The Holy Father has sent a Message on the occasion of the Beatification of the Martyrs of Algeria: His Excellency, Pierre Claverie, OP, Bishop of Oran, and 18 of his companions (religious men and women) and laity. This Message was read aloud by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, His Eminence, Angelo Becciu, the Holy Father's Special delegate for the Celebration.
Dear brothers and sisters,
This Saturday, 8 December, the Church in Algeria is joyfully celebrating the beatification of nineteen religious men and women martyrs. I join you in this act of thanksgiving for these lives which were entirely given out of love for God, country and for all its inhabitants with whom you share your lives in a spirit of fraternity, friendship and service. Receive my fraternal encouragement that this celebration may help you to bandage the wounds of the past and to create dynamic news of your encounter and life spent together following in the footsteps of our Blesseds.
I am very grateful to the President of the Democratic Algerian Republic, Mister Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his collaborators for having facilitated the celebration on African soil of the Beatification of His Excellency, Pierre Claverie and his eighteen companions, martyrs of the greatest love. I want to express my affection for the Algerian people who have witnessed great suffering during the social crisis which also claimed him as its victim during the final years of the last century.
In memory of the death of these nineteen Christian victims, the Catholics of Algeria and the world want to celebrate the fidelity of these martyrs to the plan of Peace that God inspires in all people. At the same time, they want to support in their prayers all the sons and daughters of Algeria who have been, like them, victims of the same violence for having carried out their duties with fidelity and respect for others as believers and citizens on this blessed land. It is for them also that we address our prayer and express our grateful homage to God.
The Catholic Church in Algeria, along with the entire Algerian nation, is already the heiress of the great message of love proposed by one of the many spiritual masters of your land, Saint Augustine of Hippo. She wants to serve this same message in our times when all peoples seek to advance their aspirations to live together in peace.
Through the beatification of our nineteen brothers and sisters, the Church wants to testify to her desire to continue to work for dialogue, harmony and friendship. We believe that this unprecedented event in your country will be a great sign of fraternity in the Algerian sky for the benefit of the whole world.
We are happy that this celebration can be held in a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary who is particularly present in our two religious traditions. May the maternal gaze of the Blessed Virgin Mary, full of grace, all beautiful and pure, protect and guard you.
From the Vatican
2 December 2018
Francis
(Original text in French)
Message of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the Beatification of the Martyrs of Algeria
Dear brothers and sisters,
This Saturday, 8 December, the Church in Algeria is joyfully celebrating the beatification of nineteen religious men and women martyrs. I join you in this act of thanksgiving for these lives which were entirely given out of love for God, country and for all its inhabitants with whom you share your lives in a spirit of fraternity, friendship and service. Receive my fraternal encouragement that this celebration may help you to bandage the wounds of the past and to create dynamic news of your encounter and life spent together following in the footsteps of our Blesseds.
I am very grateful to the President of the Democratic Algerian Republic, Mister Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his collaborators for having facilitated the celebration on African soil of the Beatification of His Excellency, Pierre Claverie and his eighteen companions, martyrs of the greatest love. I want to express my affection for the Algerian people who have witnessed great suffering during the social crisis which also claimed him as its victim during the final years of the last century.
In memory of the death of these nineteen Christian victims, the Catholics of Algeria and the world want to celebrate the fidelity of these martyrs to the plan of Peace that God inspires in all people. At the same time, they want to support in their prayers all the sons and daughters of Algeria who have been, like them, victims of the same violence for having carried out their duties with fidelity and respect for others as believers and citizens on this blessed land. It is for them also that we address our prayer and express our grateful homage to God.
The Catholic Church in Algeria, along with the entire Algerian nation, is already the heiress of the great message of love proposed by one of the many spiritual masters of your land, Saint Augustine of Hippo. She wants to serve this same message in our times when all peoples seek to advance their aspirations to live together in peace.
Through the beatification of our nineteen brothers and sisters, the Church wants to testify to her desire to continue to work for dialogue, harmony and friendship. We believe that this unprecedented event in your country will be a great sign of fraternity in the Algerian sky for the benefit of the whole world.
We are happy that this celebration can be held in a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary who is particularly present in our two religious traditions. May the maternal gaze of the Blessed Virgin Mary, full of grace, all beautiful and pure, protect and guard you.
From the Vatican
2 December 2018
Francis
(Original text in French)
No comments:
Post a Comment