Vatican City, Jun 21, 2007 / 08:07 am
Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East in an audience.
Recalling the previous meeting of the patriarch with Pope John Paul II in 1994, Benedict brought to mind the joint declaration the two leaders signed concerning Christology. The visit also marked the founding of a joint Theological Commission for promoting dialogue.
The rest of the encounter centered around the discussion of how to promote greater inter-religious dialogue in the current violent and uncertain circumstances. The pope mentioned the troubling situation in much of the Middle East for Christians and pointed to the “successive waves of emigration” of “Christians from the Eastern Churches are now living in the West.”
"The Assyrian Church of the East is rooted in ancient lands whose names are associated with the history of God's saving plan for all mankind. .... Today, tragically, Christians in this region are suffering both materially and spiritually. Particularly in Iraq, the homeland of so many of the Assyrian faithful, Christian families and communities are feeling increasing pressure from insecurity, aggression and a sense of abandonment. Many of them see no other possibility than to leave the country and to seek a new future abroad.