This morning, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience His Holiness, Mar Dinkha IV, Patriarchal Catholicos of the Assyrian Eastern Church, who was accompanied by a delegation.
Your Holiness,
Beloved brothers in Christ,
For me, this is a moment of grace and of true joy as I welcome you here, to the tomb of the Apostle Peter. With affection, I welcome Your Holiness and I thank you for the kind words which you have spoken in the name of the distinguished members of your delegation. Through you, my thoughts and greetings in the Lord go to the bishops, the clergy and the faithful of the Assyrian Church in the East. With the words of the Apostle Paul, I ask that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, may keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (cf Phil 4:7).
Our meeting today is marked by the suffering which we share for the wars which are being fought throughout the Middle East and in particular for the violence which is being experienced by Christians and members of other religious minorities, especially in Iraq and in Syria. How many of our brothers and sisters are suffering daily persecutions! When we think about their suffering, it is natural to go beyond any distinctions between rituals or confessions: in them is the body of Christ which, even today, is being wounded, shot, humiliated. There are no religious, political or economic conditions to justify that which is taking place in the case of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. I feel deeply united in intercessory prayer and charitable action toward these members of the body of Christ who are suffering.
Your Holiness, your visit is a further step on the road toward a growing closeness and spiritual communion between us, after the bitter incomprehension of the past centuries. Twenty years ago, the common Christological Declaration signed by you and by my predecessor, Pope Saint John Paul II constituted a cornerstone in our journey toward full communion. With it, we recognized the confession of a shared faith in the Apostles, faith in the divinity and the humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, united in one single person, without confusion or change, without division or separation. To use the words of this historical document, together we confess the same faith in the Son of God who became man so that we, through his grace, might become sons of God. I wish to assure you of my personal commitment to continuing the journey along this path, further deepening the relationships of friendship and communion which exist between the Church of Rome and the Assyrian Eastern Church.
I accompany with prayer the work of the Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Eastern Church, in order that through this work we may approach the blessed day when we will be able to celebrate at the same altar the sacrifice of praise which will make us one in Christ. Until that day, we walk together in the presence of the Lord, as our father Abraham did during his pilgrimage of faith toward the Promised Land, knowing that even though the ultimate goal should seem far away, we can still justify it even if only in hope. It is however the gift promised by the Lord and for this reason it will not fail to make itself known. Thus it is that what unites us already much more than that which divides us; for this reason, we are driven by the Sprit to exchange even now the spiritual treasures of our ecclesial traditions, to live as true brothers, sharing the gifts which the Lord never ceases to give to his Church as signs of his goodness and mercy.
Your Holiness, I thank you for your visit and I invoke upon You, upon all the clergy and the faithful confided to your pastoral care, through the intercession of the All Holy Mother of God, the abundance of divine blessings.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the meeting with the Patriarchal Catholicos
of the Assyrian Eastern Church
Your Holiness,
Beloved brothers in Christ,
For me, this is a moment of grace and of true joy as I welcome you here, to the tomb of the Apostle Peter. With affection, I welcome Your Holiness and I thank you for the kind words which you have spoken in the name of the distinguished members of your delegation. Through you, my thoughts and greetings in the Lord go to the bishops, the clergy and the faithful of the Assyrian Church in the East. With the words of the Apostle Paul, I ask that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, may keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (cf Phil 4:7).
Our meeting today is marked by the suffering which we share for the wars which are being fought throughout the Middle East and in particular for the violence which is being experienced by Christians and members of other religious minorities, especially in Iraq and in Syria. How many of our brothers and sisters are suffering daily persecutions! When we think about their suffering, it is natural to go beyond any distinctions between rituals or confessions: in them is the body of Christ which, even today, is being wounded, shot, humiliated. There are no religious, political or economic conditions to justify that which is taking place in the case of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. I feel deeply united in intercessory prayer and charitable action toward these members of the body of Christ who are suffering.
Your Holiness, your visit is a further step on the road toward a growing closeness and spiritual communion between us, after the bitter incomprehension of the past centuries. Twenty years ago, the common Christological Declaration signed by you and by my predecessor, Pope Saint John Paul II constituted a cornerstone in our journey toward full communion. With it, we recognized the confession of a shared faith in the Apostles, faith in the divinity and the humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, united in one single person, without confusion or change, without division or separation. To use the words of this historical document, together we confess the same faith in the Son of God who became man so that we, through his grace, might become sons of God. I wish to assure you of my personal commitment to continuing the journey along this path, further deepening the relationships of friendship and communion which exist between the Church of Rome and the Assyrian Eastern Church.
I accompany with prayer the work of the Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Eastern Church, in order that through this work we may approach the blessed day when we will be able to celebrate at the same altar the sacrifice of praise which will make us one in Christ. Until that day, we walk together in the presence of the Lord, as our father Abraham did during his pilgrimage of faith toward the Promised Land, knowing that even though the ultimate goal should seem far away, we can still justify it even if only in hope. It is however the gift promised by the Lord and for this reason it will not fail to make itself known. Thus it is that what unites us already much more than that which divides us; for this reason, we are driven by the Sprit to exchange even now the spiritual treasures of our ecclesial traditions, to live as true brothers, sharing the gifts which the Lord never ceases to give to his Church as signs of his goodness and mercy.
Your Holiness, I thank you for your visit and I invoke upon You, upon all the clergy and the faithful confided to your pastoral care, through the intercession of the All Holy Mother of God, the abundance of divine blessings.
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