the future of the faithful

Middle East Catholic Bishops Open Rome Meeting

Pope Benedict XVI blesses the altar as he celebrates a mass for the opening of a crisis summit of 

Middle East bishops to discuss the future of embattled Christians in the region, in St. Peter's Basilica, 

Vatican, 10 Oct 2010.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a special mass in Saint Peter's Basilica, presiding over the opening of 

a two-week Synod of Bishops of the Middle East.  The purpose of the synod is to reflect on the present 

and future of the faithful and the populations in the Middle East. 

For two weeks, bishops will be discussing problems in the Middle East.  Among the issues are the 

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, strife in Iraq, radical Islamism, regional economic crises and the divisions 

among the region's many Christian churches.

More than 170 Catholic bishops from Islamic countries, as well as Roman officials, non-Catholic 

Christians and academic experts will discuss the future of Christian communities in the Middle East.  

Representatives of the Jewish and Muslim faiths have been invited to address the gathering.  

Pope Benedict presided over a mass Sunday to mark the opening of the "Special Assembly for the 

Middle East" in Saint Peter's Basilica.  The unprecedented meeting will be held in Vatican City from 

October 10th to 24th.

In his homily, the pope said the Middle East is the land of the exodus and of the return from exile, the 

land where Jesus lived, died and resurrected, the cradle of the church, established to bring the Gospel 

of Christ to the borders of the world.

And we too as believers, the pope said, look at the Middle East, in the prospect of the history of 

salvation. 

This, the pope said, is the interior feeling that guided me in my apostolic visits to Turkey, the Holy Land 

- Jordan, Israel and Palestine - and Cyprus, where I was able to see closely the joys and concerns of 

the Christian communities. 

Conditions for Christians vary from country to country in the Middle East, but the overall picture is 

dramatic. Christians made up around 20 percent of the region's population a century ago, but now 

account for only about five percent.

The pope said he welcomed the proposal by the patriarchs and bishops for this assembly to reflect on 

the present and future of the faithful and the populations in the Middle East. 

The official objective of the synod is to strengthen Christian identity and promote ecumenism in Muslim 

countries.  Significant issues are acquiring religious freedom - to be understood as freedom of worship 

and instituting human rights education.

10 October 2010,   Sabina Castelfranco | Rome