“The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul” (Acts 4:32). This
verse from the Acts of the Apostles describes the life of the primitive community,
the ideal for every Christian community. This was chosen as the motto for the fast
approaching Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops which will
take place between 10 and 24 October 2010, on the theme of The Catholic Church in
the Middle East: Communion and Witness. The choice of the motto is very meaningful
since it illuminates with the light of the Gospel the theme of the Synodal Assembly
and because it recalls the close bond between the Church in the Middle East and Holy
Scripture. The Holy Father Benedict XVI underlined this as well during his Apostolic
Visit to Cyprus, from 4 to 6 June 2010. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration
in Nicosia, in giving the working document, the Instrumentum laboris, to the representatives
of the Middle Eastern episcopacy, the Bishop of Rome underlined that the “motto chosen
for the Assembly speaks to us of communion and witness, and it reminds us how the
members of the early Christian community ‘were of one heart and soul”’ (Acts 4:32).
With this meaningful gesture the Supreme Pontiff ideally opened the Special Assembly
for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops that will in reality begin its work on
10 October 2010. The Special Assembly for the Middle East is the result not only of
the request formulated by various bishops of the region, but also of the Apostolic
visits of the Holy Father Benedict XVI to Turkey from 28 November to 1 December 2006,
to the Holy Land (Jordan, Israel and Palestine) from 8 to 15 May 2009, and to Cyprus
in 2010, during the course of which he was able to see personally the joys and sufferings
of the members of the Catholic Church who are in need of particular attention at this
moment of history. I am delighted to briefly introduce this important ecclesial
event that will see the bishops of the Middle East united around the Holy Father Benedict
XVI, Bishop of Rome and Universal Shepherd of the Church.
Catholic Church in
the Middle East
In the first place, it is helpful to specify that by Middle
East we mean the following states: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, United Arab
Emirates, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Turkey,
Palestinian Territories, and Yemen. This vast region of 7,180,912 square kilometers
is home to 356,174,000 people, of whom 5,707,000 are Catholics, representing 1.6%
of the population. At the same time, the number of Christians is about 20,000,000,
that is, 5.62% of the population. It is necessary therefore to remember the particularity
of the Catholic Church in the Middle East that is expressed in a multifarious unity.
Other than the Church of the Latin tradition, since earliest times there have been
6 Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris, each with its own patriarch, father and head
of the Church [2]: Coptic Church, Syrian Church, Greek-Melchite Church, Maronite Church,
Chaldean Church and Armenian Church. These are “Churches distinguished for their venerable
antiquity, in which remains conspicuous the tradition that has been handed down from
the Apostles through the Fathers and that forms part of the divinely revealed and
undivided heritage of the universal Church” [3]. The variety of traditions, spirituality,
liturgy and disciplines is a great source of wealth to be conserved not only for the
Eastern Catholic Churches, but for the whole of the Catholic Church presided over
in charity by the Bishop of Rome and the Universal Shepherd of the Church.
