Yesterday at Mount Nebo (Jordan) the Memorial of Moses was re-dedicated, following a period of renovation. The site was officially opened and there were a series of events planned over this weekend. As of tomorrow, there will be regular visits by tourists allowed on the site from which Moses looked out on the Promised Land (Num 17:12).
His Excellency, Minister of Tourism
and Representative of His Majesty, King Abdullah II of Jordan,
His Excellency Monsignor Ortega, Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan,
Reverend Father Custos, Father Francesco Patton,
Your Excellencies the Ambassadors, Distinguished Civil and Military Authorities,
Reverend Friars of the Custody of the Holy Land,
Distinguished guests!
1. I am very honored to be here in the name of His Holiness, Pope Francis, for the celebrations to reopen this Memorial Sanctuary of Moses on Mount Nebo.
With this gesture, the Holy Father, to whom we turn our grateful thoughts, intends to pay tribute to the importance of this symbolic place, which serves as a crossroads of dialogue and encounter for the three great monotheistic religions, all of which were born in this beloved Middle East. The figure of Moses, as a prophet, friend of God and giver of the law, is indeed held in high esteem by our Jewish, Christian and Muslim brothers.
We are all called, particularly in these difficult times, to make our own daily exodus from the false certainties that make us slaves of selfishness and divisions. Like the people of Israel under Pharaoh in Moses' time, we must set out towards a newfound freedom, the freedom to meet and to walk together towards a promised land. There, we can live the gift of God that is for all, in a concrete and fraternal solidarity with our neighbours, whoever they may be, especially the poor and suffering. This process demands a profound faith in God, who can never be invoked to cause terror and violence. At the same time, it requires trust in our brothers, who are also pilgrims in search of the Absolute and eager to build a city that is an authentic earthly abode of peace.
2. Only wonder knows ─ so says Saint Gregory of Nyssa in his Life of Moses. What we have just described found a concrete expression in this place, through the trust, friendship and mutual help that brought the Custody of the Holy Land here in 1932 ─ thanks to the presence of the Emir Abdallah, grandfather of the present King, whom we greet with respectful and grateful homage. The Franciscans came to take charge of the ruins that had been excavated by archaeologists from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem. The intense work of these decades, despite the disruptions of war, made it possible to bring to light the historical and spiritual treasures that this place holds, and which today are returned to Jordan and to humanity in a definitive and renewed installation. By our presence we express gratitude and appreciation towards all those who have dedicated themselves to this cause through strenuous and passionate effort. A long line begins with the pioneers, Father Jerome Mihaic (Abouna Germana), Father Sylvester Saller (Abouna Mudir) and Father Antonio Berardi (Abouna Sura), and reaches to Father Michele Piccirillo, who wished it to be the resting place for his mortal remains, as Pope Benedict recalled during his visit in 2008.
At a time when many treasures of the civil and religious history of the peoples of this region are being looted or destroyed, as happened, sadly, at the tomb of the prophet Jonah (Yunus), we wish to reaffirm here together the invaluable role of culture and art: they express the nobility of the soul of man of every age. Let us endeavour to commit ourselves to its preservation, especially when it expresses the tending of the human heart towards the Absolute. Through religious art, men both celebrate their faith and leave a sign of it for future generations.
A special mention and gratitude to the Italian Government, represented here by the Ambassador to Jordan, for all the efforts and the financial support granted during the years to this beautiful archeological site.
3. In a text of the fifth century, the place where we are gathered is described in this way: All the inhabitants of that region together hurried to bring building materials and this temple was built in the name of Moses, the Great Prophet and Legislator. And He proclaimed his goodness and power publicly to all, so that there be no possibility of doubt, by means of signs, wonders and healings that have occurred in this place since that time without interruption. So it is a place of healing for souls and bodies, and a place of refuge for all who come here from every part, afflicted in soul and burdened by all manner of bodily suffering (From the Life of Peter the Iberian, fifth century AD).
From this mountain, our gaze reaches to the lands that we inwardly contemplate: the Kingdom of Jordan, which, extending its boundaries nearly to this mountain, has become in recent years a place of welcome, hospitality and healing for thousands of refugees and exiles from the suffering lands of Palestine, Syria and Iraq. With them and for them, we call on the international community, on those who have responsibility for peoples, while committing ourselves in turn, each within his own field and responsibility, to work for this end: namely, that as Moses contemplated the entrance of the Chosen People to the Promised Land, so also we may see the day soon break, when the promise of reconciliation between peoples will be realized, and a lasting abode of justice and peace will be built. Amen. Inshallah.
