Vatican City, Oct 24, 2010 / 13:46 pm
Peace is possible and urgent in the Middle East, where wars, violence and terrorism have gone on for “too long,” said the Pope at the concluding Mass of the Vatican's synod on the Middle East. He invited prayers for the region and assured its Christian inhabitants that they are “never alone.”
The synod, two weeks of discussions on the state of Christians and the Church in the Middle East, concluded on Sunday with a Eucharistic celebration that showed the "unity in diversity" of the Catholic Church. Joining Pope Benedict XVI in the celebration of the Mass were 177 bishops from all over the Middle East and neighboring nations who had taken part in the summit.
The meetings brought many challenges, hopes and concerns to light while maintaining a focus on the synod's theme: "Communion and Witness: now those who believed were of one heart and soul."
Among the matters receiving the most attention during the sessions were communion among the variety of Eastern Catholic traditions; problematic emigration from the Middle East; and inter-religious relations and dialogue. The topics of violence, peace, and religious freedom were also prominent.