Calender
of work
From a careful look at the Calender of the Special Assembly it becomes
clear that the synodal assembly will be characterized by the prayer of the Synodal
Fathers, who, in turn, will be accompanied by the spiritual union of the members of
their communities in the Middle East and the Diaspora, as well as by the numerous
Christians who care deeply about the conditions of the Church that makes its pilgrimage
in the Holy Land and the Middle East. The opening of this important event will
take place with the solemn Eucharist on Sunday 10 October. It will be presided over
by the Holy Father Benedict XVI and will be concelebrated by all the Synodal Fathers
and participating priests at the Synodal assembly. It will close too in the sign of
the Eucharist which is at the center of Church unity and is the inestimable gift of
Christ to his people[4]. Both celebrations will take place in the Papal Basilica of
Saint Peter’s following the Latin rite, but significant elements, such as the Gospel
and some of the hymns, will follow Eastern traditions. In the middle of the synodal
assembly, Sunday October 17, six Blessed will be canonized: Stanislaw Soltys (Kazmierczyk),
André (Alfred) Bessette, Cándida María de Jesús Cipitria y Barriola, Mary of the Cross
(Mary Helen) MacKillop, Giulia Salzano and Battista (Camilla) Varano. The Synodal
Fathers will not miss taking part in such an important ecclesial event that highlights
the call to sanctity, pronounced in the Holy Land in the Old Testament: “Be consecrated
to me, for I, Yahweh, am holy” (Lv 20:26) that Jesus Christ brought to fulfilment
in the Beatitudes: “You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is
perfect” (Mt 5:48). The words of the Lord Jesus have a universal importance, just
as the call to sanctity is universal: “All the faithful of Christ are invited to strive
for the holiness and perfection of their own proper state” [5]. The Liturgy of
the Hours then will precede the daily work. This will mirror the richness of the liturgical
and spiritual traditions of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris who will take
turns each day leading the common prayer in their own tradition. One of the bishops
from each tradition will then lead the reflection on the passage of the Gospel that
was proclaimed. Furthermore, each session will begin and end with a brief prayer. The
work foresees 14 general congregations and 6 sessions of the minor circles. Information
on the Synodal activity will be provided by 4 operators in Arabic, French, English
and Italian who will meet with journalists every day, apart from Monday 11, Monday
18 and Saturday 23 October, when there will be press conferences with the participation
of the Synodal Fathers. The Synodal Fathers will also have the opportunity to attend
the concert in honor of the Holy Father Benedict XVI which will take place in the
Paul VI Hall on Saturday October 16 at 6pm. Information about the nature and activities
of the Synod of Bishops can be found on the website of the Synod of Bishops. Vatican
Radio has also prepared appropriate information on the synodal event under the title
of “Vatican Radio’s News on the Synod”, www.vaticanradio.org/synod.
Assembly
participants at the Special Assembly for the Middle East will number 185 synodal fathers
of whom 159 will take part ex officio. Among these there are 101 Ordinaries of the
Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions of the Middle East, as well as 23 from the Diaspora,
who take care of the faithful of the Eastern Catholic Churches who have emigrated
from the Middle East to various parts of the world. We also have to highlight the
presence of 19 bishops from the neighboring countries of North and East Africa, as
well as from countries with significant communities of Christians of Middle Eastern
origin, in particular from Europe and the American continent. Also taking part in
the synodal assembly are 14 heads of departments of the Roman Curia most closely connected
with the life of the Church in the Middle East. Furthermore the Holy Father Benedict
XVI has nominated 17 Synodal Fathers. Then there are 10 representatives from the Union
of Superior Generals. Among the Synodal Fathers there are 9 Patriarchs, 19 Cardinals,
65 Archbishops, 10 titular Archbishops, 53 Bishops, 21 auxiliary Bishops, 87 religious
4 of whom were elected by Union of Superior Generals. As for their duties, there are
9 heads of the Synods of Bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris, 5 Presidents
of the International Gatherings of Episcopal Conferences - their presence underlines
the solidarity of the worldwide episcopate with the beloved Churches of the Middle
East - 6 Presidents of Episcopal Conferences, 1 Archbishop coadjutor, 4 Emeritus,
2 of whom are Cardinals, the Latin Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem and 1 Patriarchal
Vicar. As we know, on 24 April 2010 the Holy Father Benedict XVI nominated the
members of the Presidency of the Special Assembly for the Middle East: 4 delegate
Presidents, of whom two are ad honorem: His Holiness Card. Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir,
Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon, and His Holiness Card. Emmanuel III
Delly, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq; His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo
Sandri, Prefect for the Congregation of the Eastern Churches and His Holiness Ignace
Youssif III Younan, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Lebanon; the Relator General
His Holiness Antonios Naguib, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Coptics, Egypt; the Special
Secretary, His Excellency Mons. Joseph Soueif, Archbishop of Cyprus of the Maronites,
Cyprus. Representatives of 13 Churches and ecclesial communities that are well-established
historically in the Middle East will take part in the Assembly as Fraternal Delegates.
