Pope
writes Christmas letter to Middle East’s persecuted Christians
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has written a pre-Christmas
letter to the Christians of the Middle East to express his closeness to
them at a time of “afflictions and tribulations” due to “the continuing
hostilities in the region, but especially because of the work of a newer and
disturbing terrorist organization.”
Though the Pope does
not refer to the organization by name, Islamic State militants in recent months
have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians, Yazidis and other minorities
from their homes and villages in Iraq.
The Pope, who says he
follows daily reports of the “enormous suffering endured by many people in the
Middle East,” describes the organization “of previously unimaginable
dimensions,” responsible for “all kinds of abuses and inhuman acts.”
Christians were “brutally driven out of their native lands,” he observes,
where they “have been present since apostolic times.”
The Holy Father says
he was moved to write to them ahead of Christmas, knowing that their Christmas
hymns would be accompanied “by tears and sighs.”
He writes that he
cannot remain silent in the face of persecution and conflict affecting other
religious and ethnic groups. He is particularly concerned about the
children, mothers, elderly, homeless and refugees as they face the prospect of
a harsh winter.
The Holy Father
expresses hope that the current trials to which Christians are subjected will
strengthen them in their faith and in communion with Christians of other
denominations.
He praises those
pastors who have braved times of trouble to remain by their flock and recalls
those kidnapped, including several Orthodox bishops and priests. He
also expresses gratitude for the good relations and cooperation between
Orthodox Church leaders and those of eastern rite Catholic churches. The
sufferings which Christians endure,” he adds, “contribute immensely to the
cause of [Christian] unity.”
Interreligious
dialogue marked by openness, truth and love, he says, is the best antidote to
religious fundamentalism, “a threat to followers of every religion.”
Living in
predominantly Muslim nations, the region’s Christians can help their fellow
Muslims present a “more authentic image of Islam,” the Pope writes, “as so many
of them desire.”
Christians, he
emphasizes, can reiterate that Islam is a religion of peace, compatible with
respect for human rights and peaceful coexistence. The tragic situation of the
Christians, Yazidis and other minorities in Iraq, the Pope stresses, “demands
that all religious leaders clearly…condemn these crimes unanimously and
unambiguously” and “denounce the practice of invoking religion in order to
justify them.”
At the same time, as
natives to the region, Christians “have the duty and the right to take full
part in the life and progress of their nations,” writes Pope Francis.
They are called to be artisans of peace, reconciliation and development, to
promote dialogue,” he says, to build bridges and cooperate with “all national
and international authorities.”
He invites young people to “not be afraid or ashamed to be a
Christian,” and tells the elderly they are the “memory” of their peoples.
Memory, like a seed, can grow and benefit future generations.
He expresses
admiration for Caritas and other Catholic charitable and educational
organizations, saying they contribute to peace in a region hungry for it.
Pope Francis says he
continues to urge the international community to help meet the needs of
Christians and others affected by conflict and to seek peace through
negotiation and diplomacy. Calling for prayers that they will one day be
able to return to their homes and “to live in dignity and security,” Pope
Francis says Christians in the Middle East have “an enormous
responsibility.” But, he assures them they are not alone – that he is
here to encourage them and let them know how precious is their presence and
witness. And, he hopes to one day come visit them in person, to comfort
them.
******************************************************************************************************************
Below, please find the full
text of Pope Francis' letter to the Christians of the Middle East:
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” (2 Cor 1:3-4).
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” (Tit 2:11).
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 organization, 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
(cf. Rom 8:35). 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 (cf. Mt 5:3:12), 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”
(Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia
in Medio Oriente, 63).
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 organizations 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.
From the Vatican, * *
*
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét