VATICAN CITY The American Pope, who from the beginning had called for a “stripped and disarmed” peace, set foot in the territory of war, pervasive and permanent conflict, bringing to the birthplace of Christianity what Saint Paul preached to the people of his time: “we are troubled on all sides, but not destroyed, we are shaken, but do not despair”, thus insisting “to be happy in hope, strong in tribulation, persistent in prayer”.
Leo’s first international journey Seventeen centuries later, it is read by more than two billion Christians in the world, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Lutheran, Armenian, Coptic, Evangelical, Maronite, Anglican. A spiritual and religious journey but at the same time also political and diplomatic, considering that in Ankara, as the first formal act of the mission, Prevost will hold a bilateral meeting with one of the greatest mediators of the moment, President Erdogan who is involved both on the Gaza front and on the very complicated Ukrainian front. However, peace and war are still in the background even in Lebanon. Just four days ago there was the latest bombing targeting a Shia neighborhood in the capital to eliminate Hezbollah’s number two.
CELEBRATION
On the eve of his departure, Leo «The period of the Council of Nicaea was no less turbulent. When this oppression began in 325, the wounds of persecution against Christians were still open. The Milanese Edict of Toleration (313) seemed to announce the beginning of a new era of peace. However, after external threats, discord and conflict soon emerged in the Church.”
There was nothing new under the sun, except that with the Council of Nicaea began the process of Romanization of Christians and Christianization of the Roman Empire that would continue through the Byzantine millennium and culminate in the West with Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire. A historical issue that in Turkey, even in recent days, has given rise to small protests against the papal visit by ultra-nationalist groups who oppose the hegemonic political plans of Western Christians even in celebration of the 1700th anniversary of Nicaea.
ISLAM
If the Pope’s first day in Türkiye was dedicated to civil and diplomatic authorities with a visit to Ataturk’s grave, then from the second day everything will be focused on the religious field. But in Istanbul, Leo Before leaving for Rome, the Pope will perform a silent prayer – without any side speeches – at the site of the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut that caused more than two hundred deaths in 2020. Even in Lebanon, the religious level tends and is intertwined with the political level, and perhaps also for this reason, to make himself better understood by everyone, the Pope has decided – breaking all precedents – to always speak only in French and English, without abandoning Italian, the language spoken by everyone abroad. his predecessors. John Paul II defined Lebanon as a “message country” because of its ability to unite different religions. Meanwhile, just yesterday the Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See, Yaron Siderman, attended a general audience to invite the Pope to Israel. “I expressed to him my hope and prayer that his upcoming trip to Turkey and Lebanon will help bring peace and stability to the region, and I expressed my desire to make a papal visit to the Holy Land.”
Leo XIV will definitely use everything in his power to repair the damage torn. And again Saint Paul remembered: “If possible, as long as this depends on you, live in peace with everyone.”
Franca Giansoldati
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© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
