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L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
WEEKLY EDITION
IN ENGLISH
Unicuique suum
Fiftieth year, number 18 (2495)
Non praevalebunt
Vatican City
Friday, 5 May 2017
The Holy Father’s Apostolic Journey to Egypt
No to violence in the name of God
Facing history
The hopeful motto, “Pope of Peace
in Egypt of Peace”, reflects the essential nature of the Pontiff’s recent
Journey to Cairo. The hours-long
visit left its strong and unambiguous
mark in three spheres: in the political realm, to oppose the wars and terrorism that have devastated this part
of the world for far too long; in the
determined pursuit of dialogue with
Islam, countering the instrumentalization of religion with a persistent
‘no’ to violence; and lastly in the
ecumenical journey, which advances
despite the tragic and painful reality
of the persecution and martyrdom of
so many Christians, killed without
distinction among confessions, by
the fanaticism of fundamentalists.
In the background lies the evernecessary renewal of the Church inspired in recent decades by Vatican
II. By no coincidence, two important
Conciliar texts were quoted at AlAzhar during Francis’ address,
which was interrupted ten times by
applause. Later, thunderous outbursts also arose during the public
meeting with the President of Egypt,
with the approaching 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations
between the Holy See and Egypt. In
fact, Egypt was one of the first Arab
countries to establish such diplomatic relations.
Among daily difficulties and hardships, the Egyptian nation plays an
Appeal at the Regina Caeli
Peace in Venezuela
FOR
irreplaceable role in combatting the
growth of violence caused by the
“sheer desire for power, the arms
trade, grave social problems and
that religious extremism which uses
the Holy Name of God to carry out
unprecedented atrocities and injustices”, the Pontiff declared, just
after recalling the millions of
refugees present in the country, par-
A sign of hope
PAGE 3
HOLY FATHER’S VISIT
ticularly from Sudan, Eritrea, Syria
and Iraq. The refugees and displaced people who desperately seek
salvation are instead exploited, dishonourably vilified and consigned to
death by unscrupulous traffickers.
The Pope sternly emphasized that
“history does not forgive those who
preach justice, but then practice injustice”. For this reason, “it is our
Wednesday’s General Audience
Egypt is and has always been “a
sign of hope, of refuge, of help”.
The Holy Father said this during
the General Audience, on Wednesday, 3 May, recalling his recent visit
to Egypt. “I thank all those who
helped in its planning and organization”, he said. In speaking about
his message to the International
Peace Conference, the Pope said
that peace is the fruit of an education to wisdom and a humanism
that respects the religious dimension of our existence. Our covenant with God, grounded in the
commandment of love of God and
neighbour, inspires our efforts to
build a just and peaceful civil order in which all have a role to play.
Everyone needs to persevere in the
hope of the Gospel.
PAGE 15
COVERAGE OF THE
“Return of the Holy Family to Egypt”,
Br Yousal Elsoryani
(A gift of the Holy Father to the
Patriarchal Seminary in Cairo)
Interview
with Cardinal Parolin
PAGE 16
TO
EGYPT
SEE PAGES
4-14
duty to unmask the peddlers of illusions about the afterlife, those who
preach hatred in order to rob the
simple of their present life and their
right to live with dignity”, and the
obligation “to dismantle deadly
ideas and extremist ideologies, while
upholding the incompatibility of
true faith and violence”. Francis had
already stated this at Al-Azhar, asking that Muslims stand with Christians and other believers in a common front that exposes “attempts to
justify every form of hatred in the
name of religion”. Because “peace
alone ... is holy”, not the hatred
which profanes God.
This blasphemous and inhuman
violence even recently befell Egyptian Christians, martyrs whose
memory the Pontiff touchingly venerated with his “dearest brother”
Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, in
the very place of the attack that
struck the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate before Christmas, massacring
the faithful at prayer. “In coming
here as a pilgrim, I was sure of receiving the blessing of a brother
who awaited me”, Francis said, moments before signing a Common
Declaration with Tawadros II, on the
path of unity opened by Paul VI,
and praying with Bartholomew of
Constantinople and other bishops. A
prayer undertaken together with the
Catholics of Egypt, to whom Pope
Bergoglio warmly dedicated the conclusion of a journey that seeks to
build the future.
g.m.v.
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
page 2
Friday, 5 May 2017, number 18
Schedule for the Pontiff’s pilgrimage to the Shrine of Fatima
Twenty-four hours of prayer
VATICAN BULLETIN
CHANGES
IN
EPISCOPATE
The Holy Father appointed Fr Vitaliy Krivitskiy, SDB, as Bishop of
Kyiv-Zhytomyr, Ukraine. Until now
he has been parish priest of Saint
Peter in Odessa (30 Apr.).
Bishop-elect Krivitskiy, 44, was
born in Odessa, Ukraine. He
secretly began a course of religious
formation there in 1987, under the
guidance of Fr Thaddeus Hoppe,
SDB. In 1990 he entered the Society
of the Salesians of Saint John
Bosco. Subsequently he studied for
the priesthood at the Major Seminary in Krakow and was ordained a
Francis supports
beach project
for the disabled
Pope Francis has made a donation to the Opera San Luigi
Gonzaga ‘Opera d’Amore’ (‘Work
of Love’), an Italian association
which operates a beach area for
the disabled. Members of the Association, which runs the project
at “La Madonnina” beach near
Fiumicino, just outside of Rome,
expressed surprise and gratitude
upon receiving the donation
made on the Pope’s behalf by the
Papal Almoner, Msgr Konrad
Krajewski.
The beach, which is fully accessible to those with physical
disabilities, is managed by volunteers and is equipped with a first
aid station with qualified medical
personnel. Specially trained personnel from the Italian Paralympics Swimming Federation are
also on hand to ensure a safe environment for all who wish to enjoy a day at the beach.
In a message to the Association, the Pope imparted his
blessing to the volunteers, the
disabled and their families who
visit La Madonnina, where, the
Association says, “one rediscovers
the importance of caring for the
other, the rediscovery of the
uniqueness of the human being
regardless of their being disabled
or able-bodied. One rediscovers
how much every individual is a
source of well-being for the other,
if only one is receptive to listen to
others’ needs”.
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
WEEKLY EDITION
Unicuique suum
IN ENGLISH
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priest on 24 May 1997. He has
served in parish ministry, and as director of the Salesian community in
Korostyshiv and director of the
Oratory in Peremyshlany.
The Holy Father appointed Fr John
Do Van Ngan as Auxiliary Bishop
of Xuân Lôc, Vietnam, assigning
him the titular episcopal See of
Buleliana. Until now he has been
professor and vice rector of Saint
Joseph Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Xuân Lôc, Vietnam (2 May).
Bishop-elect Do Van Ngan, 63,
was born in Ninh Dinh, Vietnam.
He holds licences in Vietnamese Literature and in philosophy. He was
ordained a priest on 14 January 1992.
He has served in parish ministry and
as: notary of the diocesan tribunal in
Xuân Lôc; professor at the Major
Seminary in Xuân Lôc; professor of
philosophy.
Reciting the Rosary in the small
Chapel of the Apparitions and celebrating an outdoor Mass will be
the highlights of Pope Francis’ trip
to the Shrine of Our Lady of
Fatima on 12-13 May, for the occasion of the centenary of the apparitions of Our Lady to the three
little shepherds in the Cova da Iria.
The Holy Father’s visit signifies
that nearly 24 hours of continuous
prayer will be ongoing on Portuguese soil. The Pope will leave
Rome’s Fiumicino airport at 2:00
PM on Friday, 12 May, and will arrive at the Monte Real Air Base in
Portugal at 4:20 PM local time. His
return flight is scheduled for 3:00
PM the following day.
After a welcoming ceremony,
Pope Francis will meet privately
with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa,
President of the Republic of Portugal, and later visit the air base
chapel. He will then be transferred
by helicopter to Fatima Stadium,
and in an open car to the Shrine.
The evening will include a visit to
the small Chapel of the Appari-
The Pope’s laundromat opens
for the homeless in Rome
SPECIAL ENVOY
The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Josip Bozanić, Archbishop of
Zagreb, as his Special Envoy to the
celebration of the 650th anniversary
of the arrival of the image of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, in the Shrine
of Trsat, Archdiocese of Rijeka,
Croatia. The image was donated by
Pope Urban V to Croatian pilgrims
in Loreto in 1367. The celebration is
scheduled to take place on 1 July
2017 (29 Apr.).
RELATIONS
WITH
STATES
The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, titular Archbishop of Sutri, as
Apostolic Nuncio in Nigeria. Until
now he has been Apostolic Nuncio
in Indonesia (26 Apr.).
The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Alessandro D’Errico, titular
Archbishop of Carini, as Apostolic
Nuncio in Malta. Until now he has
been Apostolic Nuncio in Croatia.
(27 Apr.).
NECROLO GY
Bishop Edouard Mathos, of Bambari, Central African Republic, at
age 68 (28 Apr.)
Bishop Diego Natale Bona, Bishop
emeritus of Saluzzo, Italy, at age 90
(29 Apr.)
GIOVANNI MARIA VIAN
Editor-in-Chief
On Monday, 10 April, “the Pope’s Laundromat” — as it is being called —
opened in Rome. The new laundromat is an initiative for the poor, offering washing, drying and ironing services for the homeless.
The initiative came about in response to Pope Francis’ desire to offer a
‘concrete’ experience of the grace of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. In his
Apostolic Letter Misericordia et Misera at the conclusion of the Jubilee
Year, he wrote: “The desire for closeness to Christ requires us to draw
near to our brothers and sisters, for nothing is more pleasing to the Father than a true sign of mercy. By its very nature, mercy becomes visible
and tangible in specific and powerful acts” (n. 16); thus, it is “time to unleash the creativity of mercy, to bring about new undertakings, the fruit
of grace” (n. 18).
The Pope’s Laundromat was set up by the Office of Papal Charities, in
collaboration with the Community of Sant’Egidio, to provide a place
where homeless people, together with the Community’s volunteers, can
wash, dry and iron their clothes and bedding.
The new laundry service is located in an old hospital complex now run
by the Community of Sant’Egidio. In the coming months it will also include a barber and free clothing and medical clinics, in addition to the
distribution of food and other basic necessities.
The laundromat includes
washers, dryers and irons, all
donated by the Whirlpool
Corporation. The initiative
will be coordinated by
Procter & Gamble, which,
for the past two years, has
also coordinated the provision of medical services and
barbers for the homeless under Saint’s Peter Colonnades. The company will
also provide washing detergents.
TIPO GRAFIA VATICANA EDITRICE
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
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Assistant Editor
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tions, with the blessing of candles
and the recital of the rosary.
On Saturday morning, 13 May,
the Pontiff will have a short meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa in the Casa
Nossa Senhora do Carmo. He will
then visit the Basilica of Our Lady
of the Rosary at Fatima before celebrating an outdoor Mass at the
Shrine, after which he will greet
the sick. Pope Francis will then return to the Casa Nossa Senhora do
Carmo where he will have lunch
with local Bishops, and in the early
afternoon, he will return to the
Monte Real Air Base for a farewell
ceremony and his departure.
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L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
number 18, Friday, 5 May 2017
page 3
At the General Audience Francis speaks of his recent visit
A sign of hope
Egypt is and has always been “a sign of hope, of refuge, of help”, Pope
Francis said. At the General Audience in Saint Peter’s Square on Wednesday
morning, 3 May, the Holy Father gave thanks for his recent Apostolic
Journey to Egypt — from 28 to 29 April — where he recalled the
commitment to unity and spoke about the cultural and religious heritage that
gives the nation a special role in the work of peacemaking. The following is a
translation of the Holy Father’s catechesis, which he delivered in Italian.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good morning!
Today, I would like to talk to you
about my Apostolic Journey to
Egypt which, with God’s help, I
undertook in recent days. I went
to that country, taking up a
four–fold invitation: from the
President of the Republic, from
His Holiness, the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch, from the Grand
Imam of Al–Azhar and from the
Coptic Catholic Patriarch. I thank
each of them for their truly warm
welcome. And I thank all the
people of Egypt for the participation and affection with which they
experienced this visit by the Successor of Saint Peter.
The President and civil authorities took exceptional pains to ensure that this event could take
place in the best possible way; so
that it might be a sign of peace, a
sign of peace for Egypt and for all
that region, which, unfortunately,
is afflicted by hostilities and terrorism. In fact, the trip’s theme
was: “Pope of Peace in Egypt of
Peace”.
