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The Message of Caritas to Pope Francis in the General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis with the Holy Father. May 11, 2023
Your Holiness, Pope Francis, good morning.
Thank you for welcoming us this morning, and for the great joy that this meeting gives us.
Since our last meeting four years ago, the Caritas Confederation has been walking together, and we unite again today from over 160 countries.
To move forward in unity is a “prophetic” project of faith and hope which also requires patience and effort... just as in a family!
As we work in our common mission to accompany the most vulnerable people in all corners of the world, Caritas wants to grow as a family that values the diversity of its Members and always puts the poor and marginalized at the center.
While travelling this road, we have been at the side of the bishops and local Churches at the peripheries of humanity, in wealthy and poor countries, and throughout different crises, striving to show the loving face of the Church and to work for a world which is more peaceful, just, and in communion with creation.
In the Horn of Africa, Ukraine and neighboring countries, Venezuela, the Sahel, Congo, Myanmar, Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, the Pacific Islands, and many other countries, our commitment and prayer have been able to bring the gifts of “five loaves and two fish.”
Even though at times these gifts may seem miraculous, we know that they are the small offering which we lay at the feet of the Lord Jesus in our mission of service.
Today we begin our 22nd General Assembly, a time of grace, joy, prayer, discussion and decisions, which we have titled Building new paths of fraternity.
In these days, our heartfelt desire is that the Holy Spirit and the Word of God will be a lamp of discernment to guide us as we plan the continuation of our journey of charity; a journey which presents us with challenges to be overcome, but which also bears immense fruits of peace, strength, mercy and hope, because we know that with Jesus at our side, we will lack nothing.
Holy Father, with our deepest affection and entire trust, we ask you to direct our steps in these days, and we assure you of our prayers for you.
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A first communion in Asomatos…
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April 30, 2023. The first communion of Emilia in Archangel Mikael church in Asomatos...
30 Απριλίου 2023. Η πρώτη κοινωνία της Αιμιλίας στην εκκλησία του Aρχαγγέλου Μιχαήλ στον Ασώματο...
By the Holy Grace, and the hand imposition of H.E. Archbishop Selim Sfeir, the sub-deacon Elias Liatsos was ordained Deacon on the altars of the Maronite Diocese of Cyprus on April 28, 2023.
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Holy Thursday, 12.4.2012
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Holy Thursday, 12.4.2012
Holy Thursday
1 Cor 11/23-32;Luc 22/1-23
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I want to meditate with you, on this Easter night, on the mystery of God’s love to us, through the following four points:
- It is the Thursday of the Sacraments, during which our Lord culminates His life on the Eve of His passion, offering Himself for us, through the Eucharistic Gifts that is the bread and wine. He established the mystery of Holy Eucharist, which summarizes the path of humanity towards this hour, during which He saves mankind from sin and liberates it with His death and resurrection. Through Holy Eucharist we thank and praise Him for the life and salvation He gave us. In this way, we glorify the Father through the spirit that makes us participate in this symposium of the bread of life.
- It is the Thursday of the washing of the feet, which clearly shows, that Jesus Christ, the King of Kings leaned towards our sinful humanity. Let us remember that He himself leaned during His incarnation and was born in a place full of humility. He, himself entered Jerusalem riding a donkey and was welcomed by the pure and the righteous. And on this night, he completes the ceremony of the washing, in order to give an example to His disciples, to all of us, that love is expressed with service and the most prominent should be the first servant. In this mystery of His love we were baptized Christians to serve humanity.
- It is the Thursday during which our Lord established priesthood. He is Himself the priest of the New Testament. All baptized participate in His priesthood through baptism. Some are called to serve the community through the priesthood of the altar, celebrating the Holy Eucharist and the other mysteries. The presence of priests in the world shows God’s mercy towards humanity. Because of the presence of priests in human societies, the faith within the community is testified. Jesus continues to invite young people to follow Him. My youth, open your hearts to hear His voice and accept Him.
- It is the Thursday during which we renew our faith in front of this huge mystery of His love towards us. Let us be honest with ourselves, let us be consistent to our baptism and Christian mission. Let us search deep inside to realize what kind of faith we live: Is it a temporary faith? Is it faith received from the family and society without any personal or deep commitment? Is it a faith in which we exercise some external religious ceremonies without considering that we adore the Living God who loves us and requests from us only to love Him? Let us renew our faith, let us apologize in front of the generosity of His love. Let us meet the challenges of faith in today’s world, because life in Christ today, tomorrow and for ever is the greatest and most beautiful gift ever. To Him be Glory for Ever. Amen
Nicosia, 12 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
12/04/2012
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Holy Friday, 13.4.2012
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Holy Friday
1 Peter 4/12-19; John 6/48-59
I want to meditate with you on the Passion of Christ focusing on the following five points:
- It is the Passion of Christ in all its being. The very fact of the Incarnation, that is, God the Father sending His only begotten Son to become Emmanuel, is the same Passion. The Son leaves everything behind, His Glory, the Kingdom of His Father and dwells with people, with sinners, simply because He loved us and wanted to free us from slavery.
