Vatican City, 9 December 2014 (VIS) –
Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon, France, will transmit
a video message from Pope Francis to the Christians and the
population as a whole in Iraq, to be screened this afternoon in the
city of Erbil. The twinning of the diocese with Mosul, which began
last summer, has given rise to several initiatives to support the
Iraqi population. The full text of the Pope's message is published
below:
“I would like to greet each and every
one of you, along with Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who once again
brings you the concern and the love of the entire Church. I too would
like to be there with you, but since I am unable to travel, I will do
this instead … but I am very close to you in these difficult
moments. I said, during my return journey from Turkey: Christians are
being driven out of the Middle East, with suffering. I thank you for
the witness you give; and there is a great deal of suffering in your
witness. Thank you! Many thanks.
“It would seem that there they do not
want there to be any Christians, but you bear witness to Christ. I
think of the wounds, of the pain of women with their children, the
elderly and the displaced, the wounds of those who are victims of
every type of violence.
“As I mentioned in Ankara, particular
concern is caused by the fact that above all, due to an extremist and
fundamentalist group, entire communities, especially, – but not
only – Christians and Yazidi, have suffered and continue to suffer
inhuman violence because of their religious and ethnic identity.
Christians and Yazidis have been forced out of their homes, they have
had to abandon everything to save their lives, but they have not
denied their faith. Even holy buildings, monuments, religious symbols
and cultural heritage have been affected by the violence, almost as
if to cancel every trace, every memory of the other.
“As religious leaders, we are obliged
to denounce all violations of the dignity and rights of humanity.
“Today I wish to draw closer those of
you who tolerate this suffering, and to be close to you … And I
think of St. Therese of the Baby Jesus, who said that she and the
Church were like a rod: when the wind rises and the storm comes, the
rod bends but it does not break. At the moment, you are like this
rod: you bend painfully, but you have the strength to carry forth
your faith, which is a testimony to us. You are God's rod today! The
rods that bend under this ferocious wind, but then rise up again.
“I wish to thank you again. I pray
that the Spirit, Who makes all things new, will give each of you
strength and resistance. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And I
strongly urge, as I did in Turkey, greater international
collaboration to resolve the conflicts that cause blood to be shed in
your lands of origin, to combat the other causes that lead people to
leave their homelands and to promote suitable conditions for them to
remain or return. I hope that you will return, that you will be able
to return.
“Dear brothers and sisters, you are
in my heart and my prayers, and in the hearts and prayers of all
Christian communities, whom I will ask to pray in a special way for
you on 8 December, to pray to Our Lady to protect you: she is our
mother and will protect you.
“Brothers and sisters, your
resistance is martyrdom, it is dew that brings fruitfulness. Please,
I ask you to pray for me. May the Lord bless you and Our Lady protect
you.
May God almighty, the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit, bless you”.
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