Istanbul (AsiaNews) - The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrives tonight
in Rome to participate in the prayer for peace tomorrow, at the invitation of
Pope Francis.
The pontiff has invited Israeli President Shimon Peres and the Palestinian
Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to pray for peace in the war-torn Middle East where
the Christian element is about to disappear.
In his letter of invitation, the Pope says that the presence of Bartholomew is
"an act of continuity of their common pilgrimage to Jerusalem .... A true
gift."
In the message, the pontiff thanks Bartholomew for his insistence on a meeting
in Jerusalem "which was a true gift of the Lord to worship together in
those holy places and to join in prayer at the tomb of Christ, the foundation
of our hope."
Bartholomew has stressed that tomorrow's prayer of takes on a very important
significance that goes beyond any immediate results: it wants to show that it
is the privileged task of Christians to be the true voice of peace in the
world, in accordance with the dictates of our Lord expressed in the apostolic tradition
of the true united Church.
In short, true unity among Christians is the real catalyst for true peace in
the world and is the only answer to the existential problems of our small
planet.
To those Christians who are hesitant towards these initiatives, the ecumenical
patriarch reiterated what was said in Jerusalem: "I walked with my brother
Francis of the Holy Land without the fears of Luke and Cleopas on their way to
Emmaus (cf. Luke 24 13-35), but inspired by a living hope, as we learn from our
Lord".
Bartholomew also sees preparations for the celebration of 1700 years since the
Council of Nicaea - of
which he spoke in Jerusalem with the pope - as part of the path to
peace in the world.