LEARNING TO SAY GOODBYE

Fourth

 Lenten Meditation

The Preacher 

of the Papal Household 

reflects on “Spreading Hope” 

and the responsibility

 that accompanies 

the Ascension, 

in the fourth 

and final meditation 

for the Roman Curia

 for Lent 2025.

 

By Christopher Wells

 In his fourth and final meditation for Lent 2025, Father Roberto Pasolini, the Preacher of the Papal Household, reflected on Jesus’ Ascension and “knowing how to say goodbye when all that is possible and necessary has been accomplished.”

In Jesus' bidding farewell to His disciples, Fr Pasolini said, He “showed us that it is possible to step aside, restoring history’s freedom and widening the boundaries of an ever more universal and inclusive hope.”

Final encounters

Following His Resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples to help them “avoid falling into an abandonment syndrome.”

Notably, in taking leave of Mary Magdalene, Jesus helps her overcome her fear of death. Mary, despairing at the loss of Jesus, is able to recognize the Lord only when He calls her once again to a hope of life. “This is the definitive conversion that the Resurrection wants to lead us to,” he said, namely “the uprising of a heart that refuses to remain locked in sadness and allows itself to be redefined by the heart of another.”

The world turned upside down

Father Pasolini went on to explain that the “insight” Jesus offered to Mary Magdalene was likewise extended “to all the disciples at the moment of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven.”

For a period of forty days – “a symbolic period of testing” – Jesus chooses “to dwell lovingly with His disciples,” ensuring that they will not fall into the temptation of “imprisoning the Risen One in a seductive and mesmerizing image.”

The papal preacher noted, too, that the promise that Jesus will return in the same way that He left this world shows us that “Christ’s glorious return at the end of time is anticipated… by the living witness of the children of God” who make Him present in the world in which we live.

Communion of desire and life

Finally, Father Pasolini said, “the Ascension of the Lord erases any possible regret over the apparent void of power that God seems to have left in human history.”

Jesus’ return to the Father, he explained, was “the essential condition for a more intimate and profound communion with Him through the Spirit, destined to be expressed in witness and service to others” – a witness and a service that extends to all of creation.

Something beautiful and new

Drawing his meditations to a close, Father Pasolini noted that the call for Christians, the members of Christ’s body, “to embody and witness the truth of the Gospel… may be the greatest hope to cultivate in this Jubilee: that as the Church repeats the gestures of her faith and tradition, the world might recognize in us something beautiful and new, capable of sparking a surge of universal hope.”

The papal preacher concluded with the hope that Christians might live up to their potential and their calling to become “witnesses and facilitators of a new humanity.”

 

Vatican News

 

 

 

 

EASTER. CHRISTUS VIIVIT

 

LAITYFAMILYLIFE A trimestral bulletin from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life Share Post Forward Share

N. 1/2024 - Easter On the fifth anniversary of Christus Vivit, and at the beginning of the Holy Week 2024, Pope Francis addresses young people with a newly published message: “Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!".   The Pontiff's words are an invitation to all people to live with Christ in the days leading up to the Easter Resurrection: “Christ is alive and he loves you with an infinite love. His love for you is unaffected by your failings or your mistakes. He gave his life for you, so in his love for you he does not wait for you to be perfect. Look at his arms outstretched on the cross, and ‘let yourself be saved over and over again’.” (Message of His Holiness Pope Francis to Young People for the Fifth Anniversary of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Christus Vivit”, 25 March, 2024)    With these words, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life wishes you all a Blessed Easter of Resurrection!

