This is a Vatican
translation of the statement on the Special Assembly of the Synod
of Bishops for the Middle East, given by the secretary-general of the Synod of
Bishops, Archbishop Nikola Eterović on 8 October 2010.
Introduction
“The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul” (Acts
4:32). This verse from the Acts of the Apostles describes the life of the
primitive community, the ideal for every Christian community. This was chosen
as the motto for the fast approaching Special Assembly for the Middle East of
the Synod of Bishops which will take place between 10 and 24 October 2010, on
the theme of The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness. The
ch oice of the motto is very meaningful since it illuminates with the light of
the Gospel the theme of the Synodal Assembly and because it recalls the close
bond between the Church in the Middle East and Holy Scripture. The Holy Father
Benedict XVI underlined this as well during his Apostolic Visit to Cyprus, from
4 to 6 June 2010.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration in Nicosia, in giving the working
document, the Instrumentum laboris, to the representatives of the Middle
Eastern episcopacy, the Bishop of Rome underlined that the “motto chosen
for the Assembly speaks to us of communion and witness, and it reminds us how
the members of the early Christian community ‘were of one heart and soul”‘
(Acts 4:32). With this meaningful gesture the Supreme Pontiff ideally opened
the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops that will in
reality begin its work on 10 October 2010. The Special Assembly for the Middle
East is the result not only of the r equest formulated by various bishops of
the region, but also of the Apostolic visits of the Holy Father Benedict XVI to
Turkey from 28 November to 1 December 2006, to the Holy Land (Jordan, Israel
and Palestine) from 8 to 15 May 2009, and to Cyprus in 2010, during the course
of which he was able to see personally the joys and sufferings of the members of
the Catholic Church who are in need of particular attention at this moment of
history.
I am delighted to briefly introduce this important ecclesial event that will
see the bishops of the Middle East united around the Holy Father Benedict XVI,
Bishop of Rome and Universal Shepherd of the Church.
Catholic Church in the Middle East
In the first place, it is helpful to specify that by Middle East we mean the
following states: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, United Arab Emirates,
Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Turkey,
Palestinian Territories, and Yemen. This vast re gion of 7,180,912 square
kilometers is home to 356,174,000 people, of whom 5,707,000 are Catholics,
representing 1.6% of the population. At the same time, the number of Christians
is about 20,000,000, that is, 5.62% of the population.
It is necessary therefore to remember the particularity of the Catholic Church
in the Middle East that is expressed in a multifarious unity. Other than the
Church of the Latin tradition, since earliest times there have been 6 Eastern
Catholic Churches sui iuris, each with its own patriarch, father and head of
the Church [2]: Coptic Church, Syrian Church, Greek-Melchite Church, Maronite
Church, Chaldean Church and Armenian Church. These are “Churches
distinguished for their venerable antiquity, in which remains conspicuous the
tradition that has been handed down from the Apostles through the Fathers and
that forms part of the divinely revealed and undivided heritage of the universal
Church.”[3] The variety of traditions, spirituality , liturgy and
disciplines is a great source of wealth to be conserved not only for the
Eastern Catholic Churches, but for the whole of the Catholic Church presided
over in charity by the Bishop of Rome and the Universal Shepherd of the Church.
Calendar of work
From a careful look at the Calendar of the Special Assembly it becomes clear
that the synodal assembly will be characterized by the prayer of the Synodal
Fathers, who, in turn, will be accompanied by the spiritual union of the
members of their communities in the Middle East and the Diaspora, as well as by
the numerous Christians who care deeply about the conditions of the Church that
makes its pilgrimage in the Holy Land and the Middle East.
The opening of this important event will take place with the solemn Eucharist
on Sunday 10 October. It will be presided over by the Holy Father Benedict XVI
and will be concelebrated by all the Synodal Fathers and participating priests
at the Synodal assembly. It will close too in the sign of the Eucharist which
is at the center of Church unity and is the inestimable gift of Christ to his
people.[4] Both celebrations will take place in the Papal Basilica of St.
