Pope Benedict XVI: Homily at Mass for the Conclusion of the Middle East Synod
HOMILY BY THE HOLY FATHER:
At 9.30 this
morning, 24 October 2010, XXX Sunday in ordinary time, in St. Peter’s Basilica, at
the tomb of the Apostle Peter, the Holy Father Benedict XVI presided at the Solemn
Concelebration of the Eucharist with the Synodal Fathers, for the conclusion of the
Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, which was celebrated
in the Synod Hall of the Vatican from 10 October 2010, on the theme The Catholic Church
in the Middle East:Communion and Witness. "Now the company of those who believed were
of one heart and soul" (Acts 4:32).
The entrance into the Basilica began at
9.15 with the singing Iubilate Deo. The Concelebrants, led by the Masters of Ceremony
took their places around the Altar of Confession. Then Their Eminences and the Components
of the Presidency of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops
joined the Holy Father in the entrance procession.
Concelebrating with the
Pope were 177 Synod Fathers (19 Cardinals, 9 Patriarchs, 72 Archbishops, 67 Bishops
and 10 Priests) and 69 Collaborators.
The Presidents Delegate H. B. Card. Nasrallah
Pierre SFEIR, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Bishop of Joubbé, Sarba and Jounieh
of the Maronites (LEBANON), ad honorem, H. B. Card. Emmanuel III DELLY, Patriarch
of Babylon of the Chaldeans (IRAQ) , ad honorem, H. Em. Card. Leonardo SANDRI,
Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches (VATICAN CITY), H. B. Ignace
Youssif III YOUNAN, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians (LEBANON); General Relator
H. B. Antonios NAGUIB, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts (ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT);General
Secretary H. Exc. Mons. Nikola ETEROVIĆ, Titular Archbishop of Cibalae (VATICAN CITY);
Special Secretary H. Exc. Mons. Joseph SOUEIF, Archbishop of Cyprus of the Maronites
(CYPRUS) all joined at the Altar for the Eucharistic Prayer.
The first reading
was in French, the responsorial Psalm in Latin and the second reading in English.
The Gospel was proclaimed in Latin and in Greek. The Prayer of the Faithful was in
Arabic, English, Farsi, Turkish, Hebrew. The songs “Maior est caritas”, in Latin,
and the“Cherubic Hymn”, in Greek, accompanied the Offertory; “Bonus Pastor”, in Latin,
and “Let Us Give Praise”, in Arabic, accompanied Communion. At the end of the celebration,
the Marian antiphon “Ave Regina Caelorum” was sung.
During the Sacred Rite,
after the proclamation of the Gospel, the Holy Father pronounced the following homily:
HOMILY
BY THE HOLY FATHER
Venerable Brothers, Illustrious Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear
brothers and sisters, Two weeks on from the opening Celebration, we are gathered
once again on the Lord’s day, at the Altar of the Confession in St. Peter’s Basilica,
to conclude the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops. In our
hearts is a deep gratitude towards God who has afforded us this truly extraordinary
experience, not just for us, but for the good of the Church, for the People of God
who live in the lands between the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. As Bishop of Rome,
I would like to pass on this gratitude to you, Venerable Synod Fathers: Cardinals,
Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops. I wish to especially thank the Secretary General,
the four Presidents Delegate, the Relator General, the Special Secretary and all the
collaborators, who have worked tirelessly in these days. This morning we left the
Synod Hall and came to “the temple to pray”: in this, we are touched directly by the
parable of the pharisee and the publican, told by Jesus and recounted by the evangelist
St Luke (cf. 18:9-14). We too may be tempted, like the pharisee, to tell God of our
merits, perhaps thinking of our work during these days. However, to rise up to Heaven,
prayer must emanate from a poor, humble heart. And therefore we too, at the conclusion
of this ecclesial event, wish to first and foremost give thanks to God, not for our
merits, but for the gift that He has given us. We recognize ourselves as small and
in need of salvation, of mercy; we recognize all that comes from Him and that only
with his Grace we may realize what the Holy Spirit told us. Only in this manner may
we “return home” truly enriched, made more just and more able to walk in the path
of the Lord. The First Reading and the responsorial Psalm stress the theme of prayer,
emphasizing that it is much more powerful to God’s heart when those who pray are in
a condition of need and are afflicted. “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds”
affirms Ecclesiasticus (35:21); and the Psalmist adds: “Yahweh is near to the broken-hearted,
he helps those whose spirit is crushed” (34:18). Our thoughts go to our numerous brothers
and sisters who live in the region of the Middle East and who find themselves in trying
situations, at times very burdensome, both for the material poverty and for the discouragement,
the state of tension and at times of fear. Today the Word of God also offers us a
light of consoling hope, there where He presents prayer, personified, that “until
he has eliminated the hordes of the arrogant and broken the sceptres of the wicked,
until he has repaid all people as their deeds deserve and human actions as their intentions
merit” (Ecc 35:21-22). This link too, between prayer and justice makes us think of
many situations in the world, particularly in the Middle East. The cry of the poor
and of the oppressed finds an immediate echo in God, who desires to intervene to open
up a way out, to restore a future of freedom, a horizon of hope. This faith in
God who is near, who frees his friends, is what the Apostle Paul witnesses to in today’s
epistle, in the Second Letter to Timothy. Realizing that the end of his earthly life
was near, Paul makes an assessment: “I have fought the good fight to the end; I have
run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith” (2 Tm 4:7). For each one of us,
dear brothers in the episcopacy, this is a model to imitate: May Divine Goodness allow
us to make a similar judgment of ourselves! St Paul continues, “the Lord stood by
me and gave me power, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed for
all the gentiles to hear” (2 Tm 4:17). It is a word which resounds with particular
