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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “Despite the difficulties, the Christians in the Holy Land are called to enliven their consciousness of being the living stones of the Church in the Middle East, at the holy Places of our salvation. However, living in a dignified manner in one's own country is above all a fundamental human right: therefore, the conditions of peace and justice, which are necessary for the harmonious development of all those living in the region, should be promoted.” These were the words spoken by the Holy Father Benedict XVI during the Mass he presided in the Vatican Basilica on the morning of Sunday, October 10, in which he opened the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, on the theme: “The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness. 'Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul' (Acts 4:32).” Concelebrating with the Pope were 177 Synodal Fathers and 69 priests, collaborators in the Synod in different roles.
The Holy Father expressed his joy at “seeing gathered together for the first time at a Synod, around the Bishop of Rome and the Universal Shepherd, the bishops of the Middle Eastern region” and he said: “we give thanks to the Lord of history, because he has allowed, despite the often difficult and tormented events, the Middle East to see, from the time of Jesus all the way up to today, a continuity in the presence of Christians.” After commenting on the Biblical readings from Sunday's Mass, the Pope highlighted the specific nature of the Middle East region: “it is the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the land of the Exodus and the return from exile; the land of the Temple and of the Prophets, the land in which the Only Begotten Son of Mary was born, lived, died, and rose from the dead; the cradle of the Church, established in order to carry Christ's Gospel to the ends of the earth.”
Reflecting particularly on the Church, born of the Heart and Spirit of Jesus, Benedict XVI mentioned that “The Church was established to be a sign and an instrument of the unique and universal saving project of God among men; She fulfils this mission simply by being herself, that is, 'communion and witness', as it says in the theme of this Synodal Assembly...Without communion there can be no witness: the life of communion is truly the great witness.” Communion is essentially a gift, “and it is precisely because of this that it calls upon our freedom and waits for our response: communion always requires conversion, just as a gift is better if it is welcomed and utilized,” the Pope said. Pentecost is the original event that gave birth to the Church and made her grow, “but [she is] also a permanent dynamism, and the Synod of Bishops is a privileged moment in which the grace of Pentecost may be renewed in the Church's journey, so that the Good News may be announced openly and heard by all peoples.”
“The reason for this synodal assembly is mainly a pastoral one. While not being able to ignore the delicate and at times dramatic social and political situation of some countries, the Pastors of the Middle Eastern Churches wish to concentrate on the aspects of their own mission,” the Holy Father said. The Synodal Assembly, “under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, wishes to re-enliven communion of the Catholic Church in the Middle East,” within each Church and in the relationships with other Churches. “Also, the workings of the Synodal assembly are oriented to the witness of Christians on a personal, family and social level...Therefore all are called to give their personal contribution: the international community, by supporting a stable path, loyal and constructive, towards peace; those most prevalent religions in the region, in promoting the spiritual and cultural values that unite men and exclude any expression of violence. Christians will continue to contribute – Benedict XVI concluded – not only with the work of social promotion, such as institutes of education and health, but above all with the spirit of the Evangelical Beatitudes, which enliven the practice of forgiveness and reconciliation.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 11/10/2010)
