Vatican City, Oct 5, 2017 / 03:49 am
As the Chaldean Catholic Church begins their annual synod, Pope Francis kicked the meeting off by telling leaders of the eastern rite that given the new apprehensions arising from increasing political instability, they must urgently work to promote unity at all levels of society.
"If in fact a tragic page has closed in some regions of your country, it means that there is still much to be done," the Pope said Oct. 5, urging Chaldean Church leaders in Iraq "to work tirelessly as builders of unity."
This unity is especially important between pastors of the Chaldean Catholic Church and leaders of other Catholic rites in the area, who should work together in "promoting dialogue and collaboration among all the actors of public life" in helping to facilitate the return of displaced persons and to heal divisions, he said.
Francis stressed that this commitment to unity "is necessary now more than ever in the current Iraqi context, faced with new uncertainties about the future."