strength on this Sunday in which we celebrate World Mission Day! Communion with Jesus
crucified and risen, witness of his love. The Apostle’s experience is a model for
every Christian, especially for us Shepherds. We have shared a powerful moment of
ecclesial communion. We now leave each other so that each may return to his own mission,
but we know that we remain united, we remain in his love. The Synodal Assembly
which concludes today has always kept in mind the icon of the first Christian community,
described in the Acts of the Apostles: “The whole group of believers was united, heart
and soul” (Acts 4:32). It is a reality that we experienced in these past days, in
which we have shared the joys and the pains, the concerns and the hopes of Christians
in the Middle East. We experienced the unity of the Church in the variety of Churches
present in that region. Led by the Holy Spirit, we became “united, heart and soul”
in faith, in hope, and in charity, most of all during Eucharistic celebrations, source
and summit of ecclesial communion, and in the Liturgy of the Hours as well, celebrated
every morning according to one of the seven Catholic rites of the Middle East. We
have thus enhanced the liturgical, spiritual and theological wealth of the Eastern
Catholic Churches, as well as of the Latin Church. It involved an exchange of precious
gifts, from which all the Synodal Fathers benefitted. It is hoped that this positive
experience repeats itself in the respective communities of the Middle East, encouraging
the participation of the faithful in liturgical celebrations of other Catholic rites,
thus opening themselves to the dimensions of the Universal Church. Common prayer
helped us to face the challenges of the Catholic Church in the Middle East as well.
One of these is communion within each sui iuris Church, as well as in the relationships
between the various Catholic Churches of different traditions. As today’s Gospel reminded
us (cf Lk 18:9-14), we need humility, in order to recognize our limitations, our errors
and omissions, in order to be able to truly be “united, heart and soul”. A fuller
communion within the Catholic Church favors ecumenical dialogue with other Churches
and ecclesial communities as well. The Catholic Church reiterated in this Synodal
meeting its deep conviction to pursuing such dialogue as well, so that the prayer
of the Lord Jesus might be completely fulfilled: “May they all be one” (Jn 17:21). The
words of the Lord Jesus may be applied to Christians in the Middle East: “There is
no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the
kingdom” (Lk 12:32). Indeed, even if they are few, they are bearers of the Good News
of the love of God for man, love which revealed itself in the Holy Land in the person
of Jesus Christ. This Word of salvation, strengthened with the grace of the Sacraments,
resounds with particular potency in the places in which, by Divine Providence, it
was written, and it is the only Word which is able to break that vicious circle of
vengeance, hate, and violence. From a purified heart, in peace with God and neighbor,
may intentions and initiatives for peace at local, national, and international levels
be born. In these actions, to whose accomplishment the whole international community
is called, Christians as full-fledged citizens can and must do their part with the
spirit of the Beatitudes, becoming builders of peace and apostles of reconciliation
to the benefit of all society. Conflicts, wars, violence and terrorism have gone
on for too long in the Middle East. Peace, which is a gift of God, is also the result
of the efforts of men of goodwill, of the national and international institutions,
in particular of the states most involved in the search for a solution to conflicts.
We must never resign ourselves to the absence of peace. Peace is possible. Peace is
urgent. Peace is the indispensable condition for a life of dignity for human beings
and society. Peace is also the best remedy to avoid emigration from the Middle East.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” we are told in the Psalm (122:6). We pray for peace
in the Holy Land. We pray for peace in the Middle East, undertaking to try to ensure
that this gift of God to men of goodwill should spread through the whole world. Another
contribution that Christians can bring to society is the promotion of an authentic
freedom of religion and conscience, one of the fundamental human rights that each
state should always respect. In numerous countries of the Middle East there exists
freedom of belief, while the space given to the freedom to practice religion is often
quite limited. Increasing this space of freedom becomes essential to guarantee to
all the members of the various religious communities the true freedom to live and
profess their faith. This topic could become the subject of dialogue between Christians
and Muslims, a dialogue whose urgency and usefulness was reiterated by the Synodal
Fathers. During the work of the Synod what was often underlined was the need to offer
the Gospel anew to people who do not know it very well or who have even moved away
from the Church. What was often evoked was the need for a new evangelization for the
Middle East as well. This was quite a widespread theme, especially in the countries
where Christianity has ancient roots. The recent creation of the Pontifical Council
for Promoting the New Evangelization also responds to this profound need. For this
reason, after having consulted the episcopacy of the whole world and after having
listened to the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops,
I have decided to dedicate the next Ordinary General Assembly, in 2012, to the following
theme: “Nova evangelizatio ad christianam fidem tradendam - The new evangelization
for the transmission of the Christian faith”. Dear brothers and sisters of the
Middle East! May the experience of these days assure you that you are never alone,
that you are always accompanied by the Holy See and the whole Church, which, having
been born in Jerusalem, spread through the Middle East and then the rest of the world.
We entrust the results of the Special Assembly for the Middle East, as well as the
preparation for the Ordinary General Assembly, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother
of the Church and Queen of Peace. Amen.