Asks Them to Show That Islam and Christianity Can Live Side by Side Without Hatred
By Kathleen Naab
BEIRUT, Lebanon, SEPT. 15, 2012 (Zenit.org).-
Before a vast and enthusiastic crowd of young people this evening in
Lebanon, Benedict XVI voiced a strong appeal to end the emigration of
Christians from the Holy Land, opposing the trend that has decimated the
native Christian population of the region and that is expected to
continue to diminish it.
The Pope concluded his second day in Beirut with the youth encounter,
offering his own reflections after listening attentively to
presentations given by a young woman and a young man.
The Holy Father began by telling the Lebanese youth -- and their
guests from Syria, the Holy Land, and other places of the region -- that
it is a "great honor" to live in the part of the world that "witnessed
the birth of Jesus and the growth of Christianity."
"It is also a summons to fidelity, to love of this region and, above
all, to your calling to be witnesses and messengers of the joy of
Christ."
The Bishop of Rome acknowledged the many difficulties that plague the
region, such that young people face instability and lack of security,
as well as unemployment.
"But not even unemployment and uncertainty should lead you to taste
the bitter sweetness of emigration, which involves an uprooting and a
separation for the sake of an uncertain future," the Pope said. "You are
meant to be protagonists of your country’s future and to take your
place in society and in the Church."
Parallel worlds
The Holy Father went on to offer some more practical tips, so that
the "frustrations of the present moment" do not lead the youth to "take
refuge in parallel worlds like those, for example, of the various
narcotics or the bleak world of pornography."
Regarding social networks, he said, "they are interesting but they
can quite easily lead to addiction and confusion between the real and
the virtual. Look for relationships of genuine, uplifting friendship.
Find ways to give meaning and depth to your lives; fight superficiality
and mindless consumption!"
The Pontiff also warned of the "tyrannical idol" of money, "which
blinds to the point of stifling the person at the heart." And he
lamented that the "examples being held up all around you are not always
the best."
Hope
Benedict XVI's address affirmed his hope for the future reflected in
the youth, as he asked them to bring Christ's love to everyone.
"Christ asks you, then, to do as he did: to be completely open to
others, even if they belong to a different cultural, religious or
national group," the Pontiff said. "[...] Experiencing together moments
of friendship and joy enables us to resist the onset of division, which
must always be rejected! Brotherhood is a foretaste of heaven! [...]
Young people of Lebanon, you are the hope and the future of your
country."
Along these lines, the Pontiff offered a special greeting to the
young Muslims in the crowd: "Together with the young Christians, you are
the future of this fine country and of the Middle East in general. Seek
to build it up together! And when you are older, continue to live in
unity and harmony with Christians."
The Pope noted the weighty responsibility resting on the youth: "It
is vital that the Middle East in general, looking at you, should
understand that Muslims and Christians, Islam and Christianity, can live
side by side without hatred, with respect for the beliefs of each
person, so as to build together a free and humane society."
The Holy Father concluded with a special message of consolation for
Syria, assuring that the country and its violent conflict are among his
prayers and concerns. And he entrusted the youth to Mary, and to Blessed
John Paul II.
Source: http://www.zenit.org/article-35540?l=english
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