Pope Francis meets with Patriarch of Eastern Catholic Churches based in the Middle East at the Vatican, Feb. 7, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media.
Ishtartv.com –catholicnewsagency.com
By Hannah
Brockhaus
Vatican City, Feb 7, 2020 / 10:51
am (CNA).- Six
Catholic patriarchs from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq met with Pope Francis
at the Vatican Friday to discuss the difficulties faced by Christians in the
region and their mass emigration.
In the morning of Feb. 7, the
pope met Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon; Cardinal
Bechara Boutros Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch; Coptic Patriarch Ibrahim
Isaac Sedrak of Alexandria; Melkite Patriarch Youssef Absi of Antioch; Armenian
Patriarch Gregoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan of Cilicia; and Syriac Patriarch Ignatius
Youssef III Younan of Antioch.
Patriarch Younan told CNA that
the patriarchs requested the meeting with Pope Francis because of the “dramatic
situation of the Middle East in general, whether in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon” and
because of the “migratory flux” of the Christian minorities from their
homelands.
It is a “a threat to our
survival,” he said, explaining that they are struggling to provide proper
spiritual assistance to their faithful in other parts of the world, especially
Western Europe.
The six patriarchs will meet with
Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to discuss the same topics Feb. 8.
Patriarch Younan said the
patriarchs thanked the pope for what he is already, and said they would like
the Vatican “to keep defending the cause of all persecuted Christians, all
persecuted minorities in the Middle East, where the political situation is not
promising for [minorities] and they don’t have the means to defend themselves
and provide safety for their communities.”
The Syriac Catholic patriarch also
criticized U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s proposed “Peace-to-Prosperity” plan, announced last week, which
outlines a path to statehood for Palestine as part of a “two-state solution.”
“For us, it brings more… threats
than solutions,” Patriarch Younan said, adding that he believes the demands of
Palestinians have not been considered.
“But it’s a plan, at least we can
say it will re-expose this question and hopefully there will be sincere efforts
to bring those two people together to get... discussions for the future,” he
said.
Patriarch Younan made an appeal
for people “to help Christians stay in their homeland. For that, we need more
deeds than words.”
Catholics and the Holy See should
work to influence elected officials to see Middle Eastern people not as
numbers, but as people, who “deserve to live in dignity and in freedom,” he
said.
Patriarch Younan will be among
the participants in a meeting of Mediterranean bishops in Bari, Italy, Feb.
19-23.
Organized by the Italian bishops,
“Mediterranean, frontier of peace,” will also be attended by Pope Francis on
the final day, Feb. 23.
Patriarch Younan said the meeting
will include a discussion of the Christian presence in the Middle East and
ecumenical dialogue.
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