Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – The 22nd International Meeting “Men and Religion,” promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio together with the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, on the theme “The Civilization of Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue,” began on November 16, on the Mediterranean island. Taking part in the event were another 200 religious and political figures from over 60 different countries. Cyprus, which is divided between the Turks and the Greeks, is the only European land separated by a wall and check-point, following the Turkish invasion in 1974 and the proclamation of a Turkish-Cyprian republic not recognized by the international community.
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, gave the opening prologue for the encounter, on the afternoon of Saturday, November 15, presiding a Mass in Holy Cross Church. The central theme of his address were the fundamental points for an ecumenical dialogue based on the recognition of the differences and unique character, and on the patience in accepting one's own weakness and that of the other: “Welcoming, patience and hope are sure means of cultivating the true talent that religions are.” The religions are “an extraordinary vital force for humanity,” the Cardinal said, launching an appeal for peace. “I pray for true peace around this Mediterranean Sea, on whose shores lie the Holy Land, Lebanon, the continent of Africa. I pray for Iraq, for all the East and the West.” For the first time, in Cyprus, Archbishop Chrysostomos attended the Liturgy, along with Catholic Cardinals and Bishops.
On Sunday, November 16, the day that the Meeting officially opened, the representatives of the Orthodox Churches, from Romania to Ethiopia to Armenia, celebrated a solemn Orthodox Divine Liturgy in the Church of Hagia Sophia, which was attended by 6 Cardinals and 13 Bishops. In the Homily, Archbishop Chrysostomos II recalled the difficult situation on the island and later expressed his joy of the ancient apostolic Church of Cyrus in gathering with all the other sister Churches, and stressed the importance of peace as a value in itself: “Through the Divine Service, although, in other tongues, we have affirmed the unity of faith and the bond of the love between us.”
In his address to the Orthodox Churches, Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio, pointed out the importance of the beauty of the Orthodox liturgy celebrated in Cyprus: “For us the civilization of peace begins here...peace is first of all a gift of God...the liturgy shows us that peace is beautiful, that indeed it is desirable.”
“While hoping that the International Meeting of prayer for Peace may offer its participants the chance of future dialogue and common growth, the Holy Father ensures He shall remember it in His prayers. He encourages to keep up the flame of peace, nourished by daily gestures of brotherly love and friendship,” says the message sent from Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, on behalf of the Pope. “Your meeting is certainly a powerful experience of communion; it will open up a wider vision of reality and give rise to dialogue between brothers; it represents, furthermore, a moment of true, real and mutual understanding of each other’s differences, as well as of the peculiarities and elements that we share. Only through dialogue and sincere efforts it is possible to be integrated in this 'multiform and multifaceted linguistic cosmos' within the precious chest of Creation, which is entrusted to the common responsibility and good of every human being. We are profoundly convinced that peace, as the Holy Father Benedict XVI reminds us, 'is at the same time a gift and a task.'”
On the afternoon of Sunday, November 16, at the University of Cyprus, there was an Opening Assembly, featuring the attendance of Adjunct Director General of UNESCO, Françoise Rivière; the President of Republic of Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias; Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow; and Shear-Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 17/11/2008)
