IN HIS traditional Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi blessing, Pope Benedict XVI yesterday issued a strong appeal for peace in Africa, in the Middle East and in particular for an end to violence in Syria.
Addressing an estimated 100,000 people in St Peter’s Square, the Pope expressed his support for the UN-brokered Syria peace deal, saying: “May the risen Christ grant hope to the Middle East . . . Particularly in Syria may there be an end to the bloodshed and an immediate commitment to the path of respect, dialogue and reconciliation, as called for by the international community . . .”
On an Easter Sunday, when 16 people were killed in a car bombing near a church in Kaduna, northern Nigeria in a grisly reminder of Christmas Day attacks that killed more than 40 people – Pope Benedict also called for prayers for African Christians in the Horn of Africa, Sudan, Mali and Nigeria. “May the Lord, the victor over evil and death, sustain the Christian communities of the African continent . . . To Nigeria, which in recent times has experienced savage terrorist attacks, may the joy of Easter grant the strength needed to take up anew the building of a society which is peaceful and respectful of the religious freedom of its citizens.”
Having issued his appeal for peace, the Pope then offered his traditional multilingual Urbi et Orbi blessing in 65 languages, including Irish, saying: “May the grace and joy of the Risen Christ be with you all.”
In a further indication of the Holy See’s concern about the fate of Christians in the Middle East, the Vatican yesterday also confirmed that the Pope will make a three-day trip to Lebanon next September. This 24th overseas pastoral visit represents the pontiff’s second trip to the Middle East following a 2009 visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. A spokesperson for the office of Lebanese president Michel Suleiman welcomed the papal visit, saying that it would underline the “deep historic ties” between Lebanon and the Holy See.
The weekend also highlighted another papal trip that will definitely not be happening. On Saturday, it was announced that Curia Cardinal, Canadian Marc Ouellet, a man sometimes considered a possible successor to Pope Benedict, will represent the Pope at the 50th International Eucharistic Conference (IEC) in Dublin next June.
When leading an IEC delegation that met Pope Benedict in Rome last month, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin suggested that it was unlikely that the Pope himself would attend. At best, he suggested, Pope Benedict’s contribution would most probably be limited to a live video link-up. The choice of Cardinal Ouellet as papal legate, however, is significant.
As head of the Vatican’s Congregation of Bishops, he is more than familiar with the problems of the Irish church given that his department was heavily involved in the recent Apostolic Visitation. Furthermore, as Archbishop of Quebec, he hosted the last IEC in Quebec in June 2008.