At 11:40am today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the members of the Synod of the Chaldean Church which is taking place in Rome from 4 to 8 October 2017, led by it's Patriarch, His Beatitude Louis Raphaël Sako.
Your Beatitude,
Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
I welcome you with joy on this day in which you are meeting in Synod, while preparing to handle questions of primary importance for the Chaldean Church, among which are those relating to the forced migration of Catholics, the reconstruction of villages, the return of displaced persons, the return of displaced persons, the rights belonging to the Church and liturgical and pastoral questions relating to vocations. I thank His Beatitude, Patriarch Louis Raphaël for the greetings he has offered to me in your name. I take this occasion, through you, to greet the faithful of the beloved land of Iraq, so difficultly being tried, and to share with them the hope that is seen in the recent news that there is talk of a return of life and activity in regions and cities that have been subjected to painful and violent oppression. May the mercy of God soothe the wounds of war that plagues the heart of your community, so that you may finally be able to rise again.
If in fact, you have concluded a tragic page in some regions of your country, it is a sign that there is still much to be done. I urge you to work tirelessly as builders of unity, first of all among your Pastors in the Chaldean Church, and with the Pastors of other Churches, including efforts in favour of dialogue and collaboration between all those who are part of public life, in order to contribute toward the facilitation of a return of displaced persons and to heal divisions and oppositions between brothers. This commitment is more necessary now than ever before in the Iraqi context, which is once again facing uncertainty about the future. There is need for a national process of reconciliation and a joint commitment on the part of all the sectors of society, in order to reach a shared solution for the good of your entire country. My wish is that there should never be a weakening of the strength of your souls, your hope and the abundance of labours that distinguish you. May your intent not to yield to discouragement in the face of difficulties remain firm, despite the damage that has taken place to the work of reconstruction, especially on the Plains of Ninivea.
From ancient times, that land, evangelized according to the tradition of the apostle Thomas, has appeared a civilization, a land of encounter and of dialogue. It is therefore of great importance that Christians, Pastors and the faithful, strengthened by these deep-seated roots, be united in promoting respectful relationships and inter-religious dialogue between all members of your country.
I want to encourage you also in regard to the new aspirations in priestly ministry and religious life; in the face of declining numbers of vocations in the Church, we must avoid welcoming into our seminaries, persons who have not been called by the Lord; we must pay particular attention to examining the vocations of young people and verifying the authenticity of their call. On the contrary, this will be a mortgage for the Church.
Priests and seminarians can feel your closeness, which is truly a blessing! For those who are candidates for the priesthood, formation is an integral part of their preparation; it must include various aspects of life responding harmoniously to all four dimensions: human, spiritual, pastoral and intellectual; a process that continues naturally in concurrent formation of priests who make up a unified reality.
I also urge you, together with the Pastors of the Latin Church, to rethink the theme of the Diaspora, taking account of the concrete situations in which ecclesial communities are living, both from the numeric point of view and that of religious freedom.
No effort can be spared so that the hopes of the Second Vatican Council may be achieved by facilitating pastoral care both in their own territories and wherever Eastern-rite communities have been firmly established, while at the same time promoting communion and fraternity with the Latin-rite community in order to provide fruitful witness to the faithful without sowing divisions and disagreement. Ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue should always begin with our unity and Catholic communion. This will support the efforts of the Congregation for Oriental Churches.
Your Beatitude, dear Bishops, I invite you to be paternal with your priests, who are your first collaborators, and to be merciful with everyone as the Father is merciful.
May this Synod in the city, under the gaze of Christ, the Good Shepherd, be a fruitful moment of confrontation and fraternal reflection for the good of the beloved Chaldean Church. I invoke upon you the abundance of the Lord's blessings and the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And I ask you please, not to forget to pray for me.
Speech of His Holiness, Pope Francis
addressed to members of the
Synod of the Chaldean Church
Your Beatitude,
Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
I welcome you with joy on this day in which you are meeting in Synod, while preparing to handle questions of primary importance for the Chaldean Church, among which are those relating to the forced migration of Catholics, the reconstruction of villages, the return of displaced persons, the return of displaced persons, the rights belonging to the Church and liturgical and pastoral questions relating to vocations. I thank His Beatitude, Patriarch Louis Raphaël for the greetings he has offered to me in your name. I take this occasion, through you, to greet the faithful of the beloved land of Iraq, so difficultly being tried, and to share with them the hope that is seen in the recent news that there is talk of a return of life and activity in regions and cities that have been subjected to painful and violent oppression. May the mercy of God soothe the wounds of war that plagues the heart of your community, so that you may finally be able to rise again.
If in fact, you have concluded a tragic page in some regions of your country, it is a sign that there is still much to be done. I urge you to work tirelessly as builders of unity, first of all among your Pastors in the Chaldean Church, and with the Pastors of other Churches, including efforts in favour of dialogue and collaboration between all those who are part of public life, in order to contribute toward the facilitation of a return of displaced persons and to heal divisions and oppositions between brothers. This commitment is more necessary now than ever before in the Iraqi context, which is once again facing uncertainty about the future. There is need for a national process of reconciliation and a joint commitment on the part of all the sectors of society, in order to reach a shared solution for the good of your entire country. My wish is that there should never be a weakening of the strength of your souls, your hope and the abundance of labours that distinguish you. May your intent not to yield to discouragement in the face of difficulties remain firm, despite the damage that has taken place to the work of reconstruction, especially on the Plains of Ninivea.
From ancient times, that land, evangelized according to the tradition of the apostle Thomas, has appeared a civilization, a land of encounter and of dialogue. It is therefore of great importance that Christians, Pastors and the faithful, strengthened by these deep-seated roots, be united in promoting respectful relationships and inter-religious dialogue between all members of your country.
I want to encourage you also in regard to the new aspirations in priestly ministry and religious life; in the face of declining numbers of vocations in the Church, we must avoid welcoming into our seminaries, persons who have not been called by the Lord; we must pay particular attention to examining the vocations of young people and verifying the authenticity of their call. On the contrary, this will be a mortgage for the Church.
Priests and seminarians can feel your closeness, which is truly a blessing! For those who are candidates for the priesthood, formation is an integral part of their preparation; it must include various aspects of life responding harmoniously to all four dimensions: human, spiritual, pastoral and intellectual; a process that continues naturally in concurrent formation of priests who make up a unified reality.
I also urge you, together with the Pastors of the Latin Church, to rethink the theme of the Diaspora, taking account of the concrete situations in which ecclesial communities are living, both from the numeric point of view and that of religious freedom.
No effort can be spared so that the hopes of the Second Vatican Council may be achieved by facilitating pastoral care both in their own territories and wherever Eastern-rite communities have been firmly established, while at the same time promoting communion and fraternity with the Latin-rite community in order to provide fruitful witness to the faithful without sowing divisions and disagreement. Ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue should always begin with our unity and Catholic communion. This will support the efforts of the Congregation for Oriental Churches.
Your Beatitude, dear Bishops, I invite you to be paternal with your priests, who are your first collaborators, and to be merciful with everyone as the Father is merciful.
May this Synod in the city, under the gaze of Christ, the Good Shepherd, be a fruitful moment of confrontation and fraternal reflection for the good of the beloved Chaldean Church. I invoke upon you the abundance of the Lord's blessings and the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And I ask you please, not to forget to pray for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment