you, with immense
respect and affection for your communities and your mission. We will
continue to assist you with our prayers and with every other means at
our disposal.
At
the same time I continue to urge the international community to
address your needs and those of other suffering minorities, above all
by promoting peace through negotiation and diplomacy, for the sake of
stemming and stopping as soon as possible the violence which has
already caused so much harm. I once more condemn in the strongest
possible terms the traffic of arms. Instead, what are needed are
plans and initiatives for peace, so as to further a global solution
to the region’s problems. How much longer must the Middle East
suffer from the lack of peace? We must not resign ourselves to
conflicts as if change were not possible! In the spirit of my
pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the subsequent prayer meeting in the
Vatican with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents, I encourage you
to continue to pray for peace in the Middle East. May those forced to
leave their lands be able to return and to live in dignity and
security. May humanitarian aid increase and always have as its
central concern the good of each individual and each country,
respecting their identity and without any other agendas. May the
entire Church and the international community become ever more
conscious of the importance of your presence in the region.
Dear
Christian brothers and sisters of the Middle East, you have an
enormous responsibility and in meeting it you are not alone. That is
why I wanted to write to you, to encourage you and to let you know
how precious your presence and your mission are in the land which the
Lord has blessed. Your witness means much to me! Thank you! I pray
for you and your intentions every day. I thank you because I know
that, amid your sufferings, you also pray for me and for my service
to the Church. I do hope to have the chance to come to you in person
and to visit and to comfort you. May the Virgin Mary, the All-Holy
Mother of God and our Mother, accompany you and protect you always
with her tender love. To all of you and your families I impart my
Apostolic Blessing, and I pray that your celebration of Christmas
will be filled with the love and peace of Christ our Saviour”.
Notice
Vatican
City, 23 December 2014 (VIS) – The Vatican Information Service
wishes its readers a happy and holy Christmas. During the Christmas
holiday there will be no VIS bulletin from 24 to 28 December. The
next bulletin will be transmitted on Monday 29 December.
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