Fr Lombardi: The Synod, a seed of peace

For two weeks the Catholics of the Middle East will be at the centre of the attention of the entire Church as their bishops gather in Rome for the Synod. The Middle East is a region where Christians are a minority, in some countries a very small minority and lacking all political and social influence, and where the situation of war or permanent tension damages hope in the future and drives people to emigrate. But it’s also the region where Christianity was born, where it has roots and traditions that are very old and has extraordinary cultural and spiritual wealth. So the problems of the Churches in the Middle East concern us and involve all of us, and therefore the Pope has called this assembly, which for the first time is dedicated not to a theme or a continent or a single country but, to a specific region of the world.
“Communion and Witness” is the theme of the Synod which recalls how the first community of believers in Jerusalem “had one heart and one soul”. Those who don’t have political or military power, those who often suffer violence cannot but appeal to the power of the spirit and of love, and can raise strong and credible cries and invocations for peace, not bound or mixed with demands or party interests.
The deepest union between the different Catholic communities scattered across the Middle East, encouraged by the support of the many Churches in other parts of the world which show their solidarity with spiritual and material aid, encouraged above all by the Pope’s presence and constant and intense participation – a true foundation of union – make this Synod a voice, a sign and a seed of hope and peace.