This Saturday, May 24th, Pope Francis embarks on a three day journey to the Holy Land to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, told Barbara Castelli ahead of the journey that the fruits of Pope Francis’ visit will most likely be those of “encounter” that turns into “witness.” The Cardinal expressed his hope that the Pope’s meetings with the various Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities in this “particularly troubled land,” can “help all leaders and all people of good will to take bold decisions in the way of peace.”
Listen to Tracey McClure's report:
The Vatican Secretary of State said that in its dialogue with Israelis and Palestinians, the Holy See wishes to see “the right of Israel to exist and to enjoy peace and security within internationally recognized borders; the right of the Palestinian people to have a sovereign and independent homeland, the right to move freely, the right to live in dignity.”
Cardinal Parolin said that during the visit, Pope Francis will insist on these issues in line with Holy See policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urge that “the sacred and universal character of the city of Jerusalem , its cultural and religious heritage” be recognized so that it may be “a place of pilgrimage for the followers of the three monotheistic religions .”
The highlight of Pope Francis’s pilgrimage will be an ecumenical meeting between
the Pope and Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople on Sunday at the Basilica of
the Holy Sepulchre to recall the historic meeting between their predecessors Pope
Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras.
Cardinal Parolin observed that “ecumenism was one of the acquisitions of the Second
Vatican Council,” that came after a lengthy process also within the Catholic Church.
He described the meeting between Pope Paul VI and Athenagoras as “fundamental , crucial”
to this ecumenical journey, explaining that “sometimes gestures are needed more than
words” and are “more eloquent than words.”
The Secretary of State said he hopes the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch
Bartholomew will revive “this flame, this enthusiasm for the ecumenical journey” and
all the initiatives already underway. After all, he mused, it is “this spirit of
enthusiasm and passion for unity” for which Jesus so ardently prayed at the Last Supper.
Observing the difficult times in which Christians are living in Jordan, Palestine
and Israel, Cardinal Parolin expressed his certainty that “It will be a time of joy
and comfort to all Christians living in the Holy Land.” The Pope, he said, “wants
to underline, in his direct encounter with them, two things: that these Christians
are living stones , and that without their presence, the Holy Land and the Holy Places
themselves are likely to be transformed into museums, as we often say.” Their presence,
he continued, “assures us that there is a living Christian community and a living
presence of the Risen Lord.” Besides this “ecclesial dimension,” Cardinal Parolin
pointed out that the Christians of the Middle East and the Holy Land play a key role
in the societies and countries where they live. “They sincerely want to put themselves
at the disposal of their fellow citizens to build together a free, fair and democratic
homeland.”
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