Peter’s following the Latin rite, but significant elements, such as the Gospel
and some of the hymns, will follow Eastern traditions. In the middle of the
synodal assembly, Sunday, October 17, six Blessed will be canonized: Stanislaw
Soltys (Kazmierczyk), André (Alfred) Bessette, Cándida María de Jesús Cipitria
y Barriola, Mary of the Cross (Mary Helen) MacKillop, Giulia Salzano and
Battista (Camilla) Varano. The Synodal Fathers will not miss taking part in
such an important ecclesial event that highlights the call to sanctity,
pronounced in the Holy Land in the Old Testament: “Be consecrated to me,
for I, Yahweh, am holy” (Lv 20:26) that Jesus Christ brought to fulfilment
in the Beatitudes: “You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly
Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). The words of the Lord Jesus have a universal
importance, just as the call to sanctity is universal: “All the faithful
of Christ are invited to strive for the holiness and perfection of their own
proper state” [5].
The Liturgy of the Hours then will precede the daily work. This will mirror the
richness of the liturgical and spiritual traditions of the Eastern Catholic
Churches sui iuris who will take turns each day leading the common prayer in
their own tradition. One of the bishops from each tradition will then lead the
reflection on the passage of the Gospel that was proclaimed. Furthermore, each
session will begin and end with a brief prayer.
The work foresees 14 general congregations and 6 sessions of the minor circles.
Information on the Synodal activity will be provided by 4 operators in Arabic,
French, English and Italian who will meet with journalists every day, apart
from Monday 11, Mo nday 18 and Saturday 23 October, when there will be press
conferences with the participation of the Synodal Fathers.
The Synodal Fathers will also have the opportunity to attend the concert in
honor of the Holy Father Benedict XVI which will take place in the Paul VI Hall
on Saturday October 16 at 6pm.
Information about the nature and activities of the Synod of Bishops can be
found on the website of the Synod of Bishops. Vatican Radio has also prepared
appropriate information on the synodal event under the title of “Vatican
Radio’s News on the Synod”, www.vaticanradio.org/synod.
Assembly participants at the Special Assembly for the Middle East will number
185 synodal fathers of whom 159 will take part ex officio. Among these there
are 101 Ordinaries of the Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions of the Middle East,
as well as 23 from the Diaspora, who take care of the faithful of the Eastern
Catholic Churches who have emigrated from the Middle East to various parts of
the world. We also have to highlight the presence of 19 bishops from the
neighboring countries of North and East Africa, as well as from countries with
significant communities of Christians of Middle Eastern origin, in particular
from Europe and the American continent. Also taking part in the synodal
assembly are 14 heads of departments of the Roman Curia most closely connected
with the life of the Church in the Middle East. Furthermore the Holy Father
Benedict XVI has nominated 17 Synodal Fathers.
Then there are 10 representatives from the Union of Superior Generals. Among
the Synodal Fathers there are 9 Patriarchs, 19 Cardinals, 65 Archbishops, 10
titular Archbishops, 53 Bishops, 21 auxiliary Bishops, 87 religious 4 of whom
were elected by Union of Superior Generals. As for their duties, there are 9
heads of the Synods of Bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris, 5
Presidents of the International Gatherings of Episcopal Conferences – t heir
presence underlines the solidarity of the worldwide episcopate with the beloved
Churches of the Middle East – 6 Presidents of Episcopal Conferences, 1
Archbishop coadjutor, 4 Emeritus, 2 of whom are Cardinals, the Latin Patriarch
Emeritus of Jerusalem and 1 Patriarchal Vicar.
As we know, on 24 April 2010 the Holy Father Benedict XVI nominated the members
of the Presidency of the Special Assembly for the Middle East: 4 delegate
Presidents, of whom two are ad honorem: His Holiness Card. Nasrallah Pierre
Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon, and His Holiness Card.
Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq; His Eminence
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect for the Congregation of the Eastern Churches
and His Holiness Ignace Youssif III Younan, Patriarch of Antioch of the
Syrians, Lebanon; the Relator General His Holiness Antonios Naguib, Patriarch
of Alexandria of the Coptics, Egypt; the Special Secretary, His Excellency
Mons. Joseph Soueif, Archbishop of Cyprus of the Maronites, Cyprus.