From the 25th of February to the 25th of April, a 12-week social campaign to rediscover the relevance of the Pope's letter to young people and keep alive the experience of World Youth Days On the 5th anniversary of Christus Vivit, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is accompanying the group of young communicators participating in the Dicastery for Communication's project "Faith Communication in the Digital World", in their design and production of a social campaign for the official Facebook and Instagram accounts of World Youth Day (WYD). All videos are also on playlist on the Dicastery's Youtube Channel The campaign started on Sunday the 25th of February, and will end on the 25th of April, with an aim to bring young people from all over the world together in a twelve-week experience to share the meaning and spirit of Christus Vivit for today’s life, as well as the fruits of the last WYD Lisbon 2023. Starting from the keyword "alive", and through inspirational videos, the campaign calls to action and engagement, because, the wish of the participants in the project "Faith Communication in the Digital World" is that this initiative - with the active contribution of young people who have participated in WYD, their animators and youth pastoral ministers - may keep alive the experience of World Youth Day also in the digital space, and make alive the Holy Father's invitation: " You are the now of God, and he wants you to bear fruit " (ChV 178).   This project, available in many languages, can also be adopted by various realities of the local Churches that wish to transmit a spiritual reflection that reaches young people through social networks. NEWS International InterUniversity Congress “Women in the Church. Builders of Humanity" On March 7 and 8, at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce in Rome, the 2nd edition of the International InterUniversity Congress “Women in the Church. Builders of Humanity". During the Press Conference of presentation, Prof. Gambino, Under-Secretary, offered a  reflection on 10 women saints who, in their different states of life, have sown the Word of God in the world. READ ALL A new page on our website: tools for the pastoral care of Family and Life The website of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life has been enriched with a new page collecting all the tools for the pastoral care of Family and Life, which the Dicastery has created in recent years for dioceses, parishes and ecclesial movements.  It is digital brochure also available in a printable format

SANTA PASCUA - HOLY EASTER - JOYEUSE PÂQUES

 

El Comité Ejecutivo les desea a todos una Santa Pascua

The Executive Committee wishes you all a Holy Easter

Le Comité exécutif vous souhaite à tous de bonnes fêtes de Pâques

Der Exekutivausschuss wünscht Ihnen allen ein frohes Osterfest

Il Comitato Esecutivo augura a voi tutti una Santa Pasqua

Het Uitvoerend Comité wenst u allen een Zalig Pasen

Comitetul Executiv vă urează tuturor un Paște Sfânt

 

+ Vincent Dollmann – Jan De Groof – Giuseppe Desideri – Caroline Healy

-

Papa Francesco : “A tutti e a ciascuno, dunque, non stanchiamoci di ripetere: Cristo è risorto! Ripetiamolo tutti insieme, oggi qui in piazza: Cristo è risorto! Ripetiamolo con le parole, ma soprattutto con la testimonianza della nostra vita. La lieta notizia della Risurrezione dovrebbe trasparire sul nostro volto, nei nostri sentimenti e atteggiamenti, nel modo in cui trattiamo gli altri.

Noi annunciamo la risurrezione di Cristo quando la sua luce rischiara i momenti bui della nostra esistenza e possiamo condividerla con gli altri; quando sappiamo sorridere con chi sorride e piangere con chi piange; quando camminiamo accanto a chi è triste e rischia di perdere la speranza; quando raccontiamo la nostra esperienza di fede a chi è alla ricerca di senso e di felicità. Con il nostro atteggiamento, con la nostra testimonianza, con la nostra vita, diciamo: Gesù è risorto! Lo diciamo con tutta l’anima”.

 Let us repeat it all together, today here in the Square: Christ is risen! Let us repeat it with words, but above all with the witness of our lives. The happy news of the Resurrection should shine on our faces, in our feelings and attitudes, in the way we treat others.

We proclaim the Resurrection of Christ when his light illuminates the dark moments of our life and we can share that with others: when we know how to smile with those who smile and weep with those who weep; when we walk beside those who are sad and in danger of losing hope; when we recount our experience of faith with those who are searching for meaning and for happiness. With our attitude, with our witness, with our life, we say: Jesus is risen! Let us say it with all our soul.

 A todos y cada uno, entonces, no nos cansemos de repetir: ¡Cristo ha resucitado! Repitámoslo todos juntos, hoy aquí en la plaza: ¡Cristo ha resucitado! Repitámoslo con las palabras, pero sobre todo con el testimonio de nuestra vida. La alegre noticia de la Resurrección debería transparentarse en nuestro rostro, en nuestros sentimientos y actitudes, en el modo con el cual tratamos a los demás.

Nosotros anunciamos la resurrección de Cristo cuando su luz ilumina los momentos oscuros de nuestra existencia y podemos compartirla con los demás; cuando sabemos sonreír con quien sonríe y llorar con quien llora; cuando caminamos junto a quien está triste y corre el riesgo de perder la esperanza; cuando transmitimos nuestra experiencia de fe a quien está en búsqueda de sentido y felicidad. Con nuestra actitud, con nuestro testimonio, con nuestra vida decimos: ¡Jesús ha resucitado! Lo decimos con todo el alma.

 À tous et à chacun, donc, ne nous laissons pas de répéter : le Christ est ressuscité ! Répétons-le tous ensemble, aujourd’hui sur cette place : le Christ est ressuscité ! Répétons-le par les mots, mais surtout par le témoignage de notre vie. L’heureuse nouvelle de la Résurrection devrait transparaître sur notre visage, dans nos sentiments et comportements, dans notre façon de traiter les autres.

Nous annonçons la résurrection du Christ lorsque sa lumière éclaire les moments les plus sombres de notre existence et nous pouvons la partager avec les autres ; lorsque nous savons sourire avec celui qui sourit et pleurer avec celui qui pleure; lorsque nous marchons à côté de celui qui est triste et qui risque de perdre espoir ; lorsque nous racontons notre expérience de foi à celui qui est en quête de sens et de bonheur. Par notre comportement, par notre témoignage, par notre vie, nous disons : Jésus est ressuscité ! Nous le disons avec toute notre âme.

PAQUES - LES VOEUX DE MSG DOLLMANN

Nous renouveler dans la foi de Pâques

Rinnovarci nella fede della Pasqua

Renewing ourselves in the faith of Easter

Renovarse en la fe de la Pascua

+ Vincent Dollmann, Archeveque de Cambrai

A.-E. Umec-Wuct

Oser la joie de croire

Devant le tombeau vide, les différentes réactions de sainte Marie-Madeleine et des saints apôtres Pierre et Jean soulignent la nécessité de la réponse de foi face à l’événement qui dépasse tout entendement et tout raisonnement humain : Jésus qui est mort crucifié, est sorti vivant du tombeau, il est ressuscité et participe à la Gloire de Dieu (Cf. Jn 20). Le Pape François n’hésite pas à nous interpeller : « Il y a des chrétiens qui semblent avoir un air de Carême sans Pâques. […] Il faut permettre à la joie de la foi de commencer à s’éveiller, comme une confiance secrète mais ferme, même au milieu des pires soucis » (La joie de l’Evangile n. 6).

Accueillir la foi comme un don

La foi est avant tout un don gratuit du Seigneur. Avec Jésus, elle peut toucher autant le cœur des adultes que des enfants qu’il n’a pas hésité à laisser venir à lui. D’ailleurs, lors du Baptême, à la question « Que demandez-vous à l’Eglise de Dieu ? », le rituel indique comme réponse « la foi ». A chaque baptisé, il incombe d’accueillir et de faire fructifier cette foi, certains comme saint Jean, auront la grâce de grandir avec elle, d’en vivre à toutes les étapes de leur vie ; d’autres comme saint Pierre, mettront plus de temps, en butte à la réalité du mal et de la souffrance, ou face au doute nourri par la fascination du progrès technique.

Cultiver la foi comme le don le plus précieux

Si la foi introduit dans la connaissance de Dieu et de l’homme, elle est encore davantage : une relation vivante avec Dieu. Croire en Jésus-Christ, c’est entrer dans le lien d’amour entre le Père et son Fils Jésus qui, par sa mort et sa résurrection, a fait voler en éclats les verrous du Mal et de la Mort. La nature humaine de Jésus, qui a été pénétrée totalement par l’amour de Dieu, est devenue le gage de notre propre résurrection. Saint Paul s’adressera ainsi aux baptisés : « Vous êtes ressuscités avec le Christ. Recherchez donc les réalités d’en haut » (Col 3,1).

Sainte Marie-Madeleine, saint Pierre et saint Jean, premiers témoins de Pâques, nous pressent à renouveler notre foi comme sagesse de vie et relation d’amour au Christ. Passés de la mort à la vie auprès du Christ ressuscité, ils veilleront sur notre foi.

 

X Vincent Dollmann

Archevêque de Cambrai

Assistent Ecclésiastique UMEC-WUCT

Pasqua 2023

Rinnovarci nella fede della Pasqua

 

Osare credere

Davanti al sepolcro vuoto, le diverse reazioni di Santa Maria Maddalena e dei santi apostoli Pietro e Giovanni sottolineano la necessità di una risposta di fede di fronte a un evento che supera ogni comprensione e ragionamento umano: Gesù, morto crocifisso, è uscito vivo dal sepolcro, è risorto e partecipa alla Gloria di Dio (cfr. Gv 20). Papa Francesco non esita a sfidarci: "Ci sono cristiani che sembrano avere un'aria di Quaresima senza Pasqua. [...] Dobbiamo lasciare che la gioia della fede cominci a risvegliarsi, come una fiducia segreta ma ferma, anche in mezzo alle peggiori preoccupazioni" (La gioia del Vangelo n. 6).

Accogliere la fede come dono

La fede è innanzitutto un dono gratuito del Signore. Con Gesù, essa può toccare il cuore sia degli adulti che dei bambini, che egli non ha esitato a far venire a lui. Infatti, nel Battesimo, alla domanda "Che cosa chiedi alla Chiesa di Dio?", il rito indica come risposta "la fede". Alcuni, come San Giovanni, avranno la grazia di crescere con essa, di viverla in ogni fase della loro vita; altri, come San Pietro, ci metteranno più tempo, di fronte alla realtà del male e della sofferenza, o al dubbio alimentato dal fascino del progresso tecnico.

Coltivare la fede come il dono più prezioso

Se la fede ci introduce alla conoscenza di Dio e dell'uomo, essa è ancora di più: una relazione viva con Dio. Credere in Gesù Cristo significa entrare nel legame d'amore tra il Padre e suo Figlio Gesù, che con la sua morte e risurrezione ha infranto le catene del male e della morte. La natura umana di Gesù, totalmente penetrata dall'amore di Dio, è diventata il pegno della nostra stessa risurrezione. San Paolo dirà ai battezzati: "Siete stati risuscitati con Cristo. Cercate dunque le cose di lassù" (Col 3,1).

Santa Maria Maddalena, San Pietro e San Giovanni, i primi testimoni della Pasqua, ci esortano a rinnovare la nostra fede come sapienza di vita e relazione d'amore con Cristo. Essendo passati dalla morte alla vita con Cristo risorto, veglieranno sulla nostra fede.

 + Vincent Dollmann

Arcivescovo di Cambrai

Assistente ecclesiastico UMEC-WUCT

 Easter 2023

Renewing ourselves in the faith of Easter

 

Daring to believe

Before the empty tomb, the different reactions of St Mary Magdalene and the holy apostles Peter and John underline the need for a response of faith in the face of an event that surpasses all human understanding and reasoning: Jesus, who died crucified, came out of the tomb alive, he is risen and shares in the Glory of God (cf. Jn 20). Pope Francis does not hesitate to challenge us: "There are Christians who seem to have an air of Lent without Easter. [...] We must allow the joy of faith to begin to awaken, like a secret but firm trust, even in the midst of the worst worries" (The Joy of the Gospel n. 6).

Welcoming faith as a gift

Faith is above all a free gift from the Lord. With Jesus, it can touch the hearts of both adults and children, whom he did not hesitate to let come to him. In fact, at Baptism, when asked "What do you ask of the Church of God? the ritual indicates "faith" as the answer. Some, like St John, will have the grace to grow with it, to live it at every stage of their lives; others, like St Peter, will take longer, faced with the reality of evil and suffering, or with the doubt nourished by the fascination of technical progress.

Cultivating faith as the most precious gift

If faith introduces us to the knowledge of God and of man, it is even more: a living relationship with God. To believe in Jesus Christ is to enter into the bond of love between the Father and his Son Jesus, who, through his death and resurrection, shattered the locks of evil and death. The human nature of Jesus, which was totally penetrated by the love of God, became the pledge of our own resurrection. St. Paul will say to the baptized: "You have been raised with Christ. Therefore seek the things that are above" (Col 3:1).

St. Mary Magdalene, St. Peter and St. John, the first witnesses of Easter, urge us to renew our faith as wisdom of life and relationship of love to Christ. Having passed from death to life with the risen Christ, they will watch over our faith.

 + Vincent Dollmann

Archbishop of Cambrai

Ecclesiastical Assistant UMEC-WUCT

 

 Pascua 2023

Renovarse en la fe de la Pascua

 

Atreverse a creer

Ante el sepulcro vacío, las diferentes reacciones de santa María Magdalena y de los santos apóstoles Pedro y Juan subrayan la necesidad de una respuesta de fe ante un acontecimiento que supera toda comprensión y todo razonamiento humano: Jesús, que murió crucificado, salió vivo del sepulcro, ha resucitado y participa de la Gloria de Dios (cf. Jn 20). El Papa Francisco no duda en desafiarnos: "Hay cristianos que parecen tener un aire de Cuaresma sin Pascua. [...] Debemos dejar que la alegría de la fe comience a despertarse, como una confianza secreta pero firme, incluso en medio de las peores preocupaciones" (La alegría del Evangelio n. 6).

