Mideast: Assembly of Eastern Catholic Patriarchs studies Apostolic Exhortation

(Vatican Radio) Some one hundred Catholic Patriarchs, Bishops and other representatives of the Church in the Middle East have been meeting in Harissa, Lebanon since Monday December 3^rd. The Assembly of the Catholic Patriarchs of the East is looking at ways to best implement the Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in the Middle East concluding the 2010 synod for the Church of that region. Pope Benedict XVI formally presented the Exhortation to the bishops during his September visit to Lebanon.

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In his opening address for this week’s conference as President of the Assembly, Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai said Christian communities must protect “the right and duty of Christians to take part in national life in their various homelands, and to enjoy full citizenship, without being treated as minorities.” Respect for the rights and contributions of Christians to their societies in the Middle East was a recurrent theme of Pope Benedict’s apostolic visit to Lebanon.

In an interview with Tracey McClure, the Patriarch, who was made Cardinal in November’s consistory, said participants of the Harissa conference would be examining ways to implement the Exhortation in view of the Bishops’ recommendations and the Message of the Synod for the New Evangelization held in the Vatican this past October.

“The Apostolic Exhortation will be put into practice on the level of every church (and) the Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops,” says the Patriarch who adds that this “road map” for the church in the region will be implemented in parishes and communities across the countries of the Middle East.

Pope Benedict’s call for a “new evangelization” urges Catholics to deepen their faith and at the same time to evangelize non-believers. But how can Church leaders and the faithful go about this in the Middle East where not everyone is free to change his or her religion?

Patriarch Rai responds, “The New Evangelization in the Middle East will be carried out with new fervour and a profound examination of conscience through Catholic schools and universities, and through (its) hospitals and social institutions – all of which are open to Muslims and Christians. So, the evangelization will be carried out based on Christian culture, life witness, and with the spreading of Christian values as well as through the dialogue of daily life and dialogue with intellectuals, politicians and with the world of culture in academic circles and institutes. It is important for us to inculturate Christian values in Middle Eastern societies. Because freedom of conscience is not recognized, there are many secret conversions to Christianity in Lebanon and in Arab countries.”

“Freedom of conscience is denied to Muslims whereas they encourage and facilitate the conversion of Christians to Islam. We continue to insist, on every occasion, on the need for freedom of conscience and the separation of Religion and State.”

Maronite Archbishop Paul Matar of Beirut says the task before the bishops is not an easy one “because you have to work on governments, on societies, on universities in order to bring people to think about freedom of religion…equality among citizens. It’s not a matter of personal decision; it’s a matter of changing the mentality of the Middle East and we are doing that in a crisis time of war, of problems, of the Arab Spring.”

“So we are facing many problems,” adds the Archbishop. “But we are confident in God; I think we will find somehow our road map to change the society with time.”