Keeping the Spirit of the Jubilee Alive
One Year Ago Today
POPE CELEBRATES MASS IN EGYPT'S SPORTS PALACE
Enthusiastic Participation by Cairo Sudanese Refugees
VATICAN CITY, FEB 25 (ZENIT).- Today has been the great day of the
Catholic Church in Egypt. Bishops, priests, members of communities of
the 7 rites that make up this Church, came from all corners of the
country to attend a Mass celebrated by John Paul II on his second day in
Egypt. Among the participants were Sudanese Christians, who sang their
typical songs; they have taken refuge in Egypt because of the
Islamization policy of the Khartoum regime.
For the first time in the land of the Pharaohs, a large-scale Mass was
celebrated outside a church in a public place. The huge Sports Palace
was made available, free of charge, by the Egyptian government; 20,000
faithful attended the Eucharistic celebration. The enthusiasm when the
Pope arrived was nothing short of amazing. The liturgy was that of the
Holy Family. The meeting was a journey to rediscover the road taken by
the people of Israel from slavery to freedom, analogous to Jesus'
journey to Jerusalem to fulfill the Passover of the New Covenant.
Finally, the pilgrim Pope addressed the journey God wishes man to make,
by showing him the meaning and value of his Covenant.
The Covenant
"How beautiful is this Covenant!" the Holy Father exclaimed. "It shows
that God does not stop speaking to man in order to give him life in
abundance. It places us in the presence of God and is the expression of
his profound love for his people. It invites man to turn to God, to
allow himself to be touched by God's love and to fulfill the desire for
happiness that he bears within himself. If we accept wholeheartedly the
tables of the Ten Commandments, we will live fully by the law that God
has placed in our hearts and we will have a share in the salvation,
which the Covenant made on Mount Sinai between God and his people
revealed, and which the Son of God through his work of redemption offers
to us."
Another topic the Pope mentioned to Egyptian Catholics was the unity of
Christians. With conviction he said that dialogue and closeness would
contribute to find solutions to the problems that today continue to
place obstacles to full communion.
Dialogue with Islam
In a country where 94% of the population is Muslim and in which some
areas or sectors of social life Christians feel the weight of
marginalization, the Pope insisted on the need to promote friendly
relations with Muslims, and invited all to collaborate in the
construction and development of the country. This presupposes the
acknowledgment of everyone's rights, including minority communities. "In
order to do this common work, which should bring together all the
members of the same nation, it is right that everyone, Christians and
Muslims, while respecting different religious views, should place their
skills at the service of the nation, at every level of society," the
Holy Father emphasized.
The Living Faith
The liturgy was extremely varied and festive, including typical songs of
the various rites: Coptic, Greek, Maronite, Melchite, Syrian, Armenian,
and Latin. The gifts were especially significant: Egyptians offered
dates, cotton, sugar cane, and doves as a sign of peace; the Sudanese
refugees offered a cup, in sign of communion, and an ostrich egg, symbol
of fertility. The community of Sudanese refugees is constantly growing
in Cairo. Many remembered the stopover that John Paul II made a few
years ago; they have always regarded him as a "friend" who has given
voice to their sufferings and enslavements.
Indeed, at the end of the Mass, the Holy Father gave them a special
greeting. But his thought traveled to other African countries, which are
experiencing dramatic situations, such as Mozambique, devastated by
floods, for which he appealed for solidarity from the international
community. Or Nigeria, bloodied by conflicts between Christians and
Muslims in Kaduna. "I have heard with sorrow that in Nigeria a grave
focus of tension has caused many dead. I deplore all kinds of violence
and I pray so that all the inhabitants of this country will live in
fraternity, based on respect for the person and his religious liberty.
These values are the only ones that can open a future to the Nigerian
nation."
But today Cairo was festive. Truly a celebration for the Catholic Church
in Egypt and for all the country's inhabitants. Tomorrow the Pope will
go to Mount Sinai, the mountain of meeting and of the pact with God,
with one's brothers, and with the whole of humanity. The Pontiff ended
his homily with these words: " May everyone hear the call of the God of
the Covenant and discover the joy of being his sons and daughters!"
