Christians are Alive and Respectable, Says Pope’s Spokesperson

(October 20, 2010) “Christians need to feel the solidarity of all the Churches and to make their real situation known. As communicators, we are therefore called to support their commitment to cohabitation, tolerance and dialogue,” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican Spokesperson, and Director of the Vatican Television and Vatican Radio. He was speaking on Tuesday morning at the Conference on “Christian testimony at the service of peace”, promoted by the City of Rome on the occasion of the Episcopal Synod for the Middle East, held at Campidoglio or Capitoline Hill, the administrative headquarters of Roman city. He added that “We must be sympathetic in order to engage in a reflection on what is the real place, in the Middle East, of the practice of religious freedom and citizenship, with a view to building a fairer society in which to live”. Father Lombardi said he was impressed at “the liveliness, the hope, the optimism” shown by the Synodal Fathers in their speeches. “Christians in the Middle East are strong, alive and respectable and they confidently look ahead. What they send us is a great message and they encourage us to continue being committed to dialogue”. At the meeting, father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custodian of the Holy Land said that the Christian churches are not withdrawn onto themselves, but, despite the difficulties, they are committed to giving their testimony in the area of education, of health care, of social work. The Christians’ testimony of cohabitation, dialogue and tolerance, however important, cannot lead to peace on its own. We are few but the testimony is our contribution to peace, to a vision of justice and forgiveness father Pizzaballa said.