My visit to Al–Azhar University,
the oldest Islamic university and
the highest academic institution of
Sunni Islam had a twofold aim:
that of dialogue between Christians
and Muslims and, at the same
time, that of promoting peace in
the world. At Al–Azhar, there was
a meeting with the Grand Imam,
a meeting that later extended to
the International Peace Conference. In this context, I offered a
reflection which recognized the
history of the land of Egypt as
land of civilization and land of covenants. For all of humanity, Egypt
is synonymous with ancient civili-
zation, art treasures and knowledge; and this reminds us that
peace is built through education,
the formation of knowledge, of a
humanism which includes as integral parts the religious dimension, the relationship with God, as
the Grand Imam recalled in his
address. Peace is also built by beginning once again from the covenant between God and man, the
foundation
of
the
covenant
between all peoples based on the
Ten Commandments written on
the stone tablets at Sinai, but
much more deeply in the heart of
each man of every time and place,
the law that is summarized in the
two commandments of love of
God and neighbour.
This same foundation is also at
the basis of the building of social
and civil order, in which all citizens, from every origin, culture
and religion, are called to cooperate. Such a vision of healthy secularism emerged in the conversation
with the President of the Republic
of Egypt, in the presence of the
country’s authorities and Diplomatic Corps. Egypt’s great historic
and religious heritage and its role
in the Middle Eastern region give
it an unusual task in the journey
toward stable and long-lasting
peace that rests not on the law of
force, but rather on the force of
law.
Christians, in Egypt like in
every nation on earth, are called to
be the “leaven” of fraternity. This
is possible if they live, within
themselves, the Communion in
Christ. Thanks to God, we were
able to show a strong sign of communion with my dear Brother
Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the
Coptic Orthodox. We renewed
our commitment, also by signing a
Common Declaration to journey
together, and not to duplicate
baptisms already received in the
respective Churches. Together we
prayed for the martyrs of the recent attacks that tragically struck
that venerable Church; and their
blood rendered fruitful that ecumenical encounter, in which Patriarch
Bartholomew
of
Constantinople, the Ecumenical Patriarch, my dear Brother, also participated.
The second day of the trip was
dedicated to the Catholic faithful.
The Holy Mass celebrated in the
stadium provided by Egyptian authorities was a celebration of faith
and fraternity in which we felt the
living presence of the Risen
Christ. Commenting on the Gospel, I called on the small Catholic
community in Egypt to relive the
experience of the disciples of Emmaus: to always find in Christ,
Word and Bread of Life, the joy
of faith, the ardour of hope and
the strength to bear loving witness
that “we have encountered the
Lord!”.
I spent the last phase with
priests, men and women religious
and seminarians at the Major
Seminary. There are many seminarians. This is a consolation! It
was a Liturgy of the Word in
which the vows of consecrated life
were renewed. In this community
of men and women who have
chosen to offer their life to Christ
for the Kingdom of God, I saw
the beauty of the Church in Egypt
From slave to ambassador
Once a slave of so-called Islamic State militants, and
now the first U.N. Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, Nadia Murad
Basee Taha was determined to meet Pope Francis whom
she considers her “ally” in the fight for human rights
and dignity. The story of the 22-year-old Yazidi woman
is tragic. Kidnapped on 3 August 2014 from her village
in Kocho, Northern Iraq, she saw her six brothers killed
and her mother die. Taken prisoner with two of her sisters in Mosul, Nadia suffered all kinds of brutal abuse
and was sold several times as a slave before she was finally able to escape. Since then, the young woman has
bravely denounced the atrocities perpetrated against her
people, carrying on “the battle so that no person suffers
such violence [or] is treated like an animal”.
and I prayed for all Christians in
the Middle East, that, led by their
pastors and accompanied by the
consecrated, they might become
salt and light in those lands, in
the midst of those peoples. For us,
Egypt was a sign of hope, of
refuge, of help. When that part of
the world was starving, Jacob
went there with his sons. Then,
when Jesus was persecuted, he
went there. For this reason, telling
you about this trip means taking
the path of hope. For us, Egypt is
that sign of hope both for history
and for the present time, of this
fraternity which I wanted to tell
you about.
I once again thank those who
made this journey possible and all
those who, in different ways, made
their contribution, especially so
many people who offered their
prayers and their suffering. May
the Holy Family of Nazareth, who
migrated to the banks of the River
Nile to flee from Herod’s violence,
bless and always protect the
people of Egypt and guide them
to the path of prosperity, fraternity
and peace.
Thank you!
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in
today’s Audience, particularly the
groups from Ireland, Denmark,
Finland, New Zealand, Singapore,
India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka,
Vietnam, Canada and the United
States of America. In the joy of
the Risen Christ, I invoke upon
you and your families the loving
mercy of God our Father. May the
Lord bless you all!
On the Feast of Saints Philip
and James, I hope that the
memory of the Apostles, joyous
proclaimers of the Risen Christ,
may increase each one’s faith and
strengthen each one’s witness to
the Gospel.
I extend my greetings to young
people, to the sick and to newlyweds.
At the start of May, we call on the
heavenly intercession of Mary,
Mother of Jesus. Dear young
people, learn to pray to her with
the simple and effective prayer of
the Rosary; dear sick people, may
Our Lady be your support in the
trial of pain; dear newlyweds, imitate her love for God and for
brothers and sisters.
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
page 4
Friday, 5 May 2017, number 18
On return flight from Egypt the Pope emphasizes path of diplomacy as means of stopping war
The future of humanity is at play
that you recognize its role in the Middle East, as
well as support for the way it is trying to protect
Christians despite the lack of democratic safeguards?
No, no. They must be understood literally
as values in themselves. I said this: defending
peace, defending harmony between peoples,
defending the equality of all the population,
whatever religion one professes, these are values. I spoke of values. If a government official
only protects [the values of] one person or another, that is another problem. I have made
eighteen visits to various countries. At times I
have heard: “By going there, the Pope is supporting that government...”. Because governments always have their weaknesses and political adversaries, one says one thing and another says something else.... I do not get involved
in that. I speak of values, and everyone can see
and judge if this government or state, or that
one or other, promotes those values.
[Darío Menor Torres]: Did you still want to visit
the Pyramids?
Did you know that today at 6:00 a.m. two
of my assistants went to visit the Pyramids?
[Darío Menor Torres]: Really? Would you have
liked to have gone with them?
Yes, really, yes....
[Darío Menor Torres]: Thank you very much.
During the return flight from Egypt to Rome
on Saturday, 29 April, Pope Francis participated in the customary on-board question-andanswer session with journalists. The meeting
was led by Greg Burke, Director of the Holy
See Press Office, who thanked the Pontiff and
invited him to the microphone. Before taking
questions, the Pope greeted and thanked the
press corps: “Good evening! I thank you for
your work, because there have been twentyseven hours straight, I believe, of hard work.
Thank you so much for all you have done.
Thank you. I am happy to take your questions”.
[Paolo Rodari, “La Repubblica”]: Holy Father,
thank you. I wanted to ask you about your meeting yesterday with President Al Sisi: what did you
speak about; did you discuss human rights and, in
particular, did you have a chance to speak about
Giulio Regeni [a young Italian graduate student
brutally tortured and killed by unknown assailants
in Egypt in 2016], and do you think we will find
out the truth about his case?
I will give a general response and then get
into the particulars. Generally, when I meet
with a Head of State, for a private conversation, it remains private. Unless we agree and
say to one another: “We will make public what
we have discussed about this issue”. During
this trip I had four private conversations: with
the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, with President
Al Sisi, with Patriarch Tawadros, and with Patriarch Ibrahim. I believe that, if it is private,
out of respect the confidentiality should be
maintained. It is private. You also asked about
Giulio Regeni. I am concerned. From the Holy
See I have looked into this situation, also because Giulio’s parents asked me to do so. The
Holy See has taken some steps. I will not say
how or where, but we have taken some steps.
[Darío Menor Torres, “El Correo”]: Thank you,
Holiness. You said yesterday that peace, prosperity
and development are worth every sacrifice, and afterwards you highlighted the importance of respecting inalienable human rights. Does this indicate
your support for the Egyptian Government and
[Virginie Riva “Radio Europe 1”]: Holy Father, a
question, beginning with the trip but expanding to
France, if you will. You spoke at Al-Azhar University of demagogic forms of populism. French
Catholics right now are being forced to vote for
either a populist or an extremist, and they are divided and confused. What would be the elements
for discerning that you could provide for these
Catholic voters?
Excellent. There is a dimension of “populism” — I put this word in quotes, because you
know that I had to relearn this word in
Europe, because in Latin America it has a different meaning. There is the problem with
Europe and the problem with the European
Union. I will not repeat here what I have previously said about Europe. I already spoke
about it four times: twice in Strasbourg, once
during my speech for the Charlemagne Prize,
and at the beginning of the commemoration of
the sixtieth anniversary of the [Treaty of
Rome]. Everything I have said about Europe
is in those speeches. Every country is free to
make the choices it believes are right for itself.
I cannot judge if it is making this choice for
this reason or another, because I do not know
its internal politics. It is true that Europe is in
danger of coming undone; this is true. I expressed it delicately in Strasbourg, more
strongly during the Charlemagne Prize, and
most recently without any nuance. We only
have to reflect on this: the Europe which runs
from the Atlantic to the Urals.... There is a
problem that frightens Europe and perhaps increases populism: the problem of migration.
This is true. But let us not forget that Europe
is made of migrants: centuries and centuries of
migrants ... that’s us! But it is a problem that
must be studied well, and we must also respect
people’s opinions, honest opinions of a political discussion with a capital ‘P’: great Politics,
not the small national politics that eventually
end up falling down. Regarding France: to tell
you the truth, I do not understand French internal politics. I have worked to have good relations, including with the current President,
with whom there was a difficulty once, but afterwards I was able to speak clearly with him
about the issue, while respecting his viewpoint.... I do not know the history of the two
candidates [Le Pen and Macron], I do not
know where they are from.... Yes, I do know
that one is a representative of the far right, but
the other candidate, I truly do not know where
he is from. For this reason, I cannot offer a
clear view on France. But speaking of Catholics: here in Egypt, during one of the gatherings, while I was greeting the people, someone
said to me: “Why do you not think big about
politics?” — “What does that mean?”. And this
person said to me, as if asking for help: “Create a party for Catholics”. This man is good,
but he is living in the last century! Concerning
populism, it is related to migrants, but this is
not part of my trip. If there is time, I can
come back to this. If there is time, I’ll return
to this.
[Vera Shcherbakova, “Itar-Tass”]: Holy Father, I
thank you, first of all for your blessing: you blessed
me, I had knelt down a few minutes ago, here in
the front. I am Orthodox and I do not see any
contradiction.... I wanted to ask you: what are the
prospects for relations with the Orthodox — obviously Russian, but also, yesterday, in the Common
Declaration with the Orthodox Coptic Patriarch —
there is the date of Easter in common, and it also
speaks about the recognition of Baptism.... At what
point are we? And one more thing: how do you
evaluate the relations between the Vatican and
Russia, as a State, also in light of the defence of
the values of Middle Eastern Christians, especially
in Syria?
Christòs anèsti! [Christ is Risen!] Since
Buenos Aires, I have always had a great friendship with the Orthodox. For example, every 6
January I would go to Vespers, in your
Cathedral, to Patriarch Plato — who now is in
the area of Ukraine, he is the Archbishop —
two hours and forty minutes in a language that
I did not understand, but I was able to pray
well! And then there was dinner with the community, three hundred people, a Christmas Eve
dinner — not Christmas dinner but for the Vigil — they were still not able to eat dairy
products or meat, but it was a wonderful
meal.... And then bingo and games ... friendship. Also the other Orthodox. At times they
needed legal assistance: they would come to
the Catholic Chancery, because their community was small, and they came to see the
lawyers.... I always had a fraternal relationship:
we are sister Churches. I have a special friendship with Patriarch Tawadros: for me he is a
great man of God. Tawadros is a Patriarch, a
Pope who will take the Church forward, the
name of Jesus forward.... He has great apostolic zeal. He is one of the most, allow me to use
the word but in inverted commas, “fanatical”
in finding a fixed date for Easter. Me too but
... we’re trying to find a way. He says “we
struggle on, we struggle on!”. He is a man of
God. He is a man who, as a bishop far away
from Egypt, used to feed disabled persons; he
is a man who was sent to a diocese with five
churches and he left twenty-five, with I’m not
sure with how many Christian families, and he
did this with apostolic zeal. You know how
their election works; they find three, they are
chosen, and then their names are put into a
bag, a child is called up with eyes bandaged
and picks out a name ... and there is the Lord!
