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the Christian churches are not withdrawn onto themselves, but, despite the difficulties,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.