Vatican City, 26 October 2015 (VIS) –
This morning Pope Francis received in audience the members of the
Synod of the Chaldean Church, led by His Beatitude Patriarch Raphael
I Louis Sako, to whom he expressed his solidarity will all the
inhabitants of Iraq and Syria, asking that God's mercy heal the
wounds of a war that has afflicted the hearts of communities, so that
“no one may feel discouragement in this time when the outcry of
violence seems to drown out our heartfelt prayers for peace”.
The bishop of Rome remarked that the
current situation in their lands of origin “is gravely compromised
by the fanatical hatred sown by terrorism, which continues to cause a
great haemorrhage of faithful who leave the lands of their fathers,
where they grew up firmly rooted in the furrow of tradition. This
state of affairs clearly undermines the vital Christian presence in
that land which witnessed the beginning of the journey of the
Patriarch Abraham, heard the voice of the Prophets who called Israel
to hope during the Exile, and saw the foundation of the first
Churches upon the blood of many martyrs. There too Christians bore
witness to the fullness of the Gospel, made their specific
contribution to the growth of society over centuries of peaceful
coexistence with our Islamic brothers and sisters. Sadly, these are
times which are instead marked by countless examples of persecution,
and even martyrdom”.
“The Chaldean Church, which suffers
from the war, is also conscious of the needs of the faithful in the
diaspora, who are desirous to maintaining their solid roots while
becoming part of new situations. So I confirm, today more than ever,
the complete support and solidarity of the Apostolic See in favour of
the common good of the entire Chaldean Church. I pray that Christians
will not be forced to abandon Iraq and the Middle East – I think
especially of the sons and daughters of your Church, and their rich
traditions. I urge you to work tirelessly as builders of unity in all
the provinces of Iraq, fostering dialogue and cooperation among all
those engaged in public life, and contributing to healing existing
divisions while preventing new ones from arising”.
The visit of the Synod of the Chaldean
Church offers the opportunity, said the Pope “to renew my heartfelt
appeal to the international community to adopt every useful strategy
aimed at bringing peace to countries terribly devastated by hatred,
so that the life-giving breeze of love will once more be felt in
places which have always been a crossroads for peoples, cultures and
nations. May the peace for which we all hope arise on the horizon of
history, so that the grievous tragedies caused by violence may yield
to a climate of mutual coexistence”.
“The Synod which you are celebrating
these days in Urbe, is a 'journeying together', a favourable moment
of exchange amid the diversities which enrich your fraternal
communion under the gaze of Christ, the Good Shepherd … who is
concerned for the salvation of his sheep, and is especially concerned
for those who have strayed. May you imitate him: zealous in seeking
the salus animarum of priests as well as laity, realising full well
that the exercise of communion sometimes demands a genuine kenosis, a
self-basement and self-spoliation”.
“In doing so”, he concluded, “you
will bridge distances and discern the response to be given to the
pressing needs of the Chaldean Church today, in your native lands and
in the diaspora. In this way the reflections which emerge from your
discussions will be able to provide fruitful solutions to your
current needs and points of convergence for resolving liturgical and
more general issues”.
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