Clearly he is a great Patriarch. The unity of
baptism moves forward. The blame, regarding
baptism, has historical roots, because during
the time of the first Councils it was shared. Afterwards, because the Coptic Christians baptized children in sanctuaries, when they wanted
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
number 18, Friday, 5 May 2017
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
page 5
With journalists on the return flight from Egypt
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
to get married and came to us to marry a
Catholic, they were asked for proof which they
didn’t have, and so they were baptized conditionally: it was us, therefore, who started this
practice, not them. But now the door has been
opened and we are on a right path to face this
problem, to overcome it. In the Common Declaration, the penultimate paragraph speaks
about this.
The Russian Orthodox recognise our baptism and we recognise theirs. I was very
friendly with the Bishop in Buenos Aires, with
the Russians. Also with the Georgians, for example. The Patriarch of the Georgians is a
man of God, Ilia II, a mystic! We Catholics
must learn also from this tradition of mysticism
in the Orthodox Churches. On this trip we
had an ecumenical meeting: and Patriarch
Bartholomew was also present, the GreekO rthodox Patriarch was present, and there
were other Christians: Anglicans, and the Secretary of the World Council of Churches in
Geneva.... Everything that contributes to ecumenism is in motion. Ecumenism is achieved
by moving forward, with acts of charity, with
the commitment to help, doing things together
when things can be done together.... There is
no such thing as a static ecumenism. It is true
that the theologians must study and agree
amongst themselves, but this will never have a
successful outcome unless we move forward.
What can we do now? We must do what is
possible: pray together, work together, exercise
acts of charity together.... But together! This is
what it means to move forward. Relations with
Patriarch Kirill are good, they are good. The
Metropolitan Archbishop Hilarion has also
come on several occasions to speak to me, and
we have a good relationship.
speaking about two years ago, more or less, is
“piecemeal” but the pieces have gotten larger,
and they have become more concentrated.
They are concentrated in areas which were
already “hot zones”, because this situation of
the Korean missiles has been going on for one
year, but now it seems that the situation has
heated up too much. In every instance my call
is to solve problems by means of diplomacy,
through negotiation.... Because the future of
humanity is at play. Today a prolonged war
will destroy, I won’t say half of humanity, but
a good part of humanity and of culture ...
everything, everything. It would be terrible. I
think that today humanity would not be able
to sustain this. Let us look at those countries
who are suffering due to internal conflict,
where we see the fires of war: the Middle East,
for example, but also in Africa ... Yemen.... We
must stop this! Let us find, let us find a diplomatic solution. And on this point I think that
the United Nations have the duty to reclaim
somewhat their leadership, because it has been
watered down: it has, to an extent, been
watered down.
[Phil Pullella]: Do you want to meet President
Trump when he comes to Europe? Has there been
a request for this meeting?
I haven’t been informed, as yet, by the Secretary of State, that a request has been made;
this, but it’s still very much in the air as yet.
Everything that can be done for Venezuela
must be done. And with the necessary guarantees. Otherwise we are just playing childish
games that lead nowhere. Thank you.
[Jörg Bremer, “Frankfurter Allgemeine”]: A few
days ago, you spoke about the issue of refugees in
Greece, Lesbos, and you used the term “concentration camp”, because they are overfilled with people.
For us Germans this is obviously a term which is
very serious and very close to the term “extermination camp”. Some say that it was a ‘lapsus linguae’ on your part: what did you mean?
First, you all should read carefully
everything I said. I said that the most generous in Europe were Italy and Greece: it is true,
they are the closest to Libya and Syria.... With
regard to Germany, I have always admired the
capacity for integration. When I studied there,
there were many Turkish people, integrated, in
Frankfurt, so many. Integrated, and leading a
normal life. It wasn’t a lapsus linguae: there are
refugee camps that are true camps of concentration. There may be one in Italy, one elsewhere.... Not in Germany, certainly. But think
of this: what do people do who are closed in a
camp and unable to leave? Think of what
happened in northern Europe when they
wanted to cross the sea to reach England: they
were closed in! I was amused, and this is a
[Vera Shcherbakova]: And with the Russian state?
Christians, common values?
Yes, I know that the Russian State speaks
about this, about defending Christians in the
Middle East. I know this and I believe it to be
a good thing, to speak, to fight against persecution. Today there are more martyrs than in the
first centuries, in the Middle East above all.
[Phil Pullella, “Reuters”]: You spoke yesterday, in
your first address, of the danger of unilateral actions and that all persons should be artisans of
peace. You have spoken much of a “third world
war fought piecemeal”. But it would seem that
today this fear and anxiety is centred on what is
happening around North Korea.
Yes, it is the focal point.
[Phil Pullella]: Exactly: it is the focal point.
President Trump has sent a fleet of military vessels
towards the coast of North Korea; the leader of
North Korea has threatened to bomb South Korea,
Japan and even the United States if they can
build long range missiles; people are frightened
and there is talk of the possibility of a nuclear
war, as if it were nothing. If you see President
Trump, and also other persons, what do you want
to tell these leaders who have responsibility for the
future of humanity? Because we are at a rather
critical moment....
I call on them: I call on them and will call
on them, just as I have done with leaders of
various places, to work to resolve the problems
through the path of diplomacy. And there are
so many facilitators in the world, mediators
who offer themselves: there are countries, like
Norway, for example. No one can accuse Norway of being a dictatorial country. Norway is
always ready to help ... to mention one example, but I’m sure that there are so many
others.... But the path is a path of negotiation,
the path of the diplomatic solution. This
“world war fought piecemeal” which I began
but I receive every Head of State who asks for
a meeting.
[Antonio Pelayo, “Antena 3” (in Spanish)]: Holy
Father, the situation in Venezuela has gravely deteriorated recently and there have been many
deaths. I would like to ask you if the Holy See,
and you personally, are thinking of renewing the
peaceful intervention, and what forms would such
action take?
[in Spanish] There was the intervention of
the Holy See at the insistent request of the
four Presidents who were working as facilitators, and ... it did not succeed. It was left
there. It did not succeed because the proposals
were not acceptable, or were diluted, or it was
a “yes, yes” but then a “no, no”.... We all know
this difficult situation in Venezuela, which is a
country I love very much. And I am aware
that they are now insisting; I’m not sure of the
source, I believe it to be the four Presidents,
they are insisting to renew this work of facilitating, and seeking a place. I think that this
must be with conditions now. Very clear conditions. Part of the opposition does not want
this. Interesting, the opposition itself is divided
and, on the other hand, it seems that the conflicts are increasingly escalating. But there is
something happening. There is something
moving forward, and I’ve been informed of
little bit of Italian culture, I was amused to
learn about a refugee camp in Sicily — and I’ve
been told this by the delegate of Azione Cattolica in Agrigento — in that area there are two or
three such camps, I don’t know in which diocese. The authorities of the city which houses
the camps spoke to the people in one refugee
camp and said: “You staying in here inside will
affect your mental health; you must come out.
But please, don’t get up to any rough stuff.
We can’t open the door, but we’ll make a small
hole behind. You go out, have a nice walk...”.
In this way the refugees struck up relationships
with the people living around the area, good
relationships.... These refugees do not commit
acts of delinquency or crime. But the fact of
being shut in, with nothing to do, this is a lager camp, is it not? But it has nothing to do
with Germany, no, no. Thank you.
Thank you for this work you do which helps
so many people. You do not know the good
that your editorials can do, your articles, your
reflections.... We must help people and offer
assistance in the area of communication, so
that communication and the media direct us to
good things, not to things which disorientate
and never help us. Thank you. Thank you so
much. Have a nice dinner and pray for me!
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
page 6
Friday, 5 May 2017, number 18
An invitation to Egyptian authorities to work for justice and respect of human rights
Rejecting violence is every
civilization’s duty
Some 800 representatives of Egyptian institutions, Diplomatic Corps and civil
society greeted Pope Francis on Friday afternoon, 28 April, at the Al Masah
Hotel in Cairo’s Heliopolis district. After the welcome address of President Al
Sisi, the Pontiff delivered a discourse in Italian, the English text of which follows.
tries seeking solutions to pressing
and complex problems that need to
be faced now in order to avoid the
spread of worse violence. I am
speaking of the blind and brutal violence caused by different factors:
sheer desire for power, the arms
trade, grave social problems and that
As-salamu alaykum!
religious extremism which uses the
I thank you, Mr President, for your Holy Name of God to carry out uncordial words of greeting and for
precedented atrocities and injustices.
your kind invitation to visit your beThis destiny and role of Egypt are
loved country. I have vivid memories
of your visit to Rome in November also the reason that led the people
2014, my fraternal meeting with his to call for an Egypt where no one
Holiness Pope Tawadros II in 2013, lacks bread, freedom and social justice.
and my meeting last year with the Certainly this aim will become a
Grand Imam of the University of reality if all are willing, together, to
turn words into actions, authentic
Al-Azhar, Dr Ahmad Al-Tayyib.
I am happy to be here in Egypt, a aspirations into commitments, writland of ancient and noble civiliza- ten laws into enforced laws, by
tion, whose vestiges we can admire drawing on the innate genius of the
even today; in their majestic splen- Egyptian people.
Egypt thus has a singular task,
dour they appear to withstand the
passing of time. This land is signifi- namely, to strengthen and consolidate regional peace
even as it is assaulted
on its own soil by
“No civilized society can be built without
senseless acts of violrepudiating every ideology of evil,
ence. Such acts of violence have caused unviolence and extremism that presumes to
just suffering to so
suppress others and to annihilate
many families — some
of them are present
diversity by manipulating and profaning
among us — who
the Sacred Name of God”
mourn their sons and
daughters.
I think in a particular way of all those incant for the history of humanity and dividuals who in recent years have
for the Church’s tradition, not only given their lives to protect your
because of its prestigious past — that country: young people, members of
of Pharaohs, Copts and Muslims — the armed forces and police, Coptic
but also because so many of the Pa- citizens and all those nameless victriarchs lived in Egypt or passed tims of various forms of terrorist exthrough it. Indeed, Egypt is often tremism. I think also of the murders
mentioned in the sacred Scriptures. and the threats that have led to an
In this land, God spoke and “re- exodus of Christians from northern
vealed his name to Moses” (JOHN Sinai. I express my gratitude to the
PAUL II, Welcome Ceremony, 24 Febru- civil and religious authorities and to
ary 2000: Insegnamenti XXIII, 1 all those who have offered welcome
[2000], 248), and on Mount Sinai and assistance to these persons who
he entrusted to his people and to all have suffered so greatly. I also think
humanity the divine Command- of the victims of the attacks on
ments. On Egyptian soil the Holy Coptic churches, both last DecemFamily of Jesus, Mary and Joseph ber and more recently in Tanta and
Alexandria. To the members of their
found refuge and hospitality.
The generous hospitality shown families, and to all of Egypt, I offer
more than two thousand years ago my heartfelt condolences and my
remains in the collective memory of prayers that the Lord will grant
humanity and is a source of abun- speedy healing to the injured.
Mr
President,
Distinguished
dant blessings that continue to expand. As a result, Egypt is a land Ladies and Gentlemen,
that in some sense we all feel to be
I can only encourage the bold efour own! As you say, “Misr um al- forts being made to complete a
dunya” — “Egypt is the mother of number of national projects and the
the world”. Today too, this land wel- many initiatives of peacemaking,
comes millions of refugees from dif- both within the country and beyond
ferent countries, including Sudan, its borders, aimed at that developEritrea, Syria and Iraq, refugees ment in prosperity and peace which
whom you make praiseworthy efforts its people desire and deserve.
to integrate into Egyptian society.
Development,
prosperity
and
Thanks to its history and its par- peace are essential goods that merit
ticular geographical location, Egypt every sacrifice. They are also goals
has a unique role to play in the that demand hard work, conviction
Middle East and among those coun- and commitment, adequate planning
Mr President,
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar,
Honourable Members of
Government and Parliament,
Distinguished Ambassadors and
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
and, above all, unconditional respect
for inalienable human rights such as
equality among all citizens, religious
freedom and freedom of expression,
without any distinction (cf. Universal
Declaration of Human Rights; Egyptian Constitution of 2014, Chapter 3).
Goals, too, that require special consideration for the role of women,
young people, the poor and the
sick. Ultimately, true development is
measured by concern for human beings, who are the heart of all development: concern for their education,
health and dignity. The greatness of
any nation is revealed in its effective
care of society’s most vulnerable
members — women, children, the
elderly, the sick, the disabled and
minorities — lest any person or social group be excluded or marginalized.
In the fragile and complex situation of today’s world, which I have
injustice. History does not forgive
those who talk about equality, but
then discard those who are different.
It is our duty to unmask the peddlers of illusions about the afterlife,
those who preach hatred in order to
rob the simple of their present life
and their right to live with dignity,
and who exploit others by taking
away their ability to choose freely
and to believe responsibly. Mr President, you said to me a few minutes
ago that God is the God of freedom, and this is true. It is our duty
to dismantle deadly ideas and extremist ideologies, while upholding
the incompatibility of true faith and
violence, of God and acts of murder.
