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Pope Benedict XVI- General Audiences |
General
Audience
On the Trip to the Holy
Land
"I Presented Myself as a Pilgrim of Faith"
H.H. Benedict XVI
May 20, 2009
www.zenit.org
Dear brothers and sisters,
I pause today to speak about the apostolic journey that I made May 8-15
to the Holy Land, for which I do not cease to give thanks to the Lord,
because it has shown itself to be a great gift for the Successor of
Peter and for the whole Church. I wish to again express my heartfelt
gratitude to His Beatitude, Patriarch Fouad Twal, to the bishops of the
various rites, the priests and the Franciscans of the Holy Land Custody.
I thank the king and queen of Jordan, the president of Israel and the
president of the Palestinian National Authority, with their respective
governments, all the authorities, and those who have collaborated in
various ways in the preparation and success of the visit. It was, above
all, a pilgrimage, even more, a pilgrimage par excellence to the fount
of the faith. At the same time, it was a pastoral visit to the Church
that lives in the Holy Land: a community of singular importance, since
it represents a living presence there, where [the Church] finds its
origin.
The first stage, from May 8 to 11, was Jordan, in whose territory there
are two principal holy sites: Mount Nebo, from where Moses contemplated
the Promised Land and died without being able to enter, and then Bethany
"beyond the Jordan," where, according to the Fourth Gospel, St. John
baptized at the beginning. The memorial to Moses on Mount Nebo is a
place of strong symbolic significance: It speaks of our condition as
pilgrims between the "already" and the "not yet," between a promise so
great and beautiful that it supports us along the way and a fulfillment
that goes beyond us and beyond this world. The Church lives in herself
this "eschatological character" and state as "pilgrim": She is already
united to Christ, her spouse, but has only begun to savor the wedding
party, in expectation of his glorious return at the end of time (cf.
"Lumen Gentium," 48-50).
In Bethany, I had the joy of blessing cornerstones for two churches that
will be built in the place where St. John baptized. This fact is a sign
of the openness and the respect of the Hashemite Kingdom for religious
liberty and the Christian tradition, and this merits great appreciation.
I have been able to manifest this just recognition, united to a profound
respect for the Muslim community, to the religious leaders, the
diplomatic corps and the rectors of universities, gathered in the
Al-Hussein bin-Talal mosque, built by King Abdullah II in memory of his
father, the famous King Hussein, who welcomed Pope Paul VI in his
historic pilgrimage of 1964. How important it is that Christians and
Muslims coexist peacefully with mutual respect! Thanks be to God and the
commitment of the government, this happens in Jordan. I have prayed a
lot so that it could be this way as well in other places, thinking above
all of the Christians who live a difficult situation in Iraq.
An important Christian community lives in Jordan, one that has grown
with Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. Theirs is a significant and valued
presence in society because of their educational and social works,
attentive to the person, regardless of their ethnic or religious
belonging. A beautiful example is the Regina Pacis rehabilitation center
in Amman, which welcomes numerous people marked by disabilities. In
visiting them, I have been able to take them a word of hope, but I have
also received the same, in a testimony strengthened by the human
person's suffering and the capacity to share.
As a sign of the Church's commitment in the realm of culture, I also
blessed the cornerstone of the University of Madaba, of the Latin
Patriarchate of Jerusalem. I experienced a great joy with the beginning
of this new scientific and cultural institution, because it manifests in
a tangible way that the Church promotes the search for truth and the
common good and offers a high-quality, open space to those who want to
dedicate themselves to this search, the indispensable premise for a true
and fruitful dialogue between civilizations.
Also in Amman, two solemn liturgical celebrations were celebrated:
Vespers in the Greek-Melkite Cathedral of St. George and holy Mass in
the International Stadium, which permitted us to savor together the
beauty of coming together as the pilgrim People of God, enriched by its
different traditions and united in the one faith.
