MIDDLE EAST: DIALOGUE, RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 17, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed the prelates of the Conference of Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions, in Rome on their "ad limina" visit, and spoke to them of the joys and difficulties of being a Christian in the Middle East. He appealed for dialogue and respect for human rights, in order to achieve a lasting and just peace, and called for an end to the embargo against Iraq and for assistance to refugees leaving Sudan for Egypt.

The Pope began by recalling his pilgrimages during the Jubilee Year to Mount Sinai and to the Holy Land, including "Jerusalem, the holy city where Christ died and rose again for the salvation of mankind." He said he was looking forward to his pilgrimage to Syria to follow in the footsteps of St. Paul.

The Holy Father spoke of the many joys of being a Christian in the land where Christ was born, lived and died, but also acknowledged the many problems associated with living one's faith in a region where Christians are in the minority. "The Christian lives his personal and ecclesial identity through his intimate relation with Christ, which helps him to live out every situation and which enlightens one's choices."

Witnessing to Christ, said the Pope, calls for communion within the Church and "pastoral collaboration among the diverse Catholic communities. ... Making the Church the home and school of communion: this is the great challenge which the start of the third millennium presents to us."

John Paul II highlighted the role of the bishops, the priests, "your first collaborators," the religious and the laity in building and strengthening Christian communities in the region. He thanked everyone for their generous commitment to serving all peoples in all milieux of life, especially in the educational and social spheres, and for their "contribution to the human and spiritual promotion of people."

He stressed the need for dialogue among Christians, as well as with those of other religions. He added that "division among Christians is a lack of fidelity to the Lord's will and obscures their identity as disciples of Christ."

Pope John Paul noted that Christians are fleeing the Holy Land to find economic and physical security elsewhere and appealed to them "to remain confident in themselves and to stay firmly attached to the land which was also that of their ancestors. ... The permanence of Christians in Jerusalem and close to the holy places of Christianity is especially important for the Church cannot forget her roots. ... Do not resign yourselves to the thoughts of an inevitable departure!"

The Holy Father dedicated closing remarks to the violence in the Holy Land, the Iraq embargo and the situation in the Sudan.

He expressed his "closeness and affection" to all victims of violence and added: "The entire Church suffers with you, and hopes to soon rejoice with you at realizing a desire one cannot renounce: peace! ... The events taking place in the Holy Land, which I am following attentively, are worrisome and sorely test the hope of peace. I sincerely hope that negotiations will be undertaken again, placing at their center respect for the dignity of every man who, in his own land, has the right to live in peace and security. That will only be realized in respect for international law and a rejection of violence, which only exacerbates hatred."

John Paul II ended by underscoring other "dramatic situations" in the region. "In Iraq, the embargo continues to cause victims, too many innocent people are paying the consequences of an evil war which continues to affect the weakest and most defenseless. The flow of refugees from Sudan to Egypt continues strongly. It is urgent to find solutions in order to decently welcome displaced persons and to permit them to integrate well, and to procure spiritual assistance for the many Christians in their midst. My thoughts also turn to the Catholic community in Somalia which, in the past, has been victim of much violence, in the hopes that a normal ecclesial situation may be reestablished in this country."

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