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Skriven 2006-11-30 01:03:00 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                               VIS-Press releases

POPE ENCOURAGES THE SMALL TURKISH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 29, 2006 (VIS) - At 8 a.m. today, Benedict XVI travelled by
plane from Ankara to the Turkish city of Izmir. From there he went by car to
Ephesus.

Today a city of some 18,000 inhabitants, Ephesus is among the most famous
archaeological sites on the shores of the Mediterranean. In ancient times, it
was the location of the Temple of Diana, one of the seven Wonders of the World.
The city was also home to one of the earliest Christian communities. St. Paul
resided there for three years, and St. John the Evangelist lived and died
there. In the year 431, an ecumenical council was held at Ephesus which
proclaimed the divine motherhood of Mary.

The shrine of "Meryem Ana Evi" (House of Mother Mary) 4 kilometers from
Ephesus, where the Pope met with the Catholic community resident in Turkey, is
a center of Marian devotion unique in the world. However, no archeological
traces remain, and evidence that Mary truly lived in Ephesus with St. John the
Evangelist rests on a first-century tradition and a thirteenth-century Syrian
account. The shrine is frequented not only by Christians but also by Muslims
who come to venerate Mary in the course of pilgrimages to the nearby Mosque of
Isa Bey.

At 11.30 a.m., Benedict XVI arrived at the shrine's convent of Capuchin Friars,
spending a few moments in the chapel and the sacristy before going on to the
shrine itself where, at midday, he celebrated Mass. In opening his homily, the
Pope gave thanks to God "for Mary's divine motherhood," and described Ephesus
as a place "dear to the Christian community," recalling the visits there by his
"venerable predecessors the Servants of God Paul VI and John Paul II," and in
particular Blessed John XXIII, papal representative to Turkey from 1935 to
1944.

John XXIII, said the Pope in his English-language talk, "left to the Church and
the world the legacy of his Christian optimism, rooted in deep faith and
constant union with God. In that same spirit, I turn to this nation and, in a
special way, to the 'little flock' of Christ living in its midst, in order to
offer a word of encouragement and to manifest the affection of the whole
Church."

The Pope mentioned St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, which contains the
expression "Christ is our peace," the motto of his apostolic trip. "The Apostle
explains," said the Pope, "how, in a truly unforeseen way, messianic peace has
now come about in Christ's own person and His saving mystery. He explains it by
writing, during his imprisonment, to the Christian community which lived here,
in Ephesus. ... The Apostle wishes them 'grace and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.' Grace is the power that transforms man and the
world; peace is the mature fruit of this transformation. Christ is grace;
Christ is peace."

"The Apostle of the Gentiles says that Christ 'has made us both one'," said the
Holy Father, pointing out that these words refer to the relationship between
Jews and Gentiles. "Yet they can also extend, by analogy, to the relationship
between the peoples and civilizations present in the world. Christ 'came to
proclaim peace,' not only between Jews and non-Jews, but between all nations,
since all have their origin in the same God."

"From this edge of the Anatolian peninsula, a natural bridge between
continents, let us implore peace and reconciliation, above all for those
dwelling in the Land called 'Holy' and considered as such by Christians, Jews
and Muslims alike: it is the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, destined to be
the home of a people that would become a blessing for all the nations. Peace
for all of humanity! May Isaiah's prophecy soon be fulfilled: 'They shall beat
their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.'

"We all need this universal peace," he added, "and the Church is called to be
not only the prophetic herald, but even more, the 'sign and instrument' of this
peace. Against the backdrop of universal peace, the yearning for full communion
and concord between all Christians becomes even more profound and intense.

"Present at today's celebration are Catholic faithful of various rites, and
this is a reason for joyful praise of God. These rites, when they converge in
unity and common witness, are an expression of that marvelous variety which
adorns the Bride of Christ."

"Dear brothers and sisters," the Pope concluded, "in this visit I have wanted
to convey my personal love and spiritual closeness, together with that of the
universal Church, to the Christian community here in Turkey, a small minority
which faces many challenges. ... With firm trust let us sing, together with
Mary, a Magnificat of praise and thanksgiving to God who has looked with favor
upon the lowliness of his servant. Let us sing joyfully, even when we are
tested by difficulties and dangers, as we have learned from the fine witness
given by ... Don Andrea Santoro, whom I am pleased to recall in this
celebration." Fr. Santoro, a priest from Rome, was killed in February this year
while praying at his church in the Turkish city of Trabzon.

This afternoon, the Pope is scheduled to travel from Izmir to Istanbul where he
will meet the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.
PV-TURKEY/CATHOLIC COMMUNITY/EPHESUS VIS 061129 (930)

SUMMARY

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