History instead honours men and
women of peace, who courageously
and non-violently strive to build a
better world: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Mt 5:9).
described as “a world war being
fought piecemeal”, it needs to be
clearly stated that no civilized society can be built without repudiating
every ideology of evil, violence and
extremism that presumes to suppress
others and to annihilate diversity by
manipulating and profaning the Sacred Name of God. Mr President,
you have spoken of this often and
on various occasions, with a clarity
that merits attention and appreciation.
All of us have the duty to teach
coming generations that God, the
Creator of heaven and earth, does
not need to be protected by men; indeed, it is he who protects them. He
never desires the death of his children, but rather their life and happiness. He can neither demand nor
justify violence; indeed, he detests
and rejects violence (“God ... hates
the lover of violence”: Ps 11:5). The
true God calls to unconditional love,
gratuitous pardon, mercy, absolute
respect for every life, and fraternity
among his children, believers and
nonbelievers alike.
It is our duty to proclaim together
that history does not forgive those
who preach justice, but then practice
Egypt, in the days of Joseph,
saved other peoples from famine (cf.
Gen 41:57); today it is called to save
this beloved region from a famine of
love and fraternity. It is called to
condemn and vanquish all violence
and terrorism. It is called to pour
out the grain of peace upon all
hearts that hunger for peaceful coexistence, dignified employment and
humane education. Egypt, in building peace and at the same time combatting terrorism, is called to give
proof that “al-din lillah wal watan
liljami — religion belongs to God and
the nation to all”, as the motto of the
Revolution of 23 July 1952 states.
Egypt is called to demonstrate that
it is possible to believe and live in
harmony with others, sharing with
them fundamental human values
and respecting the freedom and the
faith of all (cf. Egyptian Constitution of 2014, Article 5). Egypt has a
special role to play in this regard, so
that this region, the cradle of the
three great religions, can and indeed
will awake from the long night of
tribulation, and once more radiate
the supreme values of justice and
fraternity that are the solid foundaCONTINUED ON PAGE 10
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
number 18, Friday, 5 May 2017
page 7
With the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch the Holy Father recalls the martyrology of Christians
Innocent blood unites us
On Friday evening, 28 April, the
Pontiff met His Holiness Pope
Tawadros II at the Coptic
Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo. The
following is the English text of
Pope Francis’ address, which he
delivered in Italian.
The Lord is risen,
he is truly risen! [Al Massih
kam, bilhakika kam!]
Your Holiness, Dear Brother,
Only a short time has passed
since the great Solemnity of
Easter, the heart of the Christian
life, which we were blessed this
year to celebrate on the same
day. We thus joined in proclaiming the Easter message and, in a
sense, relived the experience of
the first disciples who together
“rejoiced when they saw the
Lord” that day (Jn 20:20). This
paschal joy is today made all
the more precious by the gift of
our joining to worship the Risen
One in prayer and by our renewed exchange, in his name, of
the holy kiss and embrace of
peace. For this, I am deeply
grateful: in coming here as a pilgrim, I was sure of receiving the
blessing of a brother who
awaited me. I have eagerly
looked forward to this new
meeting, for I vividly recall the
visit Your Holiness made to
Rome shortly after my election,
on 10 May 2013. That date has
happily become the occasion for
celebrating an annual Day of
Friendship between Copts and
Catholics.
As we joyfully progress on
our ecumenical journey, I wish
particularly to recall that mile-
stone in relations between the
Sees of Peter and Mark which is
the Common Declaration signed
by our predecessors more than
forty years ago, on 10 May 1973.
After “centuries of difficult history” marked by increasing
“theological differences, nourished and widened by nontheological factors”, and growing mistrust, we were able that
day, with God’s help, to acknowledge together that Christ
is “perfect God with respect to
his divinity and perfect man
with respect to his humanity”
(Common Declaration of Pope
Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III,
10 May 1973). Yet equally important and timely are the
words that immediately precede
this statement, in which we acknowledge Jesus Christ as “our
Lord and God and Saviour and
King”. With these words, the
See of Mark and the See of
Peter proclaimed the lordship of
Jesus: together we confessed
that we belong to Jesus and that
he is our all.
What is more, we realized
that, because we belong to him,
we can no longer think that
each can go his own way, for
that would betray his will that
his disciples “all be one ... so
that the world may believe” (Jn
17:21). In the sight of God, who
wishes us to be “perfectly one”
(v. 23), it is no longer possible
to take refuge behind the pretext of differing interpretations,
much less of those centuries of
history and traditions that estranged us one from the other.
In the words of His Holiness
John Paul II, “there is no time
Pope Tawadros
II
to lose in this regard!
Our communion in the
one Lord Jesus Christ,
in the one Holy Spirit
and in one baptism
already represents a
deep and fundamental
reality” (Address at the
Ecumenical Meeting, 25
February 2000). Consequently, not only is
there an ecumenism of
gestures, words and
commitment, but an
already effective communion that grows daily in
living relation with the
Lord Jesus, is rooted in
the faith we profess
and is truly grounded
on our baptism and
our being made a “new
creation” (cf. 2 Cor
5:17) in him. In a word,
there is “one Lord, one
faith, one baptism”
(Eph 4:5). Hence, we
constantly
set
out
anew, in order to
hasten that eagerly
awaited day when we
will be in full and visible
communion
around the altar of the
Lord.
In this exciting journey, which — like life
itself — is not always
easy and straightforward, but on
which the Lord exhorts us to
persevere, we are not alone. We
are accompanied by a great host
of saints and martyrs who,
already fully one, impel us here
below to be a living image of
the “Jerusalem above” (Gal
4:26). Among them, surely Peter
greets the Pontiff
Towards love and fraternity
“Today’s visit is a new step on the
path towards love and fraternity
between peoples”, because Pope
Francis is “one of the symbols of
peace in a world tormented by
conflict and war, a world which
yearns for and ardently desires
sincere commitments to spread
peace and love and to contrast violence and extremism”. These
were the words of Tawadros II as
he welcomed Pope Francis on Friday afternoon, 28 April, when the
two leaders met at the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. Too often,
Egypt “pays with innocent blood,
offering its most beautiful flower,
our young people”, he said. The
Patriarch noted, however, that
Egypt is a country that seeks to
be a “model of understanding and
respect”. Despite the times, which
are “difficult and turbulent,
people demonstrate that the energy of love and tolerance is
stronger than hatred and revenge,
and that the light of hope is
stronger than the darkness of desperation”.
Recalling the terrible Palm
Sunday attacks and the violent
death of innocent people at prayer, Tawadros II said he was certain
“criminal minds will never be able
to break or curb” the people’s desire for peace. Recognizing that
wounds are still fresh, he nevertheless pointed out that, “from ancient times, Egypt has been
known throughout history as an
oasis of peace”. Indeed, he continued, “it is a country of peace
and security; it is an oasis where
civilizations can meet, declaring
that they can all live in peace under the Egyptian sky, until the
end of time”.
The Patriarch observed that in
choosing the name ‘Francis’, the
Pope revealed a readiness to dialogue and peace. Saint Francis of
Assisi, in fact, also “stopped in
Egypt and along with Sultan Al
Kamil, had one of the most im-
portant experiences of intercultural dialogue in history”, he said, “a
dialogue which is renewed today,
confirming the fact that this is the
way and the bridge that unites
peoples”.
As for Christians, in their very
search for unity, they are able to
give the world “the clearest and
most fundamental witness to
Christ”. The Patriarch did not fail
to mention the generous contribution of Catholics in Egypt, especially in the cultural field, without
distinction based on religious affiliation. He also expressed his appreciation for the welcome that
Catholic communities offer the
Egyptian Coptic Orthodox who
have migrated abroad. “We await
the day in which we will break
bread together on the sacred altar,
the day when church bells shall
ring together to celebrate the
birth of the Saviour and the Resurrection”.
and Mark in particular rejoice in
our encounter today. Great is
the bond uniting them. We
need only think of the fact that
Saint Mark put at the heart of
his Gospel Peter’s profession of
faith: “You are the Christ”. It
was the answer to Jesus’ ever urgent question: “But who do you
say that I am?” (Mk 8:29).
Today too, many people cannot
answer this question; there are
even few people who can raise
it, and above all few who can
answer it with the joy of knowing Jesus, that same joy with
which we have the grace of confessing him together.
Together, then, we are called
to bear witness to him, to carry
our faith to the world, especially
in the way it is meant to be
brought: by living it, so that
Jesus’ presence can be communicated with life and speak the
language of gratuitous and concrete love. As Coptic Orthodox
and Catholics, we can always
join in speaking this common
language of charity: before undertaking a charitable work, we
would do well to ask if we can
do it together with our brothers
and sisters who share our faith
in Jesus. Thus, by building
communion in the concreteness
of a daily lived witness, the
Spirit will surely open providential and unexpected paths to
unity.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
number 18, Friday, 5 May 2017
page 8/9
Holy Father’s address to participants of the International Peace Conference
No to hatred in the name of God
logue, as an authentic expression of
our humanity, is not a strategy for
achieving specific goals, but rather a
path to truth, one that deserves to be
undertaken patiently, in order to
transform competition into cooperaEducation indeed becomes wisdom tion.
for life if it is capable of “drawing
An education in respectful openout” of men and women the very
ness and sincere dialogue with others,
best of themselves, in contact with
recognizing their rights and basic
the One who transcends them and
freedoms, particularly religious freewith the world around them, fosterdom, represents the best way to build
ing a sense of identity that is open
the future together, to be builders of ciand not self-enclosed. Wisdom seeks
vility. For the only alternative to the
the other, overcoming temptations to
civility of encounter is the incivility of
rigidity and closed-mindedness; it is
conflict; there is no other way. To
open and in motion, at once humble
counter effectively the barbarity of
and inquisitive; it is able to value the
those who foment hatred and violence,
past and set it in dialogue with the
we need to accompany young people,
present, while employing a suitable
helping them on the path to maturity
hermeneutics. Wisdom prepares a fuand teaching them to respond to the inture in which people do not attempt
to push their own agenda but rather cendiary logic of evil by patiently workto include others as an integral part ing for the growth of goodness. In this
of themselves. Wisdom tirelessly way, young people, like well-planted
seeks, even now, to identify oppor- trees, can be firmly rooted in the soil of
tunities for encounter and sharing; history, and, growing heavenward in
from the past, it learns that evil only one another’s company, can daily turn
gives rise to more evil, and violence the polluted air of hatred into the oxyto more violence, in a spiral that gen of fraternity.
In facing this great cultural chalends by imprisoning everyone. Wisdom, in rejecting the dishonesty and lenge, one that is both urgent and
the abuse of power, is centred on hu- exciting, we, Christians, Muslims and
man dignity, a dignity which is pre- all believers, are called to offer our
cious in God’s eyes, and on an ethics specific contribution: “We live under
worthy of man, one that is unafraid the sun of the one merciful God....
of others and fearlessly employs Thus, in a true sense, we can call one
those means of knowledge bestowed another brothers and sisters ... since
without God the life of man would
on us by the Creator.1
the heavens without the
Precisely in the field of dialogue, be like
2
particularly interreligious dialogue, sun”. May the sun of a renewed frawe are constantly called to walk to- ternity in the name of God rise in
gether, in the conviction that the fu- this sun-drenched land, to be the
ture also depends on the encounter dawn of a civilization of peace and enof religions and cultures. In this re- counter. May Saint Francis of Assisi,
gard, the work of the Mixed Commit- who eight centuries ago came to
tee for Dialogue between the Pontifical Egypt and met Sultan Malik al
Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Kamil, intercede for this intention.
A land of covenants. In Egypt, not
the Committee of Al-Azhar for Dialogue
only did the sun of
wisdom rise, but also
the variegated light of
the religions shone in
“Together let us declare the sacredness
this land. Here, down
of every human life against every form
the centuries, differof violence, whether physical, social,
ences of religion constituted “a form of mueducational or psychological”
tual enrichment in the
service of the one national
community”.3
offers us a concrete and encouraging Different faiths met and a variety of
example. Three basic areas, if prop- cultures blended without being conerly linked to one another, can assist fused, while acknowledging the imin this dialogue: the duty to respect portance of working together for the
one’s own identity and that of others, common good. Such “covenants” are
the courage to accept differences, and urgently needed today. Here I would
take as a symbol the “Mount of the
sincerity of intentions.
