Patriarchs have called on Pope Francis to “scold” world leaders over the exodus of Christians from the Middle East.
Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs in the Middle East said the displacement of Christians from the region was “a humanitarian catastrophe”.
“The time has come to make a prophetic cry” and to speak “the truth that frees us in the spirit of the Gospel”, the Council of the Eastern Patriarchs said in a statement following a meeting in Diman, Lebanon, last week.
They appealed to the United Nations and to “the states directly concerned with the war in Syria, Iraq and Palestine to stop the wars that have arisen, as are evident in the demolition, killing, displacement, revival of terrorist organisations and the fueling of intolerance and conflicts between religions and cultures”.
They said “the inability to bring about a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region” and the neglect of the return of refugees, displaced and uprooted people to their homelands and property “in dignity and justice” were a “stain on the forehead of the 21st century”.
In a plea to Pope Francis, they said: “We represent churches … whose existence is in real danger.” The prelates asked: “Who else but the Rock of Peter can we resort to? Only you, Your Holiness, are left to call on the representatives of the people who control the destinies of peoples, to remind them and even to scold them that the continued displacement of Christians from the Middle East is certainly a genocidal project, a humanitarian catastrophe and a plague of the earth’s civilisation.”
They expressed their trust in God’s eventual “triumph”.
Vatican bishop hints at unofficial deal with Beijing
A senior Vatican official has hinted that there is an unofficial agreement between the Holy See and Beijing on the appointment of bishops, even as negotiations to formalise arrangements continue to hit roadblocks, according to ucanews.com.
Argentine Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo offered the hint during an interview with China’s state-run Global Times on August 4. He was attending a conference in southern China.
“We need to make a distinction between a formal agreement and the real things [that are happening among the public]. The real thing is that at this moment China and [the] Pope have a very good relation,” said Bishop Sorondo.
Observers have been increasingly confident that a process has been put in place as the two sides work toward a formal agreement, especially after the appointment of five new bishops in 2015 and 2016 that were recognised by both sides.
But a formal agreement appears to be stuck on three bishops appointed by Beijing but not recognised by the Vatican. Two are understood to have family relationships inconsistent with the priesthood, and another has a cloud over him regarding possible criminal offences..
Thousands join 16-hour procession
Guatemalans have celebrated the 300th anniversary of the consecration of the statue known as Jesús de la Merced.
The 5ft 5in statue was carried through the streets by more than 7,000 people for more than 16 hours, from 10.30am until nearly three o’clock the following morning.
Made in 1654-55, the statue is the first Nazarene and the first Baroque work made in Guatemala. It has Sephardic features and delicately carved hands and feet.
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