Ain Traz – Lebanon June 17, 2013
Protocol 301/2013A 16/06/2013
Speech of
Patriarch Gregorios III at the opening of the Synod of the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church Ain Traz – Lebanon June 17, 2013
God’s word is … a light unto
my path (Psalm 118: 105 LXX)
At the beginning of this Holy
Synod we thank Almighty God, in the words of St. Paul in his Letter to the
Ephesians: “Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen
us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his
will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in
himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are
on earth; even in him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who
first trusted in Christ.” (Ephesians
1: 3-12)
In this text we find a wonderful description of our holy calling in Church
and society today.
We also find in the words of the Apostle Paul consolation and strength in the
current tragic conditions experienced by our country, the Church of the Middle
East and our fellow-citizens of all Christian and Muslim denominations.
This is what Saint Paul wrote in
his Second Letter to the Corinthians: “Blessed
be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and
the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may
be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we
ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of
Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And
whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is
effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or
whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And
our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the
sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For we would not, brethren,
have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed
out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we
had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves,
but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and
doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; ye also helping
together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of
many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.” (2 Corinthians 1: 3-11)
Tragic circumstances
These holy verses give strength to
us pastors and to our sons and daughters, the priests, monks, nuns and faithful
laymen and women who can hear them, thanks to the media. We hope that those
words give them reason for fortitude and consolation, patience and perseverance,
resilience and moral courage in these circumstances prevailing in our country,
especially in dear wounded Syria.
Some eight million of its people have
become refugees in their own beloved country and abroad, particularly in
Lebanon, which carries the great burden of receiving hundreds of
thousands of displaced people. Syria, which received Palestinians sixty-five
years ago, Iraqis after the invasion of Iraq, and Lebanese after the 2006 war,
now has displaced children whose suffering of every kind is comparable.
We thank their generous host Lebanon,
its president, government, institutions and people and ask God to protect
Lebanon from the fire of the Syrian crisis, which affects virtually the whole
region.
Three lights
We pray God for peace in our
region as a whole. May God protect it and us too. As for our Synod
this year, its work will take place with three lights to illuminate its deliberations and
themes.
First there is the Apostolic
Exhortation, which was signed by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in the
Paulist Fathers’ Church of Saint Paul in Harissa. It was distributed through
YOUCAT (or Youth Catechism) to every one of our eparchies and parishes. It is
essential that we work in the light of the guidance from that document in all aspects
of our ecclesial, pastoral, youth, cultural and monastic life.
This Exhortation will really remain
a beacon and programme of action for our Churches in the Middle East, particularly
as its title defines the meaning of Christians’ presence in the Middle East: “Communion and Witness” – communion at home
in our Church and among the Churches, and witness in our community, in interaction
with it, bringing it the light and values of the Gospel.
Secondly, this year 2012-2013 was proclaimed the
Year of Faith: a good opportunity to work by all
means to strengthen evangelical faith in our parishes, and take initiatives through
our faith activities, praying with the Church, “Strengthen, O Christ our God, holy
Orthodox faith in thy churches and monasteries unto ages of ages.”
We are asked to provide a report
to Rome on initiatives that we’ve taken in the Year of Faith.
The third light comes to us from the Synod held in Rome in October
2012, which we, the Patriarch, attended, together
with my brother, His Grace Archbishop Joseph Absi, Patriarchal Vicar in
Damascus as your representative. Our 2013 Paschal Letter was devoted to clarifying
the subject of the Synod entitled “The New Evangelization.” It highlighted
the importance of the Gospel in our Muslim majority Arab society and in the
life of Eastern Christians, because the Gospel was born in our East, and Christ,
who is the living Gospel, was also born in our land.
These three lights will illumine
all the work of our Synod.
The topics that we shall
address in this Synod were established by the Synodal Committee in consultation
with us.
We now introduce the key points
in this synodal programme:
- We shall study how to implement in practice the
above-mentioned Apostolic Exhortation, in our Church’s eparchies locally,
regionally and abroad - We shall examine legal issues prepared by the Canonical
Committee, concerning the particular law of our Church based on the Code of
Canons of the Eastern Churches, and other topics concerning the ecclesiastical
tribunal and canon law. - We shall evaluate the work of Saint Anna’s
Major Seminary which trains all our eparchial
priests. - We shall discuss issues relating to the observance
in our parishes of World Priest Day and the Year
of Faith - We shall also review the working of
the Holy Synod during my patriarchal service, take
a look at the topics examined and decisions taken, what has been implemented
and what still remains to be done, and consider how to implement the work and
decisions of the synod so that it can be really at the service of our parishes
in order to strengthen their faith and confirm them in their calling, mission
and role in the Church and society. - We shall have plenty of time to hear reports on the
current crisis from their graces the bishops of our eparchies
in Syria. We asked each eparchy to establish
a detailed report on the situation, describing, for example: the
affected villages – churches demolished – IDPs – institutions affected … and
what steps can be taken in the face of this reality. - This is what we said in the Lent Letter for this
year 2013. We described some conditions in our eparchies, and we made a
proposal for a special Solidarity Committee at the level of our Church:
“Solidarity Committee
So we found it necessary to
form a central Solidarity Committee in Syria under our patronage to bring about
the content of this appeal. We propose the formation of regional sub-committees
also in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait, and also in the eparchies
of the expansion, and in our parishes in Western Europe.
We hope that our brother
Bishops will help us with this and propose names of business-people and people
of global influence and relations to be members of local committees.
We hope thereby to be
well-prepared and practically to cope with future challenges awaiting our
faithful and our Christian presence.
