This is the
address Benedict XVI delivered on June 5th 2010 at a meeting with the Catholic community
of Cyprus, held at the sports field of St. Maron primary school, Nicosia.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It gives me great joy to be with you, the representatives of the Catholic
community in Cyprus.
I thank Archbishop Soueif for his kind words of welcome on your behalf and I
thank in a special way the children for their beautiful presentation. I also
greet His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal, and salute the great and patient work
of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land in the person of Father Pizzaballa,
here with us today.
On this historic occasion of the first visit of the Bishop of Rome to Cyprus, I
come to confirm you in your faith in Jesus Christ and to encourage you to
remain of one heart and one soul in fidelity to the apostolic tradition (cf.
Acts 4:32). As the Successor of Peter, I stand among you today to offer you the
assurance of my support, my affectionate prayers and my encouragement.
We have just heard from the Gospel of John how some Greeks, who had learned of
the great works which Jesus was performing, approached the Apostle Philip and
said, “We wish to see Jesus” (cf. Jn 12:21). These words touch all of
us deeply. Like the men and women in the Gospel, we wish to see Jesus, to know
him, to love and to serve him, with “one heart and soul”.
Furthermore, like the voice from heaven in today’s Gospel which testified to
the glory of God’s name, the Church proclaims his name not simply for her own
sake, but for the good of humanity as a whole (cf. Jn 12:30). You too, Christ’s
followers of today, are called to live your faith in the world by adding your
voices and actions to the promotion of the Gospel values handed down to you by
generations of Cypriot Christians. These values, deeply embedded in your own
culture as well as in the patrimony of the universal Church, should continue to
inspire your efforts to promote peace, justice and respect for human life and
the dignity of your fellow citizens. In this way, your fidelity to the Gospel
will surely benefit all Cypriot society.
Dear brothers and sisters, given your unique circumstances, I would also like
to draw your attention to an essential part of our Church’s life and mission,
namely the search for greater unity in charity with other Christians and
dialogue with those who are not Christians. Especially since the Second Vatican
Council, the Church has been committed to advancing along the path of greater
understanding with our fellow Christans with a view to ever stronger ties of
love and fellowship among al l the baptized. Given your circumstances, you are
able to make your personal contribution to the goal of greater Christian unity
in your daily lives. Let me encourage you to do so, confident that the Spirit
of the Lord, who prayed that his followers might be one (cf. Jn 17:21), will
accompany you in this important task.
With regard to interreligious dialogue, much still needs to be done throughout
the world. This is another area where Catholics in Cyprus often live in
circumstances which afford them opportunities for right and prudent action.
Only by patient work can mutual trust be built, the burden of history overcome,
and the political and cultural differences between peoples become a motive to
work for deeper understanding. I urge you to help create such mutual trust
between Christians and non-Christians as a basis for building lasting peace and
harmony between peoples of different religions, political regions and cultural
backgrounds.
Dear friends, I woul d invite you to look to the profound communion that you
already share among yourselves and with the Catholic Church throughout the
world. With regard to the immediate needs of the Church, I encourage you to
pray for and to foster vocations to the priesthood and religious life. As this
Year for Priests draws to a close, the Church has gained a renewed awareness of
the need for good, holy and well-formed priests. She needs men and women
religious completely committed to Christ and to the spread of God’s reign on
earth. Our Lord has promised that those who lay down their lives in imitation
of him will keep them for eternal life (cf. Jn 12:25). I ask parents to ponder
this promise and to encourage their children to respond generously to the
Lord’s call. I urge pastors to attend to the young, to their needs and
aspirations, and to form them in the fullness of the faith.
Here in this Catholic school, let me also address a word to those working in
the Catholic schools of th e island, especially the teachers. Your work is part
of a long and esteemed tradition of the Catholic Church in Cyprus. Continue
patiently to serve the good of the whole community by striving for educational
excellence. May the Lord bless you abundantly in the sacred trust which is the
formation of almighty God’s most precious gift to us – our children.
I now address a special word to you, my dear young Catholics of Cyprus. Be
strong in your faith, joyful in God’s service and generous with your time and
talents! Help to build a better future for the Church and for your country in
placing the good of others before your own.
Dear Catholics of Cyprus, foster your own harmony in communion with the
universal Church and with the Successor of Peter, and build up your fraternal
bonds with each other in faith, hope and love.
In a special way, I wish to consign this message to those present who come from
Kormakiti, Asomatos, Karpasha, and Agia Marina. I k now of your desires and
sufferings, and I ask you to carry my blessing, my closeness, and my affection
to all who come from your villages, where Christians are a people of hope. For
my part, I fervently hope and pray that with the commitment of good will of
those concerned, a better life for all the inhabitants of the island will be
speedily assured.
With these few words, I entrust all of you to the protection of the Blessed
Virgin Mary and the intercession of Saints Paul and Barnabas.
God bless you all!
© Copyright 2010 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana