“In the Holy Land, everyone is awaiting the Pope’s visit with great anticipation.” “Numerous participation requests” have already been received and “because of the political situation getting visas will not be easy.”
The Custodian of the Holy Land, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa stated this, noting that the Arab Spring changed all organisational structures and Christians in the Middle East are expecting Benedict XVI’s guidance and support.
“Lebanonis a crucial cultural reference point for the entire Middle East and it is also for the life of the Church. This is why everyone wants to be present. The parishioners’ assembly, presided over by the Patriarch has already decided that all parishes will dedicate the next pastoral year to the study and reading of the Post-Synodal Exhortation,” the Franciscan cleric noted.
“Churches in the Middle East are going through a very important transition phase” and this is partly why expectations are so high for the Exhortation, for the “guidelines the Pope will give us.”
One of the Pope’s most important items on the Pope’s schedule, according to Fr. Pizzaballa, is his meeting with Muslim leaders: “One of the most important issues addressed at the Middle Eastern Synod – he recalled – was the Church’s relations with Islam. Churches in the Middle East have a great deal to say about this as their future also depends on their ability to engage in a calm and honest relationship with Middle Eastern Islam, which is also undergoing a lot of changes; a big transformation. This is one of the reasons why it will be one of the most important meetings and one of the most important messages the Pope will give us for the future."
“The Arab Spring or what remains of it – the Custodian said – has completely changed relations and dynamics. Let’s say that in a sense, the Synod foresaw to some extent and prepared in its document for these changes. However, now, it is important that we move on to a construction phase: the Middle East is changing; Islam – which permeates Middle Eastern life – is changing; we as Christians are also changing and we also want to be a the forefront of this change.”