On the morning of November 19, Pope Francis received Patriarch Ava III of the Eastern Assyrian Church and expressed his hope that both churches could celebrate Easter on the same day in the near future. The pope called for guarantees of the rights of Christians in the Middle East, “especially freedom of religion and full citizenship”.
(Vatican News Network)You are “neither a stranger nor a guest, but a countryman (cf. Ephesians 2:19), even a dear brother”. These are the kind words Pope Francis expressed to the visiting Patriarch of the Eastern Assyrian Church, Mar Awa III, at the Vatican on the morning of November 19.
The Pope especially thanked Patriarch Ava III for expressing “the desire to establish a date for all Christians to celebrate Easter together”. During the talks, the Pope first reviewed the unfortunate divisions in the past and the road to unity over the past few decades, and expressed his expectations for future unity and communion.
Referring to the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which will take place in 2025, the Pope said with humor: “It is important because we will also celebrate Easter on the same day. Let us have the courage to end this division that sometimes makes us laugh: ‘When will your Christ be raised?’ The sign we should be showing is that there is only one Christ for all of us.”
Next, the Pope mentioned the current situation in the Middle East. To this day, that land “still suffers from a very high level of violence, instability and insecurity”. “Many brothers and sisters of our Faith have had to leave their lands. Many are struggling to stay there. My esteemed Patriarch and I reiterate our call for them to enjoy their rights, especially freedom of religion and full citizenship,” said the Pope. .In this situation, the clergy and faithful of our Church strive to bear common witness to the Gospel of Christ in difficult circumstances and in many places already live in almost total communion. This is true, And this situation is a sign of the times, urging us to pray and work hard to prepare for the long-awaited day when we will be able to celebrate the Eucharist together.”
Afterwards, the Pope spoke of the ecumenical journey, saying: “It is important that we grow closer, not only to return to our common roots, but together to proclaim to the world today with the witness of life and the words of life. The mystery of the love of Christ and his spouse, the Holy Church.”
Finally, the Pope specifically expressed his dream: “May the longest separation in the history of the Church, the separation from the beloved Eastern Assyrian Church, may be the first to be resolved, according to God’s will.”
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