The pope explains the key points of his recent trip to Iraq. He said he was happy to have been able to complete the project John Paul II had envisioned, and that it was a visit to promote fraternity and peace.
He explained that his “visit was intended as a penitential pilgrimage, to show [his] closeness and solidarity with a Church of martyrs in a land that has suffered so greatly.”
He remembered Christians’ call “to be witnesses to the forgiveness, reconciliation and peace taught by Christ.”
SUMMARY OF POPE'S CATECHESIS IN ENGLISH:
Dear Brothers and Sisters, by God’s providence, in these days I was able to make the first visit of a Pope to the land of Abraham. I thank those who made possible my Apostolic Journey to
Iraq: the President and Government of the Republic, the Patriarchs, Bishops and faithful of the various Churches, and the country’s religious authorities.
I am particularly grateful to Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani for our cordial meeting in Najaf. My visit was intended as a penitential pilgrimage, to show my closeness and solidarity with a Church of martyrs in a land that has suffered so greatly from violence, terrorism and war, and witnessed a significant reduction in its Christian presence.
At my meeting with religious leaders in Ur, we prayed for the growth of fraternity and
cooperation between believers. There, where Abraham received God’s call, two young Iraqis – one Christian, one Muslim – gave a moving testimony to a friendship capable of respecting differences while remaining grounded in the love of God and neighbour. In the Syrian Catholic Cathedral in Baghdad, where forty-eight people were murdered in 2010, in the encounters in Mosul and Qaraqosh amid ruined churches and mosques, and in the Eucharistic celebrations in both Baghdad and Erbil, we reflected on our call as Christians to be witnesses to the forgiveness, reconciliation
and peace taught by Christ.
Let us pray that these days will contribute to the continuing journey towards fraternity and peace in Iraq, the Middle East, and the whole world.
Santo Padre:
Saluto cordialmente i fedeli di lingua inglese. A tutti auguro che il cammino quaresimale ci
porti alla gioia della Pasqua con cuori purificati e rinnovati dalla grazia dello Spirito Santo. Su voi e sulle vostre famiglie invoco la gioia e la pace di Cristo. Dio vi benedica!
Speaker:
I cordially greet the English-speaking faithful. May our Lenten journey bring us to the joy
of Easter with hearts purified and renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Upon you and your
families I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
