Pope: May war, daughter of power and misery, give way to peace in the Middle East
Receiving the international mixed commission for the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Francis notes that "between the East and the West" the various theological formulas often complement rather than oppose eachother", as the Council declared.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - In the Middle East "war, the daughter of power and destitution, give way to peace, the daughter of law and justice and may our Christian brothers and sisters be recognized as full citizens enjoying equal rights". This is the hope expressed today by Pope Francis during today's meeting with the International Mixed Commission for the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
"Your dialogue - Francis told them - expresses well how, between the East and the West, the “various theological expressions are to be considered often as mutually complementary rather than conflicting” (Unitatis Redintegratio, 17), as affirmed by the Second Vatican Council, whose sixtieth anniversary of its announcement we celebrated a few days ago. I offer my prayer and encouragement that your current reflection on the Sacraments may help us to continue the journey towards full communion, towards the shared celebration of the Holy Eucharist.".
"You have dedicated this session - he said - to reflecting on the Sacrament of Matrimony. I like to recall what the book of Genesis says about this: “God created man in his own image… male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). Man is fully in the image of God not when he is alone, but when he lives in a stable communion of love, because God is a communion of love. I am certain that your work, carried out in an atmosphere of great harmony, will be to the benefit of the family of God’s children, the Spouse of Christ, who we desire to present to the Lord “without spot or wrinkle” (Eph 5:27), without wounds and without divisions, but in the beauty of full communion.".
Recalling that many of those present belong to the Churches of the Middle East "terribly tested by war, violence and persecution", the Pope wanted to " I want to assure all the faithful in the Middle East of my closeness, my constant thoughts and my prayers that this land, unique in God’s salvific plan, may, after the long night of conflict, witness the dawn of peace. The Middle East must become a land of peace, it cannot continue to be a land of hostility. May war, the daughter of power and destitution, give way to peace, the daughter of law and justice and may our Christian brothers and sisters be recognized as full citizens enjoying equal rights (cf. Address at the Conclusion of the Dialogue, Bari, 7 July 2018)".
The international mixed commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches was established in January 2003 and includes the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syro-Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia, the Orthodox Church of Eritrea and the Syrian Orthodox Church of Malankar.
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