- It is the Passion of His body, His Holy and Immaculate body, His body which represents human nature, but that, which is perfect whereas ours is imperfect. He invites us to perfection and bears all His passions for our salvation and our renewal.
- It is the Passion of His soul, the Passion of the One who came to fulfill the will of His Father, the Father who was in direct communication with Him day and night. During the day He used to meet the Father through the people and their passions, and at night in prayer and silence He was in union and communion with Him.
- It is the Passion of humanity. Jesus carries through His personal passions, the passions of all humanity, of all history, even those arising from the rejection of God. He carries in His Passion the sickness and the sick, the remote and the near, those who search for Him in purity to meet Him, to know Him and to become His disciples.
- The Passion of salvation. It is the Passion that brings salvation, not the Passion just for the Passion, but for the salvation of men. It is the Passion that leads us to the dynamism of life and resurrection. Let us thank Him for His Passions, let us present ours in front of His cross and let us bear His in our bodies so as to become His disciples. Amen.
Nicosia, 13 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
13/04/2012
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Easter Sunday, 15.4.2012
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Sunday of Easter
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Al Masyhou Qam,
On this morning of the Resurrection I want to focus an and meditate with you, on four points highlighting the importance of the resurrection that we celebrate today:
- God raised His Son from the dead on the third day. It is the essence of our Christian Faith which is practically based on this confession and this announcement. God the creator of the universe, God who is the God of life and the Lord of death, God who through His plan of salvation wished to send His only begotten Son to our humanity, and became man, God who wanted to give life back to humans as they were in eternal death, has raised His Son from the dead, His Son who is true man and true God and new life is given through Him. This time, the human being is liberated from eternal death, and is filled with eternal life that is realized through His resurrection. It is the foundation of our Christian faith.
- Jesus is no longer in the tomb. The tomb is empty, He is not there. In fact, He has returned to His father and lives with us, at the same time. His kingdom is that of His father, but also the heart of man. He says in His Gospel: “The kingdom of God is within you.” In order to see it, to feel it, to leap of its hope, our eyes and heart should look at the sky but also at the depth of our being. We have to live the presence of the resurrected and living Christ in the depth of our hearts otherwise faith becomes an external religious action tasteless and without fruits.
- The theological and spiritual space of His encounter is the Eucharistic banquet. We know that the Holy Eucharist of every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection. And today’s feast is a strong time that reminds us of the historical time of Jesus in which the Pascal Mystery was realized. But it is every Sunday that the Church celebrates in depth, the resurrection. In other words, we have to celebrate this every week rather than every year, that is once a year, or occasionally. How beautiful it is, to meet Jesus every Sunday in the Holy Eucharist and to celebrate His resurrection, having children, young people and families grow in this deep and living faith.
- The human space of the resurrection is each person that God puts to our path every day of our lives. It is exactly here that the confession of the resurrection is realized. It relates to living the values of the Gospel, the values of hope, peace, reconciliation, forgiveness, brotherhood so as to build together a human society where God is the Lord of the Lords, and where His love dominates the hearts and thoughts. It relates to destroying the walls of hatred, divisions, prejudices and injustices. It relates to be set free and believe in human freedom. It relates to rediscover among us the beauty and richness of our land, of our island, where the first communities have born witness of the risen Christ. It is the place where many cultures managed to live together, despite challenges and difficulties. The world needs examples, witnesses of the resurrection through unity and love, through truth and light.
I wish to all of you Happy Easter, where everyone assumes responsibility of transmitting the faith in the living Christ, source of our hope, to Him be glory for ever, Amen.
Nicosia, 15th April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
15/04/2012
2nd Sunday after Easter
2 Cor 5/11-21; John 20/26-31
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
«Peace be with you»
It is the first word addressed by Jesus to His disciples and to the whole world after His resurrection from the dead. Humanity accepts the gift of peace. It is the reconciliation that was realized with His death and resurrection, between man and God the Father. It is the fruit of the offer of Christ Himself, realized on the cross. This peace has transