Posted on 09/17/2012 4:39:08 AM PDT by Cronos
Pope Benedict XVI called for the unity of Christians in the Middle East during a visit Sunday to the summer residence of the Syriac Catholic Patriarch.
The Syriac Catholic monastery in Charfet, north of Beirut, was the pope’s last stop prior to his departure, ending a three-day visit to Lebanon amid regional turmoil particularly in neighboring Syria.
During a 30-minute meeting with Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan as well as patriarchs and bishops of non-Catholic denominations, the pope stressed the importance of Christian unity in the Middle East, urging Christians not to abandon their land.
Patriarch Younan, who resides at the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate in Beirut for most of the year, received the pope upon arrival and accompanied him to the Hall of Honor, where the Holy See signed the monastery’s guest book.
The pontiff, who was welcomed by Lebanese of different faiths during his stay, will deliver farewell speech before boarding a Middle East Airlines Airbus 320 at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport at 7 p.m.
During his three-day visit, which comes 15 years after the landmark visit of the late Pope John Paul II, the head of the Roman Catholic Church called for interfaith dialogue as a means to bring peace to the region.
In a Sunday morning Mass attended by some 350,000 people at the Beirut Water Front City with Arab and Lebanese youth at Bkirki, the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate, the pope said he was moved by the courage of Syrian youth and said he was saddened by the hardships of the people there. ..
The Holy See signed the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East Friday in a ceremony at Saint Paul Basilica in Harissa, north of Beirut, where he urged Christians not to be afraid but brave difficulties facing them in the region.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailystar.com.lb ...
Having more unity among Christians would be a big help!
One of the things that permitted the rise of Islam in the first place was that Eastern Christianity was very fragmented in itself, not only as the result of the various heresies that had popped up here and there during that chaotic time, but simply administratively. With the fall of Rome and the loss of the stabilizing civil authority, the churches were on their own. Because many of the individual churches didn’t get along with each other, and because of the growing split between the East and the West, they were left undefended on many levels and without connections or allies outside of their regions.
It would be very strengthening if they could work out some kind of Christian alliance, even if they don’t achieve any greater unity than that at the moment.
Strength in numbers...
Matthew 7:14
The few don't want to and should not mingle with the many.
yes the few, the Arab Christians whether they be Catholic (Maronite, Syriac, Chaldean/Assyrian or Greek) or Orthodox (Greek or Syriac) or Oriental (Coptic, Armenian etc) or Assyrian stand apart from the many heads of Islam.
They can get together it they want.
yes, the Christians (Catholic, Orthodox, Orientals, Assyrians) should unite together against the Moslems.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.