Address of His Eminence, Leonardo Cardinal Sandri
Rededication of the Shrine of the Memorial of Moses
Mount Nebo (Jordan)
and Representative of His Majesty, King Abdullah II of Jordan,
His Excellency Monsignor Ortega, Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan,
Reverend Father Custos, Father Francesco Patton,
Your Excellencies the Ambassadors, Distinguished Civil and Military Authorities,
Reverend Friars of the Custody of the Holy Land,
Distinguished guests!
1. I am very honored to be here in the name of His Holiness, Pope Francis, for the celebrations to reopen this Memorial Sanctuary of Moses on Mount Nebo.
With this gesture, the Holy Father, to whom we turn our grateful thoughts, intends to pay tribute to the importance of this symbolic place, which serves as a crossroads of dialogue and encounter for the three great monotheistic religions, all of which were born in this beloved Middle East. The figure of Moses, as a prophet, friend of God and giver of the law, is indeed held in high esteem by our Jewish, Christian and Muslim brothers.
We are all called, particularly in these difficult times, to make our own daily exodus from the false certainties that make us slaves of selfishness and divisions. Like the people of Israel under Pharaoh in Moses' time, we must set out towards a newfound freedom, the freedom to meet and to walk together towards a promised land. There, we can live the gift of God that is for all, in a concrete and fraternal solidarity with our neighbours, whoever they may be, especially the poor and suffering. This process demands a profound faith in God, who can never be invoked to cause terror and violence. At the same time, it requires trust in our brothers, who are also pilgrims in search of the Absolute and eager to build a city that is an authentic earthly abode of peace.
2. Only wonder knows ─ so says Saint Gregory of Nyssa in his Life of Moses. What we have just described found a concrete expression in this place, through the trust, friendship and mutual help that brought the Custody of the Holy Land here in 1932 ─ thanks to the presence of the Emir Abdallah, grandfather of the present King, whom we greet with respectful and grateful homage. The Franciscans came to take charge of the ruins that had been excavated by archaeologists from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem. The intense work of these decades, despite the disruptions of war, made it possible to bring to light the historical and spiritual treasures that this place holds, and which today are returned to Jordan and to humanity in a definitive and renewed installation. By our presence we express gratitude and appreciation towards all those who have dedicated themselves to this cause through strenuous and passionate effort. A long line begins with the pioneers, Father Jerome Mihaic (Abouna Germana), Father Sylvester Saller (Abouna Mudir) and Father Antonio Berardi (Abouna Sura), and reaches to Father Michele Piccirillo, who wished it to be the resting place for his mortal remains, as Pope Benedict recalled during his visit in 2008.
At a time when many treasures of the civil and religious history of the peoples of this region are being looted or destroyed, as happened, sadly, at the tomb of the prophet Jonah (Yunus), we wish to reaffirm here together the invaluable role of culture and art: they express the nobility of the soul of man of every age. Let us endeavour to commit ourselves to its preservation, especially when it expresses the tending of the human heart towards the Absolute. Through religious art, men both celebrate their faith and leave a sign of it for future generations.
A special mention and gratitude to the Italian Government, represented here by the Ambassador to Jordan, for all the efforts and the financial support granted during the years to this beautiful archeological site.
3. In a text of the fifth century, the place where we are gathered is described in this way: All the inhabitants of that region together hurried to bring building materials and this temple was built in the name of Moses, the Great Prophet and Legislator. And He proclaimed his goodness and power publicly to all, so that there be no possibility of doubt, by means of signs, wonders and healings that have occurred in this place since that time without interruption. So it is a place of healing for souls and bodies, and a place of refuge for all who come here from every part, afflicted in soul and burdened by all manner of bodily suffering (From the Life of Peter the Iberian, fifth century AD).
From this mountain, our gaze reaches to the lands that we inwardly contemplate: the Kingdom of Jordan, which, extending its boundaries nearly to this mountain, has become in recent years a place of welcome, hospitality and healing for thousands of refugees and exiles from the suffering lands of Palestine, Syria and Iraq. With them and for them, we call on the international community, on those who have responsibility for peoples, while committing ourselves in turn, each within his own field and responsibility, to work for this end: namely, that as Moses contemplated the entrance of the Chosen People to the Promised Land, so also we may see the day soon break, when the promise of reconciliation between peoples will be realized, and a lasting abode of justice and peace will be built. Amen. Inshallah.
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