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DIALOGUE IS MOST IMPORTANT TOPIC DURING POPE'S FIRST TWO DAYS IN EGYPT
Proposals To Discuss Ways of Exercising Bishop of Rome's Ministry
VATICAN CITY, FEB 25 (ZENIT).- The first visit of a Roman Pontiff to
Egypt has come to be a trip of alliance, not only because John Paul II
came to the land of the Pharaohs to visit the Mount of the Ten
Commandments, but also because of the great papal events in Cairo, which
have centered on the alliance among men, the dialogue between Islam and
Christianity, as well as among Christians themselves, separated by
different confessions.
One of those symbolic moments that characterizes the Holy Father's
international trips took place this afternoon: the ecumenical meeting in
the new Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt in Cairo. All the leaders of
non-Catholic Christian Churches in Egypt were present together with the
Holy Father. They were led by Pope Shenouda III, Patriarch of the Coptic
Orthodox, the most numerous Christian confession in the country. Of the
6 million Christians in Egypt, the vast majority belong to the Orthodox
Church, successor to the See of Alexandria, which separated from Rome
after the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Catholics barely number 200,000.
Given that one of the arguments that continues to separate Catholics and
Orthodox is the idea of papal primacy, John Paul II spoke very clearly
and directly on this issue. "I repeat what I wrote in my Encyclical
Letter 'Ut Unum Sint,' that whatever relates to the unity of all
Christian communities clearly forms part of the concerns of the primacy
of the Bishop of Rome. I therefore wish to renew the invitation to all
'Church leaders and their theologians to engage with me in a patient and
fraternal dialogue on this subject, a dialogue in which, leaving useless
controversies behind, we could listen to one another, keeping before us
only the will of Christ for his Church.' "
Thus the Pontiff put forward once again the idea of seriously discussing
the way in which papal primacy is exercised. "With regard to the
ministry of the Bishop of Rome, I ask the Holy Spirit to shine his light
upon us, enlightening all the Pastors and theologians of our Churches,
that we may seek together the forms in which this ministry may
accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned. Dear Brothers,
there is no time to lose in this regard!
His exhortation became more urgent when shortly before ending the
meeting, he spontaneously expressed this wish: "May the Spirit of God
soon grant us the complete and visible unity for which we yearn!"
Meeting with the Coptic Orthodox Leader
Yesterday John Paul II visited the headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox
patriarchy where he received a very warm welcome. In the presence of a
large representation from this Christian community, Pope Shenouda,
successor of St. Mark in the See of Alexandria, addressed Peter's
successor spontaneously and affectionately, imbued with the profound
spirituality that characterizes the faith of the Egyptian Church, which
is almost 2000 years old. Shenouda III recalled his meeting with Pope
Paul VI in 1973 and the joint doctrinal declaration they signed on that
occasion: a great step on the ecumenical road that at the time was not
accepted by all the leaders of the Coptic Church.
John Paul II also improvised his reply. With a smile he said that all
those who came with him to Egypt feel at home, since Mark wrote his
Gospel for the Romans. After travelling with St. Paul for a time, Mark
came to serve Peter. Many say that his Gospel represents primarily the
memories of the first Pope.
Meeting with Grand Imam
Another key moment in the dialogue the Pope brought to Egypt took place
yesterday afternoon when the Holy Father visited Al-Azhar University .
For years Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical
Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, has cultivated excellent relations
with this cultural focal point of Islam. The cordiality of Grand Imam
Mohammed Sayed Tantawi was no pretense. His affirmation of the value of
tolerance in Islam, and his proposal for collaboration among the
believers of religions to foster peace and understanding among men, are
a hope for all those who believe that the great conflicts of the future
will take place between Islam and the West. Al-Azhar is the highest
cultural and religious authority of Sunni Islam and, yesterday, he
declared himself clearly against Islamic fundamentalism.
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February 25, 2001
volume 12, no. 56
JUBILEE MOMENTS TO REMEMBER
www.DailyCatholic.org
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