Catholic World News News Feature
Sunday: Pope Benedict speaks to the Christians of the Holy Land May 11, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI spent Sunday, May 10-- the 3rd day of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land-- with the Christians of Jordan, underlining the importance of a strong Christian presence in the Holy Land.
Although media coverage of the papal trip has focused primarily on the Church's relations with Islam and Judaism, Pope Benedict has frequently made the point-- both before leaving Rome and in his public remarks during the trip-- that he has come to bring greetings and encouragement to the Christians of the region. The Church, he has emphasized, is anxious to support the Christians who often find themselves in an unenviable position in societies where the other monotheistic faiths are dominant.
The Church's concern for Christians of the Holy Land is redoubled by the steady decline in their numbers. Fifty years ago, Christians represented about 20% of the people living in the Holy Land; today that figure is 2%. Political insecurity, religious discrimination, and economic hardship have conspired to drive many families out of the region.
Pope Benedict began his Sabbath observance with a Vespers service on Saturday evening at the Melkite Catholic cathedral in Amman. There he joined with leaders of the Eastern Catholic churches-- Maronite, Armenian, Syrian, and Chaldean as well as Melkite, and Latin Catholics as well-- for the first prayers of the Sunday liturgy. The Pope paid special tribute to the Eastern churches, particularly noting their deep roots in the region. "Your presence in this society is a marvellous sign of the hope that defines us as Christian,"he told them.
On Sunday the Pope began his public schedule by celebrating Mass in a soccer stadium in Amman. About 25,000 people were present to hear the Holy Father assure the Christians of the region of "the loving solidarity of all your brothers and sisters in the Church throughout the world."
In his homily the Pope took note of the Year of the Family being observed by Christians in the Holy Land, and paid special tribute to the role of women in family life. "Sadly this God-given dignity and role of women has not always been sufficiently understood and esteemed," he said. Perhaps gently alluding to the difficulties that women often face in Islamic culture, the Pope said that Christians can make an important contribution to their society by helping their neighbors to appreciate women's dignity.
Speaking more broadly about the role that the Christian minority plays in the region, the Pope said that the faithful must show "a particular kind of courage: the courage of conviction, born of personal faith, not mere social convention or family tradition; the courage to engage in dialogue and to work side by side with other Christians in the service of the Gospel and solidarity with the poor, the displaced, and the victims of profound human tragedies; the courage to build new bridges to enable a fruitful encounter of people of different religions and cultures, and thus to enrich the fabric of society."
Later in the day the Holy Father traveled to Bethany, on the Jordan River, to what is believed to be the site where Jesus was baptized. There he blessed the cornerstones for two new churches that are being built: one for the Latin Catholic community, the other for Melkite Catholics. Here too the Pope spoke about the importance of maintaining a Christian presence in the Holy Land, and urged the faithful to live out their own baptismal vocation with zeal.