Acoger la fe como un don

La fe es ante todo un don gratuito del Señor. Con Jesús, puede tocar el corazón tanto de los adultos como de los niños, a quienes no dudó en dejar que se acercaran a Él. De hecho, en el Bautismo, a la pregunta "¿Qué pides a la Iglesia de Dios?", el ritual indica como respuesta "la fe". Algunos, como san Juan, tendrán la gracia de crecer con ella, de vivirla en cada etapa de su vida; otros, como san Pedro, tardarán más, enfrentados a la realidad del mal y del sufrimiento, o a la duda alimentada por la fascinación del progreso técnico.

Cultivar la fe como el don más precioso

Si la fe nos introduce en el conocimiento de Dios y del hombre, es aún más: una relación viva con Dios. Creer en Jesucristo es entrar en el vínculo de amor entre el Padre y su Hijo Jesús, que, con su muerte y resurrección, rompió los cerrojos del mal y de la muerte. La naturaleza humana de Jesús, totalmente penetrada por el amor de Dios, se convirtió en prenda de nuestra propia resurrección. San Pablo dirá a los bautizados: "Habéis resucitado con Cristo. Buscad, pues, las cosas de arriba" (Col 3,1).

Santa María Magdalena, San Pedro y San Juan, los primeros testigos de la Pascua, nos exhortan a renovar nuestra fe como sabiduría de vida y relación de amor a Cristo. Habiendo pasado de la muerte a la vida con Cristo resucitado, velarán por nuestra fe.

 + Vincent Dollmann

Arzobispo de Cambrai

Asistente eclesiástico UMEC-WUCT

  

THE PEACE IS TAKING RESPONSABILITY FOR OTHERS

  AR  - DE  - EN  - ES  - FR  - IT  - PL  - PT

 .... The peace Jesus gives to us at Easter is not the peace that follows the strategies of the world, which believes it can obtain it through force, by conquest and with various forms of imposition. This peace is only an interval between wars: we are well aware of this. The peace of the Lord follows the way of meekness and mildness: it is taking  responsibility for others. Indeed, Christ took on himself our evil, sin and our death. He took all of this upon himself. In this way he freed us. He paid for us. His peace is not the fruit of some compromise, but rather is born of self-giving. This meek and courageous peace, though, is difficult to accept. In fact, the crowd who exalted Jesus is the same that a few days later would shout, “Crucify him!” and, fearful and disappointed, would not lift a finger for him.

In this regard, a great story by Dostoevsky, the so-called Legend of The Grand Inquisitor, is always relevant. It tells of Jesus who, after several centuries, returns to Earth. He is immediately welcomed by the rejoicing crowd, who recognizes and acclaims him. “Ah, you have returned! Come, come with us!”. But then he is arrested by the Inquisitor, who represents worldly logic. The latter interrogates him and criticizes him fiercely. The final reason for the rebuke is that Christ, although he could, never wanted to become Caesar, the greatest king of this world, preferring to leave mankind free rather than subjugate it and solve its problems by force. He could have established peace in the world, bending the free but precarious heart of man by force of a higher power, but he chose not to: he respected our freedom. “Hadst Thou taken the world and Caesar’s purple, Thou wouldst have founded the universal state and given universal peace” (The Brothers Karamazov , Milan 2012); and with a lashing sentence he concludes, “For if anyone has ever deserved our fires, it is Thou”. Here is the deception that is repeated throughout history, the temptation of a false peace, based on power, which then leads to hatred and the betrayal of God, and much bitterness in the soul.

 In the end, according to the story, the Inquisitor “longed for [Jesus] to say something, however bitter and terrible”. But Christ  reacts with a gentle and concrete gesture: “He suddenly approached the old man in silence and softly kissed him on his bloodless aged lips”. Jesus’ peace does not overpower others; it is not an armed peace, never! The weapons of the Gospel are prayer, tenderness, forgiveness and freely-given love for one’s neighbour, love for every neighbour. This is how God’s peace is brought into the world. This is why the armed aggression of these days, like every war, is an outrage against God, a blasphemous betrayal of the Lord of Passover, a preference for the face of the false god of this world over his meek one. War is always a human act, to bring about the idolatry of power.

Before his final Passover, Jesus says to his disciples: “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27). Yes, because while worldly power leaves only destruction and death in its wake — we have seen this in recent days — his peace builds up history, starting from the heart of every person who welcomes it. Easter is therefore the true feast of God and humanity, because the peace that Christ gained on the cross in giving himself is distributed to us. Therefore, the Risen Christ, on Easter Day, appears to the disciples, and how does he greet them? “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19-21). This is the greeting of Christ victorious, the Risen Christ.

 Brothers, sisters, Pasqua , [Italian word for Easter] signifies “passage”. This year above all, it is a blessed occasion to pass from the worldly god to the Christian God, from the greed that we carry within us to the charity that sets us free, from the expectation of a peace brought by force to the commitment to bear real witness to the peace of Jesus. Brothers and sisters, let us place ourselves before the Crucified One, the wellspring of our peace, and ask him for peace of heart and peace in the world.

 Pope Francis

LA CHARITE' TEMOIGNAGE DE LA RESURRECTION - fr - en - it

 MESSAGE DE MSG DOLLMANN

  

La charité comme un service humble et quotidien

 La veille de sa mort, Jésus a remis à ses disciples, avec le sacrement de l’eucharistie, le geste du lavement des pieds : « Si donc je vous ai lavé les pieds, moi le Seigneur et le Maître, vous aussi vous devez vous laver les uns aux autres» (Jn13,14). La communion au Christ, mort et ressuscité passe par le lavement des pieds les uns des autres. Geste d’hospitalité effectué par les esclaves, il signifie le service humble et quotidien.

 En cette période de pandémie qui perdure, les chrétiens ont sans cesse à redécouvrir cette attention les uns aux autres dans les structures éducatives et dans leurs différents lieux de vie.

 Récemment un curé me partageait sa souffrance de voir des personnes se côtoyer durant des mois et des années dans les célébrations sans se connaître. La charité du Christ se mesure pourtant à notre attention aux plus proches et à la qualité de nos relations interpersonnelles. Dans la parabole du bon samaritain, Jésus pose une question concrète : « De qui te fais-tu le prochain ? » (Lc 10). Jésus l’enseigne et en donne l’exemple : du début de son ministère au milieu des foules et jusque sur la croix aux côtés des malfaiteurs, il se laisse toucher par les situations humaines les plus diverses et redonne à chaque personne rencontrée sa dignité d’homme et de fils de Dieu.

La charité, un don et une mission du Christ ressuscité

 Eclairé par l’évangile du Christ et soutenu par son Esprit de charité, le baptisé est appelé à se rendre solidaire de tous les hommes et à servir tout l’homme. En famille, au travail et dans toutes ses activités, il peut témoigner de son attachement au Christ qui a sauvé le monde par son amour. Dans les institutions chrétiennes et là où c’est possible, il doit également pouvoir rendre compte de sa foi au Christ. Le faire, ce n’est pas forcer les personnes à croire, mais les respecter. Elles ont droit de savoir à qui nous appartenons et d’accéder à leur tour à la vie du Christ ressuscité.

 En mars dernier quand les médias ont évoqué le dixième anniversaire du déclenchement de la guerre en Irak et en Syrie et l’établissement d’un Etat islamique, je pensais au Père Jacques Mourad[1], prêtre de l’Eglise syriaque-catholique. Il avait en charge la communauté de Qaryatayn, non loin de Palmyre, où j’ai participé aux célébrations de Pâques en 2010. Le Père Jacques a été enlevé par des hommes du groupe État islamique en mai 2015 et a connu une captivité très éprouvante. Cinq mois plus tard, il a pu s’échapper grâce au soutien de quelques jeunes musulmans. Ils voulaient lui témoigner leur reconnaissance pour l’aide qui venait en temps de paix des chrétiens d’Occident et qu’il distribuait à tout nécessiteux, sans distinction de religion.

 L’engagement du Père Mourad et des chrétiens persécutés pour leur foi, est un appel pressant à vivre de la charité du Christ à temps et à contretemps. Une maxime de saint Ignace de Loyola[2] peut nous aider à y répondre d’une manière concrète : « Agis comme si tout dépendait de toi, en sachant qu’en réalité tout dépend de Dieu » .

 Avril 2021

X Vincent DOLLMANN

Archevêque de Cambrai- A.E. UMEC-WUCT

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[1] Jacques Mourad : « Un moine en otage, le combat pour la paix d'un prisonnier des djihadistes » (Edition l’Emmanuel, mai 2018)

 [2] Pedro de Ribadeneira : « La vie de saint Ignace de Loyola »

 _______________________________

La charité, témoignage de la vie de ressuscités

Charity a witness to the life of the risen

   La carità testimonia la vita del Risorto