The duty to respect one’s own identity Covenant” which rises up in this
and that of others, because true dia- land. Sinai reminds us above all that
logue cannot be built on ambiguity authentic covenants on earth cannot
or a willingness to sacrifice some ignore heaven, that human beings
good for the sake of pleasing others. cannot attempt to encounter one anThe courage to accept differences, be- other in peace by eliminating God
cause those who are different, either from the horizon, nor can they climb
culturally or religiously, should not the mountain to appropriate God for
be seen or treated as enemies, but themselves (cf. Ex 19:12).
This is a timely reminder in the
rather welcomed as fellow-travellers,
in the genuine conviction that the face of a dangerous paradox of the
good of each resides in the good of present moment. On the one hand,
all. Sincerity of intentions, because dia- religion tends to be relegated to the
In Cairo on Friday afternoon, 28 April, Pope Francis addressed participants of the
International Peace Conference sponsored by Al-Azhar University, Sunni Islam’s
most renowned academic institution. The following is the English text of the Holy
Father’s address.
As-salamu alaykum!
I consider it a great gift to be able to
begin my Visit to Egypt here, and to
address you in the context of this International Peace Conference. I thank
my brother, the Grand Imam, for
having planned and organized this
Conference, and for kindly inviting
me to take part. I would like to offer
you a few thoughts, drawing on the
glorious history of this land, which
over the ages has appeared to the
world as a land of civilizations and a
land of covenants.
A land of civilizations. From ancient
times, the culture that arose along
the banks of the Nile was synonymous with civilization. Egypt lifted
the lamp of knowledge, giving birth
to an inestimable cultural heritage,
made up of wisdom and ingenuity,
mathematical and astronomical discoveries, and remarkable forms of architecture and figurative art. The
quest for knowledge and the value
placed on education were the result
of conscious decisions on the part of
the ancient inhabitants of this land,
and were to bear much fruit for the
future. Similar decisions are needed
for our own future, decisions of
peace and for peace, for there will be
no peace without the proper education of coming generations. Nor can
young people today be properly educated unless the training they receive
corresponds to the nature of man as
an open and relational being.
private sphere, as if it were not an
essential dimension of the human
person and society. At the same
time, the religious and political
spheres are confused and not properly distinguished. Religion risks being absorbed into the administration
of temporal affairs and tempted by
the allure of worldly powers that in
fact exploit it. Our world has seen
the globalization of many useful
technical instruments, but also a
globalization of indifference and
negligence, and it moves at a frenetic
pace that is difficult to sustain. As a
result, there is renewed interest in
the great questions about the mean-
ing of life. These are the questions
that the religions bring to the fore,
reminding us of our origins and ultimate calling. We are not meant to
spend all our energies on the uncertain and shifting affairs of this
world, but to journey towards the
Absolute that is our goal. For all
these reasons, especially today, religion is not a problem but a part of
the solution: against the temptation
to settle into a banal and uninspired
life, where everything begins and
ends here below, religion reminds us
of the need to lift our hearts to the
Most High in order to learn how to
build the city of man.
To return to the image of Mount
Sinai, I would like to mention the
commandments that were promulgated there, even before they were
sculpted on tablets of stone.4 At the
centre of this “decalogue”, there resounds, addressed to each individual
and to people of all ages, the commandment: “Thou shalt not kill” (Ex
20:13). God, the lover of life, never
ceases to love man, and so he exhorts
us to reject the way of violence as the
necessary condition for every earthly
“covenant”. Above all and especially
in our day, the religions are called to
respect this imperative, since, for all
our need of the Absolute, it is essential that we reject any “absolutizing”
that would justify violence. For violence is the negation of every authentic religious expression.
As religious leaders, we are called,
therefore, to unmask the violence
that masquerades as purported sanctity and is based more on the “absolutizing” of selfishness than on authentic openness to the Absolute. We
have an obligation to denounce violations of human dignity and human
rights, to expose attempts to justify
every form of hatred in the name of
religion, and to condemn these attempts as idolatrous caricatures of
God: Holy is his name, he is the
God of peace, God salaam.5 Peace
alone, therefore, is holy and no act of
violence can be perpetrated in the
name of God, for it would profane
his Name.
Together, in the land where heaven
and earth meet, this land of covenants between peoples and believers,
let us say once more a firm and clear
“No!” to every form of violence, vengeance and hatred carried out in the
name of religion or in the name of
God. Together let us affirm the incompatibility of violence and faith,
belief and hatred. Together let us declare the sacredness of every human
life against every form of violence,
whether physical, social, educational
or psychological. Unless it is born of
a sincere heart and authentic love towards the Merciful God, faith is no
more than a conventional or social
construct that does not liberate man,
but crushes him. Let us say together:
the more we grow in the love of
God, the more we grow in the love
of our neighbour.
Religion, however, is not meant
only to unmask evil; it has an intrinsic vocation to promote peace, today
perhaps more than ever.6 Without
giving in to forms of facile syncretism,7 our task is that of praying for
one another, imploring from God the
gift of peace, encountering one another, engaging in dialogue and promoting harmony in the spirit of cooperation and friendship. For our
part, as Christians — and I am a
Christian — “we cannot truly pray to
God the Father of all if we treat any
people as other than brothers and
sisters, for all are created in God’s
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Grand Imam welcomes Pope Francis
Collective responsibility
“We deeply appreciate your visit to
Egypt and Al-Azhar in response to
Al-Azhar’s invitation to undertake
our collective historical responsibility as religious leaders and scholars
to work for peace” and to bring relief to those “who aimlessly flee
wars to vast deserts”. With these
words of greeting, Sheikh Ahmad
Al-Tayyib, Grand Imam of AlAzhar, welcomed Pope Francis to
the International Peace Conference
sponsored by Al-Azhar University,
one of Sunni Islam’s most prestigious academic institutions.
Referring to those forced into
flight due to conflict and poverty,
Sheikh Al-Tayyib added, “many
leave their homelands to other far
destinations in pursuit of new hosting homes, while uncertain whether
they would reach or die and
drown”. As “people of common
sense and watchful conscience” seek
“the logic and reasons behind these
tragedies”, the Imam observed, they
have come “to no one logical reason
justifying these disasters”. He
offered the “arms trade and marketing” as that “one reason”. The distinguished Imam noted that, “ironically, this sharp disaster is taking
place in the 21st century presumably
the century of civilization, urbanity,
human rights, epistemological progresses, and tremendous scientific advancements and technologies. It is
also the century of Peace Organizations”, he continued, “working for
maintaining international peace and
security, whose conventions criminalize the use of force or threatening to use it in international relations”. He pointed out that “this
suffering comes in a century of human philosophies and teachings,
promotion of human egalitarianism
and one-class social equality, and
postmodernity among many other
achievements for which our modern
age is distinguished”.
Sheikh Al-Tayyib urged people to
ask themselves how “international
peace has become a paradise lost
and how the age of human rights
has [been] badly plagued with savagely unprecedented atrocities”.
The answer, he said, can be found
in the fact that modern civilization
has “ignored the divine religions
and their invariably established ethics that remain the same regardless
of earthly interests and purposes, let
alone the dominance of desires and
pleasures”. The first of these ethics,
he stressed, “is human fraternity
and human mutual understanding
and mercy, which mindfully depicts
the creations as the children of Allah; the most beloved of Allah’s
children”, he said, “is that one who
extends more benefits to Allah’s
children. This value can prevent the
world from shifting into a wilderness with monstrous animals of
prey devouring one another”.
The Grand Imam expressed his
belief that “the world is currently
prepared for religions to undertake
their missions. They should stress
the value of peace, justice, equality
and human rights regardless of religion, color, race, or language”. And
in order to do so, he explained, it is
necessary above all to “liberate the
image of religions from false concepts, misunderstandings, malpractices, and false religiosity attached
to them. These evils bestir conflicts,
spread hate, and instigate violence.
We should not hold religion accountable for the crimes of any
small group of followers”. The
Grand Imam pointed out that
Islam, Christianity and Judaism are
not “religions of terrorism”. Indeed,
he noted, “if we open doors for accusations as opened against Islam,
no religion, regime, civilization, or
history would stand innocent from
violence and terrorism”.
The Grand Imam concluded his
discourse by expressing his appreciation for Pope Francis’ interventions in support of truth: “we
deeply appreciate your fair declaration in support of the truth and defense of Islam against the accusation of violence and terrorism. We
feel how you and all attending notable fathers of eastern and western
churches are keen to respect religious beliefs and symbols and safeguard them from any offenses,
standing against those who employ
such offenses to foment conflicts
among the believers”. He also confirmed Al-Azhar’s determination
“to work and cooperate for the
calls of establishing coexistence, reviving dialogue, respecting all human beliefs, and protecting them”.
Indeed, Sheikh Al-Tayyib continued, “we have many shared values
and fields to work on. Meanwhile,
the common challenges that we
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
page 10
No to hatred in the name of God
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
image”.8
All are brothers and sisters.
Moreover, we know that, engaged in
a constant battle against the evil that
threatens a world which is no longer
“a place of genuine fraternity”, God
assures all those who trust in his
love that “the way of love lies open
to men and that the effort to establish universal brotherhood is not
vain”.9 Rather, that effort is essential: it is of little or no use to raise
our voices and run about to find
weapons for our protection: what is
needed today are peacemakers, not
makers of arms; what is needed are
peacemakers, and not fomenters of
conflict; firefighters and not arsonists; preachers of reconciliation and
not instigators of destruction.
It is disconcerting to note that, as
the concrete realities of people’s
lives are increasingly ignored in favour of obscure machinations, demagogic forms of populism are on the
rise. These certainly do not help to
consolidate peace and stability: no
incitement to violence will guarantee
peace, and every unilateral action
that does not promote constructive
and shared processes is in reality a
gift to the proponents of radicalism
and violence.
In order to prevent conflicts and
build peace, it is essential that we
spare no effort in eliminating situations of poverty and exploitation
where extremism more easily takes
root, and in blocking the flow of
money and weapons destined to
those who provoke violence. Even
more radically, an end must be put
to the proliferation of arms; if they
are produced and sold, sooner or
later they will be used. Only by
bringing into the light of day the
murky manoeuvrings that feed the
cancer of war can its real causes be
prevented. National leaders, institutions and the media are obliged to
undertake this urgent and grave
task. So too are all of us who play a
leading role in culture; each in his
or her own area, we are charged by
God, by history and by the future to
initiate processes of peace, seeking
to lay a solid basis for agreements
between peoples and states. It is my
hope that this noble and beloved
land of Egypt, with God’s help, may
continue to respond to the calling it
has received to be a land of civilization and covenant, and thus to contribute to the development of pro-
Collective
responsibility
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
have to meet, as religious leaders,
are also many. Let us work for the
infirm, the hungry, the afraid, the
prisoners of wars, and all other suffering human beings in the world
without discrimination, distinction,
or classification. We shall all work
together to save [the] human family”, as well as the environment, he
noted, by promoting a “culture of
peace, human fraternity, and coexistence!”.
cesses of peace for its beloved
people and for the entire region of
the Middle East.
As-salamu alaykum!
1 “An ethics of fraternity and
peaceful coexistence between individuals and among peoples cannot
be based on the logic of fear, violence and closed-mindedness, but on
responsibility, respect and sincere
dialogue”: Nonviolence: a Style of
Politics for Peace, Message for the
2017 World Day of Peace, 5.
2 JOHN PAUL II, Address to Muslim
Religious Leaders, Kaduna (Nigeria),
14 February 1982.
3 JOHN PAUL II, Address at the Arrival Ceremony, Cairo, 24 February
2000.
4 “They were written on the human heart as the universal moral
law, valid in every time and place.
Today as always, the Ten Words of
the Law provide the only true basis
for the lives of individuals, societies
and nations. [...] They are the only
future of the human family. They
save man from the destructive force
of egoism, hatred and falsehood.
They point out all the false gods
that draw him into slavery: the love
of self to the exclusion of God, the
greed for power and pleasure that
overturns the order of justice and
degrades our human dignity and
that of our neighbour” (JOHN PAUL
II, Homily during the Celebration of
the Word at Mount Sinai, Saint Catherine’s Monastery, 26 February
2000).
5 Address at the Central Mosque of
Koudoukou, Bangui (Central African
Republic), 30 November 2015.
6 “More perhaps than ever before
in history, the intrinsic link between
an authentic religious attitude and
the great good of peace has become
evident to all” (JOHN PAUL II, Address to Representatives of the Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities and of the World Religions,
Assisi, 27 October 1986: Insegnamenti
IX, 2 (1986), 1268.
7 Cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 251.
8 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL
COUNCIL, Declaration Nostra Aetate,
5.
9 ID., Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 38.
Friday, 5 May 2017, number 18
Rejecting violence
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
tion and the necessary path to
peace (cf. Message for the 2014
World Day of Peace, 4). From
great nations, one can expect no
less!
This year marks the seventieth
anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and
the Arab Republic of Egypt,
which was one of the first Arab
countries to establish such relations. Those relations have always
been characterized by friendship,
esteem and reciprocal cooperation. It is my hope that my Visit
may help to consolidate and
strengthen them.
Peace is a gift of God, but also
the work of man. It is a good
that must be built up and protected, respecting the principle that
upholds the force of law and not
the law of force (cf. Message for the
2017 World Day of Peace, 1).
Peace for this beloved country!
Peace for this whole region, and
particularly for Palestine and Israel, for Syria, for Libya, for
Yemen, for Iraq, for South Sudan. Peace to all people of goodwill!
Mr President, Ladies and
Gentlemen,
I would like to greet with affection and a paternal embrace all
the Egyptian people, who are
symbolically present here in this
hall. I also greet my Christian
sons and daughters, and brothers
and sisters, who live in this country: Coptic Orthodox, Greek
Byzantines, Armenian Orthodox,
Protestants and Catholics. May
Saint Mark, the evangelizer of
this land, watch over you and
help all of us to build and
achieve the unity so greatly desired by our Lord (cf. Jn 17:2023). Your presence in this, your
country, is not new or accidental,
but ancient and an inseparable
part of the history of Egypt. You
are an integral part of this country, and over the course of the
centuries you have developed a
sort of unique rapport, a particular symbiosis, which can serve as
an example to other nations. You
have shown, and continue to
show, that it is possible to live together in mutual respect and fairness, finding indifference a source
of richness and never a motive of
conflict (cf. BENEDICT XVI, Postsynodal Apostolic Exhortation
Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 24 and
25).
Thank you for your warm welcome. I ask the Almighty and
One God to fill all the Egyptian
people with his divine blessings.
May he grant peace and prosperity, progress and justice to Egypt,
and bless all her children!
“Blessed be Egypt my people”,
says the Lord in the Book of
Isaiah (19:25).
Shukran wa tahya misr!
number 18, Friday, 5 May 2017
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
page 11
Mass with the Catholic community
The fanaticism of charity
On Saturday morning, 29 April, on the second and final day of his
Pastoral Visit to Egypt, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the local Catholic
faithful gathered at the Air Defense Stadium in Cairo. The following is the
English text of his homily which was delivered in Italian.
As-salamu alaykum! Peace be with you!
Today’s Gospel of the third Sunday of Easter speaks to us of the journey to Emmaus of
the two disciples who set out from Jerusalem. It can be summed up in three words:
death, resurrection and life.
Death. The two disciples are returning,
full of despair and disappointment, to life
as usual. The Master is dead and thus it is
pointless to hope. They feel disappointment
and despair. Theirs is a journey of return, as
they leave behind the painful experience of
Jesus’ crucifixion. The crisis of the cross, indeed the “scandal” and “foolishness” of the
cross (cf. 1 Cor 1:18, 2:2), seems to have buried any hope they had. The one on whom
they had built their lives is dead; in his defeat, he brought all their aspirations with
him to the tomb.
They could not believe that their Master
and Saviour, who had raised others from the
dead and healed the sick, would end up
hanging on the cross of shame. They could
not understand why Almighty God had not
saved him from such a disgraceful death.
The cross of Christ was the cross of their
own ideas about God; the death of Christ
was the death of what they thought God to
be. But in fact, it was they who were dead,
buried in the tomb of their limited understanding.
for when human hope
vanishes, divine hope
begins to shine in its
place. “What is impossible with men is
possible with God”
(Lk 18:27; cf. 1:37).
When we reach the
depths of failure and
helplessness, when we
rid ourselves of the illusion that we are the
best, sufficient unto
ourselves
and
the
centre of our world,
then God reaches out
to us to turn our night
into dawn, our affliction into joy, our death
into resurrection. He turns our steps back to
Jerusalem, back to life and to the victory of
the Cross (cf. Heb 11:34).
After meeting the Risen Lord, the two
disciples returned filled with joy, confidence
and enthusiasm, ready to bear witness. The
Risen One made them rise from the tomb
of their unbelief and their sorrow. Encountering the Lord, crucified and risen, they
discovered the meaning and fulfilment of
the whole of Scripture, the Law and the
Prophets. They discovered the meaning of
the apparent defeat of the cross.
cannot hold on to Jesus as he appeared in
history: “Blessed are those who believe and
yet have not seen” (Jn 21:29; cf. 20:17). The
Church needs to know and believe that
Jesus lives within her and gives her life in
the Eucharist, the scriptures and the sacraments. The disciples on the way to Emmaus
realized this, and returned to Jerusalem in
order to share their experience with the others: “We have seen the Risen One.... Yes, he
is truly risen!” (cf. Lk 24:32).
The experience of the disciples on the
way to Emmaus teaches us that it is of no
use to fill our places of worship if our hearts
are empty of the fear of God and of his
presence. It is of no use to pray if our prayer to God does not turn into love for our
brothers and sisters. All our religiosity
means nothing unless it is inspired by deep
faith and charity. It is of no use to be concerned about our image, since God looks at
the soul and the heart (cf. 1 Sam 16:7) and
he detests hypocrisy (cf. Lk 11:37-54; Acts 5:3,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
In the footsteps of the
‘Poverello’ of Assisi
How often do we paralyze ourselves by
refusing to transcend our own ideas of God,
a god created in the image and likeness of
man! How often do we despair by refusing
to believe that God’s omnipotence is not
one of power and authority, but rather of
love, forgiveness and life!
The disciples recognized Jesus in the
“breaking of the bread”, in the Eucharist.
Unless we tear apart the veil clouding our
vision and shatter the hardness of our hearts
and our prejudices, we will never be able to
recognize the face of God.
Resurrection. In the gloom of their darkest
night, at the moment of their greatest despair, Jesus approaches the two disciples and
walks at their side, to make them see that he
is “the Way, and the Truth and the Life”
(Jn 14:6). Jesus turns their despair into life,
Those who do not pass from the experience of the cross to the truth of the resurrection condemn themselves to despair! For
we cannot encounter God without first crucifying our narrow notions of a god who reflects only our own understanding of omnipotence and power.
Life. The encounter with the Risen Jesus
transformed the lives of those two disciples
because meeting the Risen One transforms
every life, and makes fruitful what is barren
(cf. BENEDICT XVI, General Audience, 11 April
2007). Faith in the resurrection is not a
product of the Church, but the Church herself is born of faith in the resurrection. As
Saint Paul says: “If Christ has not been
raised, then our preaching is in vain and
your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14).
The Risen Lord vanished from the sight
of the disciples in order to teach us that we
Egypt’s Coptic Catholic faithful are a community
that “loves peace and that continuously strives to
affirm it in the Middle East and in the entire
world”, said Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak. He
expressed “immense gratitude and esteem” to the
Pontiff “for having accepted the invitation to visit
the country”. The Coptic Catholic Patriarch of
Alexandria spoke on behalf of all of Egypt’s
Catholic denominations during the outdoor Mass
held in the Air Defense Stadium in the Egyptian
capital on Saturday, 29 April.
The Patriarch shared the hope that “Egypt,
cradle of religions, will remain — as long as God
wills it — the land of peace”. He then referred to
the Pontiff’s namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi,
noting that “we will soon be celebrating the
800th anniversary of [the Saint’s] visit to Egypt,
which he had made as a call for peace. You too”,
the Patriarch observed to Pope Francis, “following his example, have chosen the life of poverty
and simplicity. From the moment in which you
were chosen as the Successor of Peter and as Universal Pastor of the Catholic Church, you have
spared no effort to strengthen that which edifies
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
page 12
Friday, 5 May 2017, number 18
The Pope encourages Egypt’s clergy and religious not to be overwhelmed by difficulties
Alive and fruitful, rooted in Christ
On Saturday afternoon, 29 April, before departing
from Egypt, Pope Francis met local clergy, religious
and seminarians at the Saint Leo the Great
Patriarchal Seminary in Maadi. The following is the
English text of the Holy Father’s remarks which he
delivered in Italian.
Your Beatitudes,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As-salamu alaykum! Peace be with you!
“This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice
in him! Christ is forever victorious over death, let
us rejoice in him!”
I am happy to be with you in this house of
formation for priests, which represents the heart
of the Catholic Church in Egypt. I am pleased to
greet you, the priests and consecrated men and
women of the small Catholic flock in Egypt, as
the “leaven” which God is preparing for this
blessed land, so that, together with our Orthodox
brothers and sisters, his Kingdom may increase in
this place (cf. Mt 13:13).
I wish first of all to thank you for your witness
and for the good that you do every day amid
many challenges and often few consolations. I
want to encourage you! Do not be afraid of the
burdens of your daily service and the difficult circumstances some of you must endure. We venerate the Holy Cross, the instrument and sign of
our salvation. When we flee the Cross, we flee the
resurrection!
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good
pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32).
This, then, demands believing, witnessing to
the truth, sowing and cultivating without waiting
for the harvest. In fact, we reap the fruits of so
many others, whether consecrated or not, who
have generously worked in the Lord’s vineyard.
Your history is filled with such people!
Although there are many reasons to be discouraged, amid many prophets of destruction and
condemnation, and so many negative and despairing voices, may you be a positive force, salt
and light for this society. Like the engine of a
train, may you be the driving force leading all towards their destination. May you be sowers of
hope, builders of bridges and agents of dialogue
and harmony.
This will be possible if consecrated men and
women do not give in to the temptations they
daily encounter along their way. I would like to
highlight some of the greatest of these temptations. You know them, because the earliest monks
of Egypt described well these temptations.
1. The temptation to let ourselves be led, rather
than to lead. The Good Shepherd has the responsibility of guiding the sheep (cf. Jn 10:3-4),
of bringing them to fresh pastures and springs of
flowing water (cf. Ps 23). He cannot let himself
be dragged down by disappointment and pessimism:
“What can I do?” He is always full of initiative and creativity, like a spring that flows
even in the midst of drought.
He always shares the caress of
consolation even when he is
broken-hearted. He is a father
when his children show him
gratitude, but especially when
they prove ungrateful (cf. Lk
15:11-32). Our faithfulness to
the Lord must never depend
on human gratitude: “Your
Father who sees in secret will
reward you” (Mt 6:4, 6, 18).
2. The temptation to complain
constantly. It is easy to always
complain about others, about
the shortcomings of superiors,
about the state of the Church
and society, about the lack of
possibilities.... But consecrated persons, through
the Holy Spirit’s anointing, are those who turn
every obstacle into an opportunity, and not every
difficulty into an excuse! The person who is always complaining is really someone who doesn’t
want to work. It was for this reason that the Lord
said to the pastors: “Lift your drooping hands
and strengthen your weak knees” (Heb 12:12; cf. Is
35:3).
3. The temptation to gossip and envy. And this is
terrible! It is a great danger when consecrated
persons, instead of helping the little ones to grow
and to rejoice in the successes of their brothers
and sisters, allow themselves to be dominated by
envy and to hurt others through gossip. When,
instead of striving to grow, they start to destroy
those who are growing; instead of following their
good example, they judge them and belittle their
value. Envy is a cancer that destroys the body in
no time: “If a kingdom is divided against itself,
that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to
stand” (Mk 3:24-25). In fact — and do not forget
this — “through the devil’s envy death entered the
world” (Wis 2:24). Gossip is its means and its
weapon.
4. The temptation to compare ourselves to others.
Enrichment is found in the diversity and uniqueness of each one of us. Comparing ourselves with
those better off often leads to grudges; comparing
ourselves with those worse off often leads to pride
and laziness. Those who are always comparing
themselves with others end up paralyzed. May we
learn from Saints Peter and Paul to experience
the diversity of qualities, charisms and opinions
through willingness to listen and docility to the
Holy Spirit.
5. The temptation to become like Pharaoh — we are
in Egypt! — that is, to harden
our hearts and close them off
to the Lord and our brothers
and sisters. Here the temptation is to think that we are
better than others, and to lord
it over them out of pride; to
presume to be served rather
than to serve. It is a temptation that, from the very beginning, was present among the
disciples, who — as the Gospel
tells us — on the way argued
with one another about which
of them was the greatest (cf.
Mk 9:34). The antidote to this
poison is: “If anyone would
be first, he must be last of all
and servant of all” (Mk 9:35).
6. The temptation to individualism. As a well-known Egyptian saying goes: “Me, and
after me, the flood!” This is
the temptation of selfish people: along the way,
they lose sight of the goal and, rather than think
of others, they are unashamed to think only of
themselves, or even worse, to justify themselves.
The Church is the community of the faithful, the
Body of Christ, where the salvation of one member is linked to the holiness of all (cf. 1 Cor 12:1227; Lumen Gentium, 7). An individualist is a cause
of scandal and of conflict.
