Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew I speak in Turkey.
Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew I demanded an end to the ISIS campaign against Christians and other religious minorities in Syria and Iraq as well as more dialogue between Christians and Muslims. Yahoo/AP. The two leaders issued a joint declaration urging international action to help displaced Christians and allowing them to stay in their native lands. The declaration took place in Turkey, where Pope Francis met with both refugees from Syria and Iraq as well as the Islamic Grand Mufti of Turkey, Rahmi Yaran. In addition to the remarks about Islam, Francis was trying to repair relations with the Orthodox Church, which separated from Catholicism in 1054. The strong relationship between Francis and Bartholomew gives hope that the schism will end at some point.
My Comment:
The treatment of Christians by ISIS is something that doesn't get enough press. I'll take any opportunity to cover it, even though I am not particularly religious myself. It always angers me when I hear things like "Christians can't be oppressed" when it is very clear that there are plenty of them being martyred overseas. As always, it isn't just ISIS that is doing this, there are many other groups that are targeting Christians as well. It is a major problem that isn't getting enough coverage. So I am always glad to hear when the Pope (and the Orthodox Patriarch) speak out against it. They have a captive audience of more then one billion people, so if they can't bring attention to the issue.
As for the schism in the church, I hope it does end someday. I have no stake in it either way because I am not a member of either church, but if the Catholic and Orthodox churches can overcome a thousand years of schism, botched crusades and political maneuvering then there is hope for us all.
No comments:
Post a Comment