Their presence is an eloquent sign of the will to continue the ecumenical dialogue
that has already given so many positive results in the region. The Middle East
is also the home for our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters, because it also represents
the birthplace of two other monotheistic religions. Therefore during the course of
the work, we will have the opportunity to listen to the address by Rabbi David Rosen,
Director of the Department of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee
and the Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding, Israel.
Along with the Synodal Fathers, two illustrious representatives of Islam will speak:
Mr. Muhammad al-Sammak, Political Councillor for the Grand Mufti of Lebanon, for Sunnite
Islam, and Mr. Ayatollah Seyed Mostafa Mohaghegh Ahmadabadi, Professor at the Faculty
of Law at the Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran and Member of the Iranian Academy
of Sciences, for Shiite Islam. They are here by special invitation of the Holy Father
Benedict XVI, and their presence is very significant, a sign of the openness of the
Catholic Church to continue the dialogue with Judaism, with which Christians have
a very special relationship, as well as with Islam, present in the region of the Middle
East.
During the Synodal Assembly, 36 Experts and 34 Auditors, men and women,
will also participate. Their experiences will represent an important contribution
to the synodal reflections. Considering also the members of the General Secretariat,
the translators and assistants, as well as other persons dealing with technical services,
approximately 330 persons will participate in the Synodal Assize.
Particular
characteristics of the Synodal Assembly
The Special Assembly for the Middle
East has some particularities that distinguish it from other Synodal Assemblies. In
the first place, for the first time almost all the Ordinaries of the Middle East will
meet with the Bishop of Rome. In 1995, the Servant of God John Paul II gathered the
Bishops of Lebanon in a Special Assembly, in which 69 Synodal Fathers participated,
36 from Lebanon. Nine Bishops of the Diaspora were also included. During the Special
Assembly for the Middle East, 23 Bishops of the Diaspora will also participate. Therefore,
the Ordinaries belonging to the sui generis Eastern Catholic Churches will be 123.
There will be representatives of other 6 Eastern Catholic Churches: the Ethiopian
Church, the Greek Church, the Romanian Church, the Syrian-Malabarese Church, the Syrian-Malankarese
Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Of the 185 Synodal Fathers, the vast majority
(140) are of the Eastern Catholic Tradition. Therefore, the Bishops of the Latin Tradition
will be 45, of whom 14 from the Middle East. During the Special Assembly for Lebanon,
53 Bishops of the Eastern Catholic Tradition were present, as well as 16 of the Latin
Tradition. This will be the shortest ever Synodal meeting, lasting only 14 days.
The Special Assembly for Lebanon lasted 19 days, from November 26 to December 14 1995
and before that, the Assembly for the Netherlands, in which 19 Synodal Fathers participated,
lasted 17 days, from January 14 to 31 1980. The short period of the celebration is
not only the result of the relatively lower number of participants, which during the
Ordinary General Assemblies reaches 250 Synodal Fathers; this was also requested by
the Holy Father Benedict XVI to speed up the procedures, which is further adapted
for the present Synodal Meeting. Considering the rather complex situation in the Middle
Eastern Countries, we do not want to keep the Shepherds from their flocks for too
long. For this reason the work will be concentrated into14 days. One of the official
languages of the Synod will also be Arabic. During the Special Assembly for Lebanon,
the official language was French, even if, during the interventions in the Hall, the
other three languages were used: Arabic, English and Italian. During the present Synodal
Assembly, these are the four official languages and, therefore, for the first time,
Arabic as well, the most common language for Middle Eastern Christians. There will
also be two Working Groups in Arabic. For the first time, the Holy Father nominated
two ad honorem Delegate Presidents. With this gesture, His Holiness wished to underline
the importance of the pastoral ministry that they have, however saving them from the
demanding daily activities of the detailed workings of the Synodal Assembly, which
are the duty of the two younger Delegate Presidents.