Representatives of 13 Churches and ecclesial communities that are
well-established historically in the Middle East will take part in the Assembly
as Fraternal Delegates. Their presence is an eloquent sign of the will to
continue the ecumenical dialogue that has already given so many positive
results in the region. The Middle East is also the home for our Jewish and
Muslim brothers and sisters, because it also represents the birthplace of two
other monotheistic religions. Therefore during the course of the work, we will
have the opportunity to listen to the address by Rabbi David Rosen, Director of
the Department of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee and
the Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding, Israel.
Along with the Synodal Fathers, two illustrious representatives of Islam will
speak: Mr. Muhammad al-Sammak, Political Councillor for the Grand Mufti of
Lebanon , for Sunnite Islam, and Mr. Ayatollah Seyed Mostafa Mohaghegh
Ahmadabadi, Professor at the Faculty of Law at the Shahid Beheshti University
of Tehran and Member of the Iranian Academy of Sciences, for Shiite Islam. They
are here by special invitation of the Holy Father Benedict XVI, and their
presence is very significant, a sign of the openness of the Catholic Church to
continue the dialogue with Judaism, with which Christians have a very special
relationship, as well as with Islam, present in the region of the Middle East.
During the Synodal Assembly, 36 Experts and 34 Auditors, men and women, will
also participate. Their experiences will represent an important contribution to
the synodal reflections. Considering also the members of the General
Secretariat, the translators and assistants, as well as other persons dealing
with technical services, approximately 330 persons will participate in the
Synodal Assize.
Particular characteristics of the Synodal Assembly
The Special Assembly for the Middle East has some particularities that
distinguish it from other Synodal Assemblies. In the first place, for the first
time almost all the Ordinaries of the Middle East will meet with the Bishop of
Rome. In 1995, the Servant of God John Paul II gathered the Bishops of Lebanon
in a Special Assembly, in which 69 Synodal Fathers participated, 36 from
Lebanon. Nine Bishops of the Diaspora were also included. During the Special
Assembly for the Middle East, 23 Bishops of the Diaspora will also participate.
Therefore, the Ordinaries belonging to the sui generis Eastern Catholic
Churches will be 123. There will be representatives of other 6 Eastern Catholic
Churches: the Ethiopian Church, the Greek Church, the Romanian Church, the
Syrian-Malabarese Church, the Syrian-Malankarese Church and the Ukrainian
Catholic Church. Of the 185 Synodal Fathers, the vast majority (140) are of the
Eastern Catholic Tradition. Therefore, the Bishops of the Lati n Tradition will
be 45, of whom 14 from the Middle East. During the Special Assembly for
Lebanon, 53 Bishops of the Eastern Catholic Tradition were present, as well as
16 of the Latin Tradition.
This will be the shortest ever Synodal meeting, lasting only 14 days. The
Special Assembly for Lebanon lasted 19 days, from November 26 to December 14
1995 and before that, the Assembly for the Netherlands, in which 19 Synodal
Fathers participated, lasted 17 days, from January 14 to 31 1980. The short
period of the celebration is not only the result of the relatively lower number
of participants, which during the Ordinary General Assemblies reaches 250
Synodal Fathers; this was also requested by the Holy Father Benedict XVI to
speed up the procedures, which is further adapted for the present Synodal
Meeting. Considering the rather complex situation in the Middle Eastern
Countries, we do not want to keep the Shepherds from their flocks for too long.
For this reason the work wi ll be concentrated into 14 days.
One of the official languages of the Synod will also be Arabic. During the
Special Assembly for Lebanon, the official language was French, even if, during
the interventions in the Hall, the other three languages were used: Arabic,
English and Italian. During the present Synodal Assembly, these are the four
official languages and, therefore, for the first time, Arabic as well, the most
common language for Middle Eastern Christians. There will also be two Working
Groups in Arabic.
For the first time, the Holy Father nominated two ad honorem Delegate
Presidents. With this gesture, His Holiness wished to underline the importance
of the pastoral ministry that they have, however saving them from the demanding
daily activities of the detailed workings of the Synodal Assembly, which are
the duty of the two younger Delegate Presidents.