After leaving Jordan, at the end of the morning on Monday the 11th, I
arrived in Israel, where from the beginning I presented myself as a
pilgrim of faith, in the Land in which Jesus was born, lived, died and
rose again, and at the same time, as a pilgrim of peace to implore from
God that in the place where he became man, all men would live as his
children, that is, as brothers.
This second aspect of my trip came out clearly in the meetings with
civil authorities: in the visit to the Israeli president and the
president of the Palestinian Authority. In this Land blessed by God,
sometimes it seems impossible to get out of the spiral of violence. But,
nothing is impossible for God and for those who trust in him! Because of
this, faith in the one God, just and merciful, which is the most
precious resource of these peoples, should pour forth its treasure of
respect, reconciliation and collaboration. I wanted to express this wish
in visiting the grand mufti and the leaders of the Islamic community in
Jerusalem, as well as the grand rabbinate of Israel, and in the meeting
with the organizations committed to interreligious dialogue and
moreover, in the meeting with the religious leaders of Galilee.
Jerusalem is the crossroads for the three great monotheistic religions,
and its very name -- "city of peace" -- expresses the design of God for
humanity: to make of it a great family. This design, announced to
Abraham, was entirely fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who St. Paul calls "our
peace," since he broke down the wall of enmity with the strength of his
Sacrifice (cf. Ephesians 2:14). All believers, therefore, should leave
behind prejudices and a will to dominate and practice in harmony the
fundamental commandment: to love God with all of our being and to love
our neighbor as ourselves.
It is to this that Jews, Christians and Muslims are called to give
witness, to honor with deeds the God to whom they pray with their lips.
And this is exactly what I carried in my heart, in my prayer, in
visiting Jerusalem, the Western Wall -- or Wailing Wall -- and the Dome
of the Rock, symbolic places for Judaism and Islam, respectively. A
moment of intense recollection was, as well, the visit to the Yad Vashem
Memorial, constructed in Jerusalem in honor of the victims of the Shoah.
There we paused in silence, praying and meditating on the mystery of a
"name": Every person is sacred and his name is etched in the heart of
the Eternal God. The tremendous tragedy of the Shoah must never be
forgotten! It is necessary for it to always be in our memory as a
universal admonition to the sacred respect for human life that always
has an infinite value.
As I already mentioned, my trip had the priority objective of visiting
the Catholic communities of the Holy Land, and this took place in
various moments in Jerusalem, in Bethlehem and in Nazareth. In the
Cenacle, with our thoughts on Christ who washed the apostles' feet and
instituted the Eucharist, as well as the gift of the Holy Spirit to the
Church on the day of Pentecost, I could meet with, among others, the
custodians of the Holy Land, and meditate on our vocation to be one
unit, to form one body and one spirit, to transform the world with the
meek power of love. It is true that this call is experiencing particular
difficulties in the Holy Land, and therefore, with the heart of Christ,
I repeated to my brother bishops his very words: "Do not be afraid any
longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the
kingdom" (Luke 12:32). Later I briefly greeted the men and women
religious of the contemplative life, thanking them for the service that,
with their prayer, they offer to the Church and the cause of peace.
Above all, the Eucharistic celebrations were culminating moments of
communion with the Catholic faithful. In the Valley of Josaphat, in
Jerusalem, we meditated on the resurrection of Christ as a force of hope
and peace for this city and for the entire world. In Bethlehem, in the
Palestinian Territories, Mass was celebrated before the Basilica of the
Nativity, with the participation of faithful from Gaza, who I had the
joy of personally consoling, assuring them of my particular closeness.
Bethlehem, the place where the heavenly hymn of peace for man resounded,
is the symbol of the distance that continues separating us from the
fulfillment of that proclamation: insecurity, isolation, uncertainty,
poverty. All of that has led so many Christians to leave there.
But the Church carries on, sustained by the force of the faith and
giving witness to her love with concrete works at the service of the
brothers, such as the Caritas Baby Hospital of Bethlehem, supported by
dioceses of Germany and Switzerland, and the humanitarian activity in
the refugee camps. In the one I visited, I was able to assure the
families that dwell there of the closeness and encouragement of the
universal Church, inviting all to seek peace with nonviolent means,
following the example of St. Francis of Assisi.
