Text of Pope Benedict's Speech during meeting with Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
in Jerusalem
(May 15, 2009) Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It is with profound gratitude
and joy that I make this visit to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem; a
moment to which I have much looked forward. I thank His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus
III for his kind words of fraternal greeting, which I warmly reciprocate. I also express
to all of you my heartfelt gratitude for providing me with this opportunity to meet
once again the many leaders of Churches and ecclesial communities present. This
morning I am mindful of the historic meetings that have taken place here in Jerusalem
between my predecessor Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, and
also between Pope John Paul II and His Beatitude Patriarch Diodoros. These encounters,
including my visit today, are of great symbolic significance. They recall that the
light of the East (cf. Is 60:1; Rev 21:10) has illumined the entire world from the
very moment when a “rising sun” came to visit us (Lk 1:78) and they remind us too
that from here the Gospel was preached to all nations. Standing in this hallowed
place, alongside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which marks the site where our
crucified Lord rose from the dead for all humanity, and near the cenacle, where on
the day of Pentecost “they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1), who could not
feel impelled to bring the fullness of goodwill, sound scholarship and spiritual desire
to our ecumenical endeavors? I pray that our gathering today will give new impetus
to the work of theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches,
adding to the recent fruits of study documents and other joint initiatives. Of
particular joy for our Churches has been the participation of the Ecumenical Patriarch
of Constantinople, His Holiness Bartholomew I, at the recent Synod of Bishops in Rome
dedicated to the theme: The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church. The
warm welcome he received and his moving intervention were sincere expressions of the
deep spiritual joy that arises from the extent to which communion is already present
between our Churches. Such ecumenical experience bears clear witness to the link between
the unity of the Church and her mission. Extending his arms on the Cross, Jesus revealed
the fullness of his desire to draw all people to himself, uniting them together as
one (cf. Jn 12:32). Breathing his Spirit upon us he revealed his power to enable us
to participate in his mission of reconciliation (cf. Jn 19:30; 20:22-23). In that
breath, through the redemption that unites, stands our mission! Little wonder, then,
that it is precisely in our burning desire to bring Christ to others, to make known
his message of reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor 5:19), that we experience the shame of our
division. Yet, sent out into the world (cf. Jn 20:21), empowered by the unifying force
of the Holy Spirit (ibid. v. 22), proclaiming the reconciliation that draws all to
believe that Jesus is the Son of God (ibid. v. 31), we shall find the strength to
redouble our efforts to perfect our communion, to make it complete, to bear united
witness to the love of the Father who sends the Son so that the world may know his
love for us (cf. Jn 17:23). Some two thousand years ago, along these same streets,
a group of Greeks put this request to Philip: “Sir, we should like to see Jesus” (Jn
12:21). It is a request made again of us today, here in Jerusalem, in the Holy Land,
in the region and throughout the world. How do we respond? Is our response heard?
Saint Paul alerts us to the gravity of our response: our mission to teach and preach.
He says: “faith comes from hearing, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ”
(Rm 10:17). It is imperative therefore that Christian leaders and their communities
bear vibrant testimony to what our faith proclaims: the eternal Word, who entered
space and time in this land, Jesus of Nazareth, who walked these streets, through
his words and actions calls people of every age to his life of truth and love. Dear
friends, while encouraging you to proclaim joyfully the Risen Lord, I wish also to
recognize the work to this end of the Heads of Christian communities, who meet together
regularly in this city. It seems to me that the greatest service the Christians of
Jerusalem can offer their fellow citizens is the upbringing and education of a further
generation of well-formed and committed Christians, earnest in their desire to contribute
generously to the religious and civic life of this unique and holy city. The fundamental
priority of every Christian leader is the nurturing of the faith of the individuals
and families entrusted to his pastoral care. This common pastoral concern will ensure
that your regular meetings are marked by the wisdom and fraternal charity necessary
to support one another and to engage with both the joys and the particular difficulties
which mark the lives of your people. I pray that the aspirations of the Christians
of Jerusalem will be understood as being concordant with the aspirations of all its
inhabitants, whatever their religion: a life of religious freedom and peaceful coexistence
and - for young people in particular - unimpeded access to education and employment,
the prospect of suitable housing and family residency, and the chance to benefit from
and contribute to economic stability. Your Beatitude, I thank you again for your
kindness in inviting me here, together with the other guests. Upon each of you and
the communities you represent, I invoke an abundance of God’s blessings of fortitude
and wisdom! May you all be strengthened by the hope of Christ which does not disappoint!