Pope sends letter to Coptic Patriarch on Day of
Friendship
(Vatican Radio) May 10th marks
the anniversary of the first encounter between Pope Paul VI, the Bishop of
Rome, and head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Shenouda III, which took
place 43 years ago. Today, on the Day of Friendship between Copts and Catholics,
Pope Francis has written to His Holiness Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and
Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark, to commemorate the occasion.
In his letter to head of the
Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, Pope Francis expressed his joy “at the ever
deeper spiritual bonds” between the two communities, and thanked God for “the
steps we have taken together along the path of reconciliation and friendship”.
He went on to say, “though we are still journeying towards the day when we will
gather as one at the same Eucharistic table, we are able even now to make
visible the communion uniting us”.
Pope Francis has also said in
his letter that the Copts and Catholics are “called to offer a common response
founded upon the Gospel”, in the face of contemporary challenges, particularly
in the Middle East, where Christians continue to face daily persecution. “As we
continue our earthly pilgrimage, if we learn to bear each other as burdens and
to exchange the rich patrimony of our respective traditions, then we will see more
clearly that what unites us is greater than what divides us.”
Below please find the full
text by Pope Francis:
PONTIFICAL LETTER
For the Day of Friendship between Copts and Catholics
For the Day of Friendship between Copts and Catholics
10 May 2016
To His Holiness Tawadros
II
Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark
Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark
Recalling with pleasure the
third anniversary of our fraternal meeting in Rome on 10 May 2013, I offer
heartfelt best wishes to Your Holiness for peace and health, and I express my
joy at the ever deeper spiritual bonds uniting the See of Peter and the See of
Mark.
It is with gratitude to the
Lord our God that I recall the steps we have taken together along the path of
reconciliation and friendship. After centuries of silence,
misunderstanding and even hostility, Catholics and Copts increasingly are
encountering one another, entering into dialogue, and cooperating together in
proclaiming the Gospel and serving humanity. In this renewed spirit of
friendship, the Lord helps us to see that the bond uniting us is born of the
same call and mission we received from the Father on the day of our
baptism. Indeed, it is through baptism that we become members of the one
Body of Christ that is the Church (cf. 1 Cor 12:13), God’s own
people, who proclaim his praises (cf.1 Pet 2:9). May the Holy
Spirit, the mainspring and bearer of all gifts, unite us evermore in the bond
of Christian love and guide us in our shared pilgrimage, in truth and charity,
towards full communion.
I would like also to express
to Your Holiness my deep appreciation for the generous hospitality offered
during the thirteenth meeting of the Joint International Commission for the
Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox
Churches, held in Cairo at the invitation of the Patriarchate of the See of
Saint Mark. I am grateful to you for receiving the members of the Joint
Commission at the Saint Bishoy Monastery in Wadi Natrum, and I am certain that
we share the ardent hope that this important dialogue may continue to progress
and bear abundant fruits.
Though we are still journeying
towards the day when we will gather as one at the same eucharistic table, we
are able even now to make visible the communion uniting us. Copts and
Catholics can witness together to important values such as the holiness and
dignity of every human life, the sanctity of marriage and family life, and
respect for the creation entrusted to us by God. In the face of
many contemporary challenges, Copts and Catholics are called to offer a common
response founded upon the Gospel. As we continue our earthly pilgrimage,
if we learn to bear each other’s burdens and to exchange the rich patrimony of
our respective traditions, then we will see more clearly that what unites us is
greater than what divides us.
Your Holiness, every day my
thoughts and prayers are with the Christian communities in Egypt and the Middle
East, so many of whom are experiencing great hardship and tragic
situations. I am well aware of your grave concern for the situation in
the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria, where our Christian brothers and
sisters and other religious communities are facing daily trials. May God
our Father grant peace and consolation to all those who suffer, and inspire the
international community to respond wisely and justly to such unprecedented violence.
On this occasion that has
rightly become known as the day of friendship between Copts and Catholics, I
willingly exchange with Your Holiness a fraternal embrace of peace in Christ
the Risen Lord.
FRANCIS
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