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Skriven 2007-06-22 06:59:04 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                               VIS-Press releases

WITNESSES OF CHRIST IN THE TROUBLED REGIONS OF THE EAST

VATICAN CITY, JUN 21, 2007 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father
received His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian
Church of the East, accompanied by an entourage.

In his address, the Pope recalled the patriarch's 1994 visit to John Paul II
when the two men signed a joint declaration concerning Christology, which
included "the decision to establish a Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue
between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East."

That commission, said the Holy Father continuing his English-language talk,
"has undertaken an important study of the sacramental life in our respective
traditions and forged an agreement on the Anaphora of the Apostles Addai and
Mari. I am most grateful for the results of this dialogue, which hold out the
promise of further progress on other disputed questions."

"The Assyrian Church of the East is rooted in ancient lands whose names are
associated with the history of God's saving plan for all mankind. .... Today,
tragically, Christians in this region are suffering both materially and
spiritually. Particularly in Iraq, the homeland of so many of the Assyrian
faithful, Christian families and communities are feeling increasing pressure
from insecurity, aggression and a sense of abandonment. Many of them see no
other possibility than to leave the country and to seek a new future abroad.

"These difficulties," the Pope added, "are a source of great concern to me, and
I wish to express my solidarity with the pastors and the faithful of the
Christian communities who remain there, often at the price of heroic
sacrifices.

"As a result of successive waves of emigration, many Christians from the
Eastern Churches are now living in the West. This new situation presents a
variety of challenges to their Christian identity and their life as a
community. At the same time, when Christians from the East and West live side
by side, they have a precious opportunity to enrich one another and to
understand more fully the catholicity of the Church, which, as a pilgrim in
this world, lives, prays and bears witness to Christ in a variety of cultural,
social and human contexts."

"New hopes and possibilities sometimes awaken new fears, and this is also true
with regard to ecumenical relations." Nonetheless, "it is to be hoped that the
fruitful labor which the commission has accomplished over the years can
continue, while never losing sight of the ultimate goal of our common journey
towards the re-establishment of full communion."

"However long and laborious the path towards unity may seem, we are asked by
the Lord to join our hands and hearts, so that together we can bear clearer
witness to Him and better serve our brothers and sisters, particularly in the
troubled regions of the East, where many of our faithful look to us, their
pastors, with hope and expectation."
AC/ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST/DINKHAVIS 070621 (490)

SUMMARY

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