Solidarity: an act of Faith
Solidarity stems
from the belief that we are one Church, one body, one Christian family, one
single homeland. Faith is expressed in good works, especially through effective
charity towards those in need. Those in need are our Church’s children.”
- Nominations to the episcopal ministry: of
course we shall work to draw up a list of priests suitable to serve as bishops. It is axiomatic that one of the most important duties in the Holy Synods is that of preparing good, humane bishops, right for their place and right for the time. The bishop is a man of God and a man of society, a good shepherd after God’s heart. - We shall also study the five-yearly parish reports submitted to us. In this way we shall review the general situation of our parishes both in beloved Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and Kuwait and in the expansion in Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. Interestingly, our Church is not confined to one country, but we are the Church with the most diverse presence and spread in Arab countries and worldwide. It is useful to explain this through statistics. That is why I have drawn up a list (in an appendix) to show the presence of our Church in the world.
Future challenges and the role
of the Church
We shall face more woes due to some
countries’ design on armaments here and there, especially in Syria, as the
world nowadays seems only to understand the language of arms, war and
destruction, violence and terrorism. Are not past wars, and those still
on-going, not enough to illustrate and convince states that weapons and
armaments do not solve problems or stop wars? On the contrary, they merely fuel
violence and hatred, and cause more death and destruction, displacement and
suffering, at all the levels of the economy, society, health, family, youth,
education and employment. When the
convening of the Second Geneva Conference was announced, a ray of hope broke through
for everyone, but then we were hit by the decision of the world’s biggest
country to supply arms while other countries joined in. We consider supplying
weapons to be a criminal act akin to murder, as it facilitates massacres, and
mass killings are crimes against humanity which deserve prosecution under international
law.
That is why, in the name of this
Synod and its members, who are scattered across many countries, we call on all
parties to halt weapons and armaments, and really to work to find a peaceful
solution to the Syrian crisis, based on dialogue and respect for the lives of
citizens, and on reconciliation, forgiveness and self-restraint and return to
God, that he may have mercy and compassion on our families, on children and
orphans, women, young people and students. This is the real
atmosphere, which will prepare for the Second Geneva Conference, and pave the
way for a peaceful solution to the suffocating Syrian crisis: for everyone
knows that there is no winner through weapons and armaments, but all are
losers. Only through reconciliation, dialogue and return to the values of our
faith is victory achieved, with peace and security, prosperity and progress for
all! This is the way of peace for Arab countries, especially Syria and Lebanon,
which we see burning and where day after day we see
citizens’ suffering at all levels increasing.
Worst of all is the division of
the Arab world, which is increasing day by day: a political, social, religious
and tribal split… We bitterly regret the latest chapter of this division, in
which the Egyptian President severed diplomatic ties with Syria. This is
exactly the opposite of what we have been we calling for in all our speeches
and talks, I mean the Arab world’s unity: unity among Arab ranks, in Arab
decisions and of the Arab position.
It is quite wicked to spread
hatred, hostility, animosity and revenge, murder and spite among citizens of
the same country and city, village and neighbourhood, family, school and place
of worship.
Beloved! Our Church, as I just said,
is widespread across our Arab countries and overseas. I see our most sacred
duty as being to work to disseminate the ideas and tendencies of pastoral,
religious and faith-based Gospel values to all countries everywhere. We have to stand together as a
Greek Catholic Episcopal Lobby or pressure group to promote the ideas that I
have set out at the Opening of this Holy Synod. This is a political act and a real
sacred duty that we must carry out with courage and zeal, love and dedication,
sincerity and competence. In this way we shall serve our homelands, communities, parishes, churches, communion and
coexistence, citizenship, freedom and democracy.
Today in Lebanon there is a real
risk of political life being immobilized, which has repercussions right across
Lebanon. Lebanon has entered the fire of the
Syrian crisis. Real non-intervention in the Syrian crisis means unity in
Lebanese internal affairs. Lebanon’s salvation lies in working only in its own
national interest and in the interest of the rights of every individual and
community.
The Church is the only one today
against weapons. It is free, so let it be quite free in its advocacy for
tolerance and unity. The Church has the right position! We are the only ones
not advocating weapons. The Church’s only interest is the national interest and
human interest, the interest of every human being. The Church today has the great role of working
for unity in Lebanon, Syria and the Arab world, because its role is based on Gospel
values.
Unfortunately there are some who
prefer power to love and act accordingly, but we advocate the power of love and
not the love of power.
Conclusion
That is the work that lies ahead of
us, beloved brethren in the episcopate and most reverend members of the Holy
Synod, and dear Superiors General, you are most welcome to this Holy Synod. I should like to
describe the work of our Synod through this kathisma (Tone 8) from Pentecost Matins,
“After thy Rising from the
tomb, O Christ, and thy divine Ascension to the height of heaven, thou didst
send down thy glory to thy disciples who had seen God, renewing a right spirit
within them, O merciful Saviour; therefore as a tuneful lyre they mystically
made clear as with a divine plectrum thy melodies and thy dispensation.” May our Synod be
a tuneful lyre!
We place our Synod under the
protection of Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Annunciation and Patron of the patriarchal
summer headquarters, who visited all areas of Lebanon in the month of May. On
Sunday 16 June in Harissa we, together with all Lebanese Church denominations, commemorated
and venerated her to ask her intercession for Lebanon, Syria, the Arab world
and the whole world!
I should like to end with a hymn in
the First Tone chosen for you from Friday evening Vespers in the Octoechos, a
book of wonderful spiritual wisdom. “Holy Bride
of God, make me holy, sanctified and sober, meek, still, well-ordered, upright
and devout, true, courageous, prudent, long-suffering, good, fair and measured,
blameless, unblemished and without censure, and beyond all these a partaker in
Paradise.”
May our Synod be blessed in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.