Pope Francis addresses members of ROACO, the Holy See’s humanitarian arm for the Oriental Churches, and renews his plea for peace, calling for solidarity with Eastern Christians fleeing conflicts.
By Lisa Zengarini
Meeting the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO) on Thursday, Pope Francis once again restated his heartfelt plea for peace in the world, and particular in the Middle East and Ukraine: “To those who fuel the spiral of conflicts and reap profit from them, I once more say: Stop! Stop because violence will never bring peace,” the Pope pleaded as he addressed participants in the 97th plenary assembly of the Holy See’s humanitarian arm for the Oriental Churches concluding of Thursday.
Focus on Middle East and Ukraine
The four-day sessions held in the General Curia of the Society of Jesus, in Rome, included a focus on the dramatic situation in the Holy Land, as well as Ukraine and Ethiopia. Participants also discussed the pastoral care of the many Eastern Catholics outside their territories.
Martyr Churches
In his address Pope Francis lamented that many Eastern Churches have become “martyr Churches”. “Just as the Lord’s flesh was pierced by nails and a lance, so many Eastern communities are suffering and bleeding because of the conflicts and violence they endure”, he said. He recalled the Holy Land and Ukraine, but also Syria, Lebanon, the entire Middle East; the Caucasus and Tigray, in Ethiopia. “It is in these very places, where great numbers of Eastern Catholics are found, that the brutality of war is felt most fiercely.”
“Many Eastern Churches are bearing a heavy cross and have become ‘martyr Churches’.”
Hence his renewed appeal for solidarity: “We cannot remain indifferent”, the Pope said , encouraging the members of ROACO, “to persevere” in their support for the Eastern Catholic Churches, “assisting them, in these dramatic times, to remain firmly rooted in the Gospel.” He further urged the clergy and religious of Eastern Churches to be ever “attentive” to the cries of their flock, “exemplary” in faith, “putting the Gospel before all forms of dissension or self-interest, and united in service to the common good.”
Pope Francis again warmly thanked the representatives of the various Agencies of ROACO “for responding to the malign logic of power with the Christian logic of service.” “The seeds you plant in fields poisoned by hatred and war,” he noted, “will be a prophecy of a different world, one that does not believe that might makes right, but in the non-violent power of peace.”
“You are sowers of hope, witnesses called to act, as the Gospel tells us, with kindness and discretion.”
Ceasefire in the Holy Land now!
Referring specifically to the dramatic situation in the Holy Land, Pope Francis reiterated his call on the faithful throughout the world to show their closeness to Christians in the Middle East thus encouraging them “to rise above the temptation to abandon their lands torn by conflicts.”
He insisted on the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire in the Holy Land and for dialogue so as to allow the peaceful coexistence of different peoples in those lands. “This is the only possible path to a stable future, “he said. “With war, a senseless and inconclusive venture, no one emerges a winner: everyone ends up defeated, because war, right from the beginning, is already a defeat, always”.
“Let us listen to those who suffer its consequences, the victims and those who have lost everything. Let us hear the cry of the young, of ordinary individuals and peoples, who are weary of the rhetoric of war and the empty slogans that constantly put the blame on others, dividing the world into good and evil, weary of leaders who find it difficult to sit at a table, negotiate and find solutions”
Pray for peace in Ukraine, free prisoners!
Pope Francis then turned his thoughts to war-torn Ukraine: again, he called for prayers so that “paths of peace may open for that beloved people, that prisoners of war may be freed and children repatriated.” He also conveyed his “fraternal greetings” to His Holiness Karekin II and to the dear people of Armenia facing conflict.
Supporting Eastern Christians living in the diaspora
Bringing his address to a close, Pope Francis referred to the many Eastern Christians fleeing conflicts or migrating in search of work and better living conditions. He recalled the risk of these diaspora communities “losing their religious identity” and of the precious “spiritual heritage” of the East, being weakened.”
While expressing his gratitude to the Latin dioceses that welcome Eastern Christians, he therefore urged them to show them “particular concern”, so that they may keep their rites alive and flourishing. He encouraged the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches to work to this end, “also by establishing principles and norms that can help Latin bishops support Eastern Catholics living in the diaspora