The third and final Mass with the people, I celebrated last Thursday in
Nazareth, the city of the Holy Family. We prayed for all families so
that they rediscover the beauty of matrimony and family life, the value
of domestic spirituality and education, and attention to children, who
have the right to grow in peace and serenity. As well, we sang our faith
in the creative and transforming power of God. Where the Word incarnated
himself in the womb of the Virgin Mary, arises an undying spring of hope
and joy, that does not cease to encourage the heart of the Church,
pilgrim in history.
My pilgrimage came to a close last Friday with the visit to the Holy
Sepulcher and with two important ecumenical encounters in Jerusalem:
with the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate, where all the ecclesial
representations of the Holy Land gathered together, and finally in the
Armenian Apostolic Patriarchal Church.
It is a pleasure to go over the whole itinerary that I was able to
fulfill precisely with the sign of the resurrection of Christ: Despite
the vicissitudes that through the centuries have marked the holy sites,
despite the wars, the destruction and unfortunately, the conflicts among
Christians, the Church has continued her mission, moved by the Spirit of
the Risen Lord.
She is on the path toward full unity so that the world believes in the
love of God and experiences the joy of his peace. On my knees, on
Calvary and at the Holy Sepulcher, I invoked the strength of love that
arises from the Paschal mystery, the only force capable of renewing man
and orienting history and the cosmos toward its end. I ask you also to
pray for this objective, as we prepare to live the Feast of the
Ascension, which in the Vatican we will celebrate tomorrow. Thank you
for your attention.
[Translation by ZENIT]
[The Holy Father then greeted the people in several languages. In
English, he said:]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
My recent Apostolic Journey to the Holy Land was a pilgrimage to the
sources of our faith and a pastoral visit to the Christian communities
in the lands of our Lord’s birth, death and resurrection. I am grateful
to the civil authorities, the Latin Patriarch and the Bishops of the
local Churches, the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land
and all those who contributed to the Journey. Throughout my visit I
wished to be a pilgrim of peace, reminding Jews, Christians and Muslims
alike of our commitment, as believers in the one God, to promote
respect, reconciliation and cooperation in the service of peace. In
Jerusalem, "the city of peace" sacred to the followers of the three
great monotheistic traditions, this was the message I brought to the
holy places, and particularly to the Western Wall and the Dome of the
Rock. One of the most solemn moments was the commemoration of the
victims of the Shoah at Yad Vashem. My visit to the local Churches
culminated in the Masses celebrated in Amman, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and
Nazareth. My pilgrimage ended in prayer on Calvary and before the Holy
Sepulchre, the empty tomb, which continues to radiate a message of hope
for individuals and for the whole human family. With gratitude for the
many blessings of this pilgrimage, I ask you to join me in praying for
the needs of the Church in the Near East and the gift of peace for the
entire region.
I welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims present today, including the
College groups from America. May your visit to Rome be a time of deep
spiritual renewal. Upon all of you I invoke God’s abundant blessings of
joy and peace.
[At the end of the audience, the Pontiff made another announcement in
English:]
This coming Sunday, the Church celebrates World Communications Day. In
my message this year, I am inviting all those who make use of the new
technologies of communication, especially the young, to utilize them in
a positive way and to realize the great potential of these means to
build up bonds of friendship and solidarity that can contribute to a
better world.
The new technologies have brought about fundamental shifts in the ways
in which news and information are disseminated and in how people
communicate and relate to each other. I wish to encourage all those who
access cyberspace to be careful to maintain and promote a culture of
respect, dialogue and authentic friendship where the values of truth,
harmony and understanding can flourish.
Young people in particular, I appeal to you: bear witness to your faith
through the digital world! Employ these new technologies to make the
Gospel known, so that the Good News of God’s infinite love for all
people, will resound in new ways across our increasingly technological
world!
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