7. The temptation to keep walking without direction
or destination. Consecrated men and women can
lose their identity and begin to be “neither fish
nor fowl”. They can live with a heart between
God and worldliness. They can forget their first
love (cf. Rev 2:4). Indeed, when they lose clear
and solid identity, consecrated men and women
end up walking aimlessly; instead of leading others, they scatter them. Your identity as sons and
daughters of the Church is to be Copts — rooted
in your noble and ancient origins — and to be
Catholics — part of the one and universal Church:
like a tree that, the more deeply rooted it is in the
earth, the higher it reaches to the heavens!
Dear consecrated friends, resisting these
temptations is not easy, but it is possible if we are
grafted on to Jesus: “Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it
abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you
abide in me” (Jn 15:4). The more we are rooted in
Christ, the more we are alive and fruitful! Only in
this way can we preserve the wonder and the passion of our first encounter with God, and experience renewed excitement and gratitude in our life
with God and in our mission. The quality of our
consecration depends on the quality of our spiritual life.
Egypt has enriched the Church through the inestimable value of monastic life. I urge you,
therefore, to draw upon the example of Saint
Paul the Hermit, Saint Anthony, the holy Desert
Fathers, and the countless monks and nuns who
by their lives and example opened the gates of
heaven to so many of our brothers and sisters.
You too can be salt and light, and thus an occasion of salvation for yourselves and for all others,
believers and non-believers alike, and especially
for those who are poor, those in need, the abandoned and discarded.
May the Holy Family protect and bless all of
you, your country and its entire people. With all
my heart, I invoke God’s blessings on you, and
through you I greet the faithful whom the Lord
has entrusted to your care. May he grant you the
fruits of his Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22).
You are always in my heart and in my prayers.
Take heart and keep moving forward with the
help of the Holy Spirit! “This is the day that the
Lord has made, let us rejoice in him!” And
please, don’t forget to pray for me!
number 18, Friday, 5 May 2017
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
Common Declaration signed by Francis and Tawadros
page 13
II
The journey towards the blessed day
The following is the English text of the
Common Declaration signed by Francis
and Tawadros II at the conclusion of
their meeting in the Coptic Orthodox
Patriarchate on Friday, 28 April.
COMMON DECLARATION OF
HIS HOLINESS FRANCIS AND
HIS HOLINESS TAWADROS II
1. We, Francis, Bishop of Rome and
Pope of the Catholic Church, and
Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and
Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark,
give thanks to God in the Holy
Spirit for granting us the joyful opportunity to meet once more, to exchange a fraternal embrace and to
join again in common prayer. We
glorify the Almighty for the bonds
of fraternity and friendship existing
between the See of Saint Peter and
the See of Saint Mark. The privilege
of being together here in Egypt is a
sign that the solidity of our relationship is increasing year by year, and
that we are growing in closeness,
faith and love of Christ our Lord.
We give thanks to God for this beloved Egypt, the “homeland that
lives inside us,” as His Holiness
Pope Shenouda III used to say, the
“people blessed by God” (cf. Is
19:25) with its ancient Pharaonic
civilization, the Greek and Roman
heritage, the Coptic tradition and
the Islamic presence. Egypt is the
place where the Holy Family found
refuge, a land of martyrs and saints.
2. Our deep bond of friendship
and fraternity has its origin in the
full
communion
that
existed
between our Churches in the first
centuries and was expressed in many
different ways through the early
Ecumenical Councils, dating back to
the Council of Nicaea in 325 and the
contribution of the courageous
Church Father Saint Athanasius,
who earned the title “Protector of
the Faith”. Our communion was expressed through prayer and similar
liturgical practices, the veneration of
the same martyrs and saints, and in
the development and spread of monasticism, following the example of
the great Saint Anthony, known as
the Father of all monks.
This common experience of communion before the time of separation has a special significance in our
efforts to restore full communion
today. Most of the relations which
existed in the early centuries
between the Catholic Church and
the Coptic Orthodox Church have
continued to the present day in spite
of divisions, and have recently been
revitalized. They challenge us to intensify our common efforts to persevere in the search for visible unity
in diversity, under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit.
3. We recall with gratitude the
historic meeting forty-four years ago
between our predecessors, Pope Paul
VI and Pope Shenouda III, in an embrace of peace and fraternity, after
many centuries when our mutual
bonds of love were not able to find
expression due to the distance that
had arisen between us. The Common Declaration they signed on 10
May 1973 represented a milestone on
the path of ecumenism, and served
as a starting point for the Commission for Theological Dialogue
between our two Churches, which
has borne much fruit and opened
the way to a broader dialogue
between the Catholic Church and
the whole family of Oriental Orthodox Churches. In that Declaration,
our Churches acknowledged that, in
line with the apostolic tradition,
they profess “one faith in the One
Triune God” and “the divinity of the
Only-begotten Son of God ... perfect God with respect to his divinity,
perfect man with respect to his humanity”. It was also acknowledged
that “the divine life is given to us
and is nourished in us through the
seven sacraments” and that “we venerate the Virgin Mary, Mother of the
True Light”, the “Theotokos”.
4. With deep gratitude we recall
our own fraternal meeting in Rome
on 10 May 2013, and the establishment of 10 May as the day when
each year we deepen the friendship
and brotherhood between our
Churches. This renewed spirit of
closeness has enabled us to discern
once more that the bond uniting us
was received from our one Lord on
the day of our Baptism. For it is
through Baptism that we become
members of the one Body of Christ
that is the Church (cf. 1 Cor 12:13).
This common heritage is the basis of
our pilgrimage together towards full
communion, as we grow in love and
reconciliation.
5. We are aware that we still have
far to go on this pilgrimage, yet we
recall how much has already been
accomplished. In particular, we call
to mind the meeting between Pope
Shenouda III and Saint John Paul II,
who came as a pilgrim to Egypt during the Great Jubilee of the year
2000. We are determined to follow
in their footsteps, moved by the love
of Christ the Good Shepherd, in the
profound conviction that by walking
together, we grow in unity. May we
draw our strength from God, the
perfect source of communion and
love.
6. This love finds its deepest expression in common prayer. When
Christians pray together, they come
to realize that what unites them is
much greater than what divides
them. Our longing for unity receives
its inspiration from the prayer of
Christ “that all may be one” (Jn
17:21). Let us deepen our shared
roots in the one apostolic faith by
praying together and by seeking
common translations of the Lord’s
Prayer and a common date for the
celebration of Easter.
7. As we journey towards the
blessed day when we will at last
gather at the same Eucharistic table,
we can cooperate in many areas and
demonstrate in a tangible way the
great richness which already unites
us. We can bear witness together to
fundamental values such as the sanctity and dignity of human life, the
sacredness of marriage and the family, and respect for all of creation,
entrusted to us by God. In the face
of many contemporary challenges
such as secularization and the globalization of indifference, we are
called to offer a shared response
based on the values of the Gospel
and the treasures of our respective
traditions. In this regard, we are encouraged to engage in a deeper
study of the Oriental and Latin
Fathers, and to promote a fruitful
exchange in pastoral life, especially
in catechesis, and in mutual spiritual
enrichment between monastic and
religious communities.
8. Our shared Christian witness is
a grace-filled sign of reconciliation
and hope for Egyptian society and
its institutions, a seed planted to
bear fruit in justice and peace. Since
we believe that all human beings are
created in the image of God, we
strive for serenity and concord
through a peaceful co-existence of
Christians and Muslims, thus bearing witness to God’s desire for the
unity and harmony of the entire human family and the equal dignity of
each human being. We share a concern for the welfare and the future
of Egypt. All members of society
have the right and duty to participate fully in the life of the nation, enjoying full and equal citizenship and
collaborating to build up their country. Religious freedom, including
freedom of conscience, rooted in the
dignity of the person, is the corner-
stone of all other freedoms. It is a
sacred and inalienable right.
9. Let us intensify our unceasing
prayer for all Christians in Egypt
and throughout the whole world,
and especially in the Middle East.
The tragic experiences and the
blood shed by our faithful who were
persecuted and killed for the sole
reason of being Christian, remind us
all the more that the ecumenism of
martyrdom unites us and encourages
us along the way to peace and reconciliation. For, as Saint Paul
writes: “If one member suffers, all
suffer together” (1 Cor 12:26).
10. The mystery of Jesus who died
and rose out of love lies at the heart
of our journey towards full unity.
Once again, the martyrs are our
guides. In the early Church the
blood of the martyrs was the seed of
new Christians. So too in our own
day, may the blood of so many martyrs be the seed of unity among all
Christ’s disciples, a sign and instrument of communion and peace for
the world.
11. In obedience to the work of
the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies the
Church, keeps her throughout the
ages, and leads her to full unity —
that unity for which Jesus Christ
prayed:
Today we, Pope Francis and Pope
Tawadros II, in order to please the
heart of the Lord Jesus, as well as
that of our sons and daughters in
the faith, mutually declare that we,
with one mind and heart, will seek
sincerely not to repeat the baptism
that has been administered in either
of our Churches for any person who
wishes to join the other. This we
confess in obedience to the Holy
Scriptures and the faith of the three
Ecumenical Councils assembled in
Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus.
We ask God our Father to guide
us, in the times and by the means
that the Holy Spirit will choose, to
full unity in the mystical Body of
Christ.
12. Let us, then, be guided by the
teachings and the example of the
Apostle Paul, who writes: “[Make]
every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace. There is
one body and one Spirit, just as you
too were called to the one hope of
your calling, one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, one God and Father of
all, who is over all and through all
and in all” (Eph 4:3-6).
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
page 14
Friday, 5 May 2017, number 18
Innocent blood unites us
Churches, which took place here last
year at your invitation. It is a promising sign that the following meeting
took place this year in Rome, as if
to bespeak a particular continuity
between the Sees of Mark and Peter.
In the sacred Scriptures, Peter
seems in some way to reciprocate the
affection of Mark by calling him
these are the messages that the word
of God and our own origins have
It is with this constructive
bequeathed to us. They are the
apostolic spirit that Your Holiness
evangelical seeds that we rejoice to
continues to show a genuine and
water together and, with God’s help,
fraternal attention for the Coptic
to make grow (cf. 1 Cor 3:6-7).
Catholic Church. I am most grateful
The deepening progress of our
for this closeness, which has found
ecumenical journey is also sustained,
praiseworthy expression in the National Council of Christian Churches,
in a mysterious and quite relevant
way, by a genuine ecumenism of blood. Saint
John tells us that Jesus
came “with water and
blood” (1 Jn 5:6);
whoever believes in
him thus “overcomes
the world” (1 Jn 5:5).
With water and blood:
by living a new life in
our common baptism,
a life of love always
and for all, even at the
cost of the sacrifice of
one’s life. How many
martyrs in this land,
from the first centuries
of Christianity, have
lived their faith heroically to the end, shedding
their
blood
rather than denying
the Lord and yielding
to the enticements of
evil, or merely to the
The Holy Father lights a candle at the Coptic Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Cairo
temptation of repaying
evil with evil! The
which you have established so that “my son” (1 Pet 5:13). But the Evan- venerable Martyrology of the Coptic
believers in Jesus can work together gelist and his apostolic activity are Church bears eloquent witness to
more closely for the benefit of Egyp- also fraternally associated with Saint this. Even in recent days, tragically,
tian society as a whole. I also greatly Paul, who, before dying a martyr in the innocent blood of defenceless
appreciated the generous hospitality Rome, mentions Mark’s great use- Christians was cruelly shed: their inoffered to the thirteenth Meeting of fulness in his ministry (cf. 2 Tim nocent blood unites us. Most dear
the International Joint Commission for 4:11) and speaks of him frequently brother, just as the heavenly JerusTheological Dialogue between the Cath- (cf. Philem 24; Col 4:10). Fraternal alem is one, so too is our martyroolic Church and the Oriental Orthodox charity and communion in mission: logy; your sufferings are also our
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
Mass with the Catholic community
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
4)1. For God, it is better not to believe
than to be a false believer, a hypocrite!
True faith is one that makes us more
charitable, more merciful, more honest
and more humane. It moves our hearts
to love everyone without counting the
cost, without distinction and without
preference. It makes us see the other not
as an enemy to be overcome, but a
brother or sister to be loved, served and
helped. It spurs us on to spread, defend
and live out the culture of encounter,
dialogue, respect and fraternity. It gives
us the courage to forgive those who have
wronged us, to extend a hand to the
fallen, to clothe the naked, to feed the
hungry, to visit the imprisoned, to help
orphans, to give drink to those who
thirst, and to come to the aid of the elderly and those in need (cf. Mt 25:31-45).
True faith leads us to protect the rights
of others with the same zeal and enthusiasm with which we defend our own. Indeed, the more we grow in faith and
knowledge, the more we grow in humility and in the awareness of our littleness.