Pastoral goals of the Synodal Assembly
The aims of the Special Assembly for the Middle East are mainly of a pastoral
nature. While unable to ignore the social and political picture in the region,
the Synodal Assembly has above all ecclesial aims. This fact is also contained
in the theme of the Synodal Assembly which insists on Communion and on witness
within the Catholic Church, in its relationships with other Churches and
Christian communities, other religions and, in general, with their own
societies. With reference to the Instrumentum laboris [6], the goal of the
Assembly can be shown in two points:
1) To enliven communion between the venerable sui iuris Eastern Catholic
Churches that they may offer an authentic, joyful and attractive witness of
Christian life. Thanks to Divine Providence, as has already been stated, in the
Middle East, apart from the Church of Latin Tradition, there are 6 Catholic
Eastern Churches with a true Patriarch at their head. Therefore, 7 practicing
Patriarchs will participate in the Synodal Assembly. The Synod workings, in a
climate of prayer, reflection and dialogue, should be useful in further
intensifying the ties of communion within each of these Churches and between
the Patriarch, the Bishops, the priests, the members of consecrated life and
lay persons. Obviously, the ties of communion between the single Catholic Churches
and the Churches of the various other Traditions should be reinforced. Positive
results from this would benefit the entire Catholic Church, underlining the
fruitfulness of its unity which is expressed in the multiformity of the
respective, venerable Traditions.
Communion then should spread to other Churches and ecclesial communities
present in the Middle East – 13 representatives of these will be present during
the Synod workings as Fraternal Delegates, as already pointed out. Dialogue and
collaboration are also extended to members of non-Christian religions and to
all men of good will.
2) To reinforce Christian identity through the Word of God and the celebr ation
of the Sacraments. The Synodal Assembly should confirm the conscience of the
faithful in the Middle East as regards each one’s vocation as disciples of
Jesus Christ in the land where He was born, lived, and preached and achieved
His Paschal mystery. To live in the Holy Land should be increasingly discovered
as a privilege connected to a special mission. It is in the best interests of
all the Church that the Land of Jesus not become a museum full of monuments and
precious stones, but continue being a living Church, built with living stones
(1 Pet 2:5), Christians who continue the uninterrupted tradition of the
presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Land for almost 2,000 years.
Numerically, Christians are a minority in the Middle East. However, they have a
unique vocation: being witnesses of the Lord Jesus in a prevalently Muslim
environment, except for the State of Israel, where the majority of the citizens
are Jewish. This fact requires openness and dialogue with tho se belonging to
the other two monotheistic religions: Judaism and Islam. The experience, very
positive from many points of view, of this dialogue could become very important
for the whole Church.
Conclusion
The Special Assembly for the Middle East represents a joyous occasion to
present the riches of the Eastern Catholic Churches to the entire world,
especially for Christians, that they may offer greater support spiritually and
materially to their brothers and sisters in the Middle East, in particular
those who live in difficult situations because of violence, including
terrorism, emigration and discrimination. The Christians of the Middle East are
often the artisans of peace and the promoters of forgiveness and
reconciliation, which are needed so badly in the area. They wish to live in
peace with their neighboring Jews and Muslims with respect for their common
rights, including the fundamental one of freedom of religion and conscience.
In union with the Holy Father Benedict XVI, all Christians are invited to pray
for the Special Assembly for the Middle East, that it may achieve its goals.
This invitation is addressed in a special way to the members of consecrated
life and, in particular, the cloistered monasteries. Prayer will reinforce the
ties of faith, of hope and of charity among the believers of the Church of God,
so that the ideal of the primitive community where the multitude of believers
is “united, heart and soul” (Acts 4:32) can be achieved in the best
way possible.
NOTES:
[1] Benedict XVI, “Giving the Instrumentum laboris,” L’OsservatoreRomano, 6-7 June 2010, p. 9. [2] Cfr Vatican Council II, Decree on the Catholic Churches of the Eastern
Rite, Orientalium ecclesiarum, 9. [3] Ibidem, 1. [4] Cfr Benedict XVI, Giving the Instrumentum laboris, L’Osservatore Romano,
6-7 June 2010, p. 9. [5] Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Ge ntium, 42. [6] Cfr Special Assembly for the Middle East, 3.