Pastoral goals of the
Synodal Assembly
The aims of the Special Assembly for the Middle East are
mainly of a pastoral nature. While unable to ignore the social and political picture
in the region, the Synodal Assembly has above all ecclesial aims. This fact is also
contained in the theme of the Synodal Assembly which insists on Communion and on witness
within the Catholic Church, in its relationships with other Churches and Christian
communities, other religions and, in general, with their own societies. With reference
to the Instrumentum laboris [6], the goal of the Assembly can be shown in two points:
1) To enliven communion between the venerable sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches
that they may offer an authentic, joyful and attractive witness of Christian life.
Thanks to Divine Providence, as has already been stated, in the Middle East, apart
from the Church of Latin Tradition, there are 6 Catholic Eastern Churches with a true
Patriarch at their head. Therefore, 7 practicing Patriarchs will participate in the
Synodal Assembly. The Synod workings, in a climate of prayer, reflection and dialogue,
should be useful in further intensifying the ties of communion within each of these
Churches and between the Patriarch, the Bishops, the priests, the members of consecrated
life and lay persons. Obviously, the ties of communion between the single Catholic
Churches and the Churches of the various other Traditions should be reinforced. Positive
results from this would benefit the entire Catholic Church, underlining the fruitfulness
of its unity which is expressed in the multiformity of the respective, venerable Traditions.
Communion then should spread to other Churches and ecclesial communities present
in the Middle East - 13 representatives of these will be present during the Synod
workings as Fraternal Delegates, as already pointed out. Dialogue and collaboration
are also extended to members of non-Christian religions and to all men of good will.
2)
To reinforce Christian identity through the Word of God and the celebration of the
Sacraments. The Synodal Assembly should confirm the conscience of the faithful in
the Middle East as regards each one’s vocation as disciples of Jesus Christ in the
land where He was born, lived, and preached and achieved His Paschal mystery. To live
in the Holy Land should be increasingly discovered as a privilege connected to a special
mission. It is in the best interests of all the Church that the Land of Jesus not
become a museum full of monuments and precious stones, but continue being a living
Church, built with living stones (1 Pet 2:5), Christians who continue the uninterrupted
tradition of the presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Land for almost 2,000 years. Numerically,
Christians are a minority in the Middle East. However, they have a unique vocation:
being witnesses of the Lord Jesus in a prevalently Muslim environment, except for
the State of Israel, where the majority of the citizens are Jewish. This fact requires
openness and dialogue with those belonging to the other two monotheistic religions:
Judaism and Islam. The experience, very positive from many points of view, of this
dialogue could become very important for the whole Church.
Conclusion
The
Special Assembly for the Middle East represents a joyous occasion to present the riches
of the Eastern Catholic Churches to the entire world, especially for Christians, that
they may offer greater support spiritually and materially to their brothers and sisters
in the Middle East, in particular those who live in difficult situations because of
violence, including terrorism, emigration and discrimination. The Christians of the
Middle East are often the artisans of peace and the promoters of forgiveness and reconciliation,
which are needed so badly in the area. They wish to live in peace with their neighboring
Jews and Muslims with respect for their common rights, including the fundamental one
of freedom of religion and conscience.
In union with the Holy Father Benedict
XVI, all Christians are invited to pray for the Special Assembly for the Middle East,
that it may achieve its goals. This invitation is addressed in a special way to the
members of consecrated life and, in particular, the cloistered monasteries. Prayer
will reinforce the ties of faith, of hope and of charity among the believers of the
Church of God, so that the ideal of the primitive community where the multitude of
believers is “united, heart and soul” (Acts 4:32) can be achieved in the best way
possible.
NOTES:
[1] Benedict XVI, Giving the Instrumentum laboris,
L’Osservatore Romano, 6-7 June 2010, p. 9. [2] Cfr Vatican Council II, Decree on
the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite, Orientalium ecclesiarum, 9. [3] Ibidem,
1. [4] Cfr Benedict XVI, Giving the Instrumentum laboris, L’Osservatore Romano,
6-7 June 2010, p. 9. [5] Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium,
42. [6] Cfr Special Assembly for the Middle East, 3.