Dear brothers and sisters,
God is pleased only by a faith that is
proclaimed by our lives, for the only fanaticism believers can have is that of char-
ity! Any other fanaticism does not come
from God and is not pleasing to him!
So now, like the disciples of Emmaus,
filled with joy, courage and faith, return
to your own Jerusalem, that is, to your
daily lives, your families, your work and
your beloved country. Do not be afraid
to open your hearts to the light of the
Risen Lord, and let him transform your
uncertainty into a positive force for
yourselves and for others. Do not be
afraid to love everyone, friends and enemies alike, because the strength and
treasure of the believer lies in a life of
love!
May Our Lady and the Holy Family,
who dwelt in this venerable land of
yours, enlighten our hearts and bless you
and this beloved country of Egypt,
which at the dawn of Christianity welcomed the preaching of Saint Mark, and
throughout its history has brought forth
so many martyrs and a great multitude
of holy men and women.
Al Masih qam! Bi-l-haqiqa qam!
Christ is risen! He is truly risen!
1 Saint Ephraim exclaims: “Just tear
off the mask that covers the hypocrite
and you will see only corruption” (Sermon). “Woe to them that are of a
double heart”, says Ecclesiasticus (2:14,
Vulg).
sufferings. Strengthened by this witness, let us strive to oppose violence
by preaching and sowing goodness,
fostering concord and preserving
unity, praying that all these sacrifices
may open the way to a future of full
communion between us and of peace
for all.
The impressive history of holiness
of this land is distinguished not only
by the sacrifice of the martyrs. No
sooner had the ancient persecutions
ended, than a new and selfless form
of life arose as a gift of the Lord:
monasticism originated in the desert.
Thus, the great signs that God had
once worked in Egypt and at the
Red Sea (cf. Ps 106:21-22) were followed by the miracle of a new life
that made the desert blossom with
sanctity. With veneration for this
shared patrimony, I have come as a
pilgrim to this land that the Lord
himself loves to visit. For here, in
his glory he came down upon
Mount Sinai (cf. Ex 24:16), and
here, in his humility, he found
refuge as a child (cf. Mt 2:14).
Your Holiness, dearest brother,
may the same Lord today grant us
to set out together as pilgrims of
communion and messengers of
peace. On this journey, may the
Virgin Mary take us by the hand,
she who brought Jesus here, and
whom the great Egyptian theological
tradition has from of old acclaimed
as Theotokos, the Mother of God. In
this title, humanity and divinity are
joined, for in his Mother, God became forever man. May the Blessed
Virgin, who constantly leads us to
Jesus, the perfect symphony of divine and human, bring yet once
more a bit of heaven to our earth.
In the footsteps of the ‘Poverello’
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
man, spiritually, humanly and
socially”.
Recalling the recent Jubilee,
Patriarch Sidrak stressed that
the Catholic Church in Egypt
“sought to live out the Holy
Year of Mercy in prayer, in
meditation, and in putting the
Gospel into practice”.
Regarding ecumenism, the head of the
Egyptian Catholic hierarchy
extolled
the
Pope’s efforts toward
achieving “the unity of
the Church, following
the commandments of
the Divine Master, and
having numerous meetings with the leaders of
the world’s Churches”,
with the aim of accomplishing “greater closeness and overcoming all
the obstacles”.
In concluding his remarks, the Patriarch
highlighted that “although brief in duration”, the Pontiff’s visit
“has filled our hearts
with joy and our lives
with blessing”. Indeed, he
said, the visit was also a “great
spiritual support, which will
sustain our Church on her
journey. Let us pray”, the
Coptic leader concluded, “that
the Lord give [Pope Francis]
good health and the strength
to always remain an apostle of
love and peace”.
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
number 18, Friday, 5 May 2017
page 15
At the Regina Caeli an appeal to the government and people of Venezuela
Prayer intention for peace, reconciliation
and democracy
forms of violence, to respect human
rights and to negotiate solutions to the
serious humanitarian, social, political
and economic crisis that is exhausting
the population. Let us entrust to the
Most Holy Virgin Mary a prayer intention for peace, reconciliation and
democracy in that dear country. And let
us pray for all the countries that are beset by difficulties; I am thinking in parDear Brothers and Sisters,
ticular in these days, of the Republic of
Dramatic news continues to reach us re- Macedonia.
Leopoldina Naudet, Foundress of the
garding the situation in Venezuela and
the worsening of clashes there, with Sisters of the Holy Family, was beatified
many people reported dead, injured and yesterday [29 April] in Verona. She was
detained. I share in the pain of the fam- brought up at the Court of Habsburg,
ilies, to whom I ensure my prayers of in- first in Florence and then in Vienna,
tercession, and I appeal to the govern- and, even as a girl, possessed a strong
ment and all the members of vocation to prayer and to the educationVenezuelan society to avoid any further al field. She was consecrated to God
and, following various
experiences, succeeded
in establishing a new
religious community
in Verona, under the
protection of the Holy
Family, which is still
active in the Church
today. Let us join
them in their joy and
their thanksgiving.
Today, Italy marks
the Day of the Catholic University of the
Sacred Heart. I encourage you to support this important institution which continues to invest in the
formation of young
people in order to improve the world.
Christian formation
is based on the Word
On Thursday morning, 4 May, the Holy Father received in audience
of God. For this reaMrs Aung San Suu Kyi, Counsellor and Foreign Minister of the Republic of the Union
son, I would also like
of Myanmar. During the meeting full diplomatic relations were established
to recall that “Biblical
Sunday” is taking
between the Holy See and the Republic of Myanmar.
Pope Francis invoked peace and
reconciliation for Venezuela, and gave
thanks for the Apostolic Visit that he had
just completed in Egypt, as he addressed
the faithful on Sunday morning, 30 April,
in Saint Peter’s Square, where they had
gathered to recite the Regina Caeli with the
Holy Father. The following is a translation
of the reflection he offered in Italian.
Audience with Aung San Suu Kyi
place in Poland today. Part of the Holy
Scripture is read out in public in parish
churches, schools and over the media. I
wish all the best for this initiative.
Blessed Leopoldina Naudet
And you, dear friends from Catholic
Action, at the end of this encounter, I
sincerely thank you for coming! And
through you, I also greet all your parish
groups, families, children and young
people and the elderly. Keep moving
forward!
I extend my greetings to the pilgrims
who have joined us at this time for the
Marian Prayer, especially those who
have come from Spain, Croatia, Germany, and Puerto Rico. Together, let us
turn to our Mother Mary. Let us thank
her particularly for the Apostolic Visit to
Egypt which I have just completed. I
ask the Lord to bless the entire Egyptian population, [which was] so welcoming, the authorities and the Christian
and Muslim faithful. May He bring
peace to that country.
L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
page 16
Friday, 5 May 2017, number 18
Interview with Cardinal Secretary of State on eve of Papal Visit to Egypt
ALESSANDRO DI BUSSOLO
In an interview with the Secretariat for
Communication prior to Pope Francis’
Apostolic Journey to Egypt, Cardinal Pietro
Parolin, Secretary of State, indicated that
terrorism, dialogue with Islam, and ecumenism were to be the main themes of the
Pontiff’s visit. The following is a translation
of the interview.
The Pope will be visiting Egypt less than three
weeks after the bloody attacks on Coptic
Churches on Palm Sunday.
Many people supposed that after the
bloody and vicious attacks that shocked
Egypt, Pope Francis would have reconsidered his journey to that land. Instead, the
Pope never thought of doing so, precisely
because he wants to be present; he wants to
be there where there are situations of violence, situations of conflict, and in this case,
precisely, in Egypt. He wants to be a messenger of peace where there is the greatest
need of peace, where there is the greatest
need to announce and work for peace. Certainly he will do so with his words, at the
various meetings, but he will do so first and
foremost with his presence, a presence of
closeness, of solidarity, of encouragement.
Thus, the Pope is going precisely because
Egypt needs someone who announces peace
and who seeks to work for peace.
Could the Egyptian Government do more to
protect Christian minorities from extremists?
The Government must do everything possible to protect the Egyptian citizens, regardless of which social or religious group
they belong to. It is precisely the government’s role to guarantee security to its citizens through the action of all its mechanisms, of all the forces of law and order.
However, obviously, terrorism is a much
broader challenge, which is not resolved by
and is not limited to the level of security
alone. It is a challenge that requires the removal of everything that can possibly cause
and fuel terrorism; and obviously the government, the authorities must also be committed on this front. A front, however,
which calls for the commitment of the
whole of society, above all through the commitment to education. Then, the family,
school, Churches, the mass media, everyone
has a responsibility to educate for peace and
remove whatever might cause this phenomenon, especially with regard to young people.
Thus, giving meaning to their life, offering
them values that are worth living, working
and fighting for, instead of losing themselves in this vortex of violence and destruction that is truly senseless.
Educate for peace
The Pontiff, together with Patriarch Bartholomew, will meet one of the most respected voices
of Sunni Islam. Can we expect a common appeal for peace?
I think there will be an appeal; a common commitment of Christians and
Muslims will be expressed in favour of
peace ... and this meeting will certainly be
an example and model of peace, because it
will, in fact, be an encounter of dialogue.
As we know, the dialogue with Al-Azhar
University was formally resumed last year,
on 23 May, when the Sheikh came to visit
the Pope; and then there was a conference
also sponsored by Al-Azhar on citizenship
and freedom, in which the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue also participated, where a Declaration was signed, inviting everyone to reject violence in the name
of God, inviting respect and peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims on
the basis of the rule of law, of equality and
of the concept of citizenship, another important concept to emphasize. Thus, this
encounter is taking place along these lines,
and there will also be a Peace Conference,
once again sponsored by Al-Azhar, in which
the Pope will participate with an address, as
well as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. What the Pope has always said,
and said at the outset of his Pontificate, in
the Evangelii Gaudium: that dialogue is indispensable, is fundamental for peace in the
world, and that all religions must feel committed to work in this sense. This dialogue
must become an encounter and cooperation
for the common good. I think this encounter that the Pontiff will have at AlAzhar with its governing board, will be a favourable opportunity in this sense; that of
proposing once more dialogue and encounter as the method and way by which to
overcome the contrasts and aggressiveness
that can arise, unfortunately,
in the name of religion, manipulating religion itself.
But how can fundamentalist
proselytism be stopped?
Above: At Mass in Cairo, 29 April (Reuters)
Below: Pope Francis waves from a terrace overlooking the River Nile in Cairo, 29 April
The fundamental issue is
education; thus educating the
adherents of the various religions, especially children and
young people to foster an attitude of great respect with regard to other faiths. It starts
there. I think the issue of language is fundamental: when
aggressive language is used,
there is a danger that this
might then lead to aggressive
actions. However, when lan-
guage of peace, of respect, of reconciliation
is used, certainly this will bear its positive
fruit. Once again, proselytism is confronted
by teaching respect, tolerance and mutual
acceptance.
The encounter with the martyr Coptic Orthodox
Church will be another milestone in the ecumenism of suffering. But can a new communion
prevent the exodus of Christians?
We earnestly hope so, and I think it is
precisely this support that Christians of the
Middle East, too, need to feel on the part
of their brothers and sisters of the West,
which could help them to remain in their
country despite the difficulties, and continue to bear their Christian witness in the
heart of a society, the great majority of
which is Muslim. I think the contribution of
Christians is truly important; it is decisive.
They can offer a contribution in every sense,
for the building of society and for a more
harmonious, serene and peaceful coexistence
even within society. This communion is in a
certain sense cemented, reinforced by what
the Pope calls the ecumenism of blood: this
violence that is perpetrated against Christians as Christians, beyond their different
confessional affiliations. Because believers in
Christ, because disciples of Christ, have
been made the object of this truly brutal
and senseless violence. So surely the meeting with Pope Tawadros II and with the
Coptic Orthodox community, which has
suffered so much in recent times, will even
further cement the already existing communion. The Pope and the Catholic Church
have a good relationship with the Coptic
Orthodox Church, which is the largest
Christian community in the Middle East,
and all this will serve, I think, to give them
greater courage, to feel they are not abandoned and therefore also to persevere in
their presence in the country and in their
witness.
The visit will conclude with the meeting of the
small Coptic Catholic community. Can this
flame bear witness to the Cross but also to
unity?
The Coptic Catholic community is small,
a flame; this image is really beautiful. The
Pope is also going in order to help, to confirm in the faith so that this flame not languish, not be extinguished, but continue to
burn — even if it is a small flame — in this
society and continue to offer its contribution. Thus, there will be a meeting with the
family of Catholics, a meeting to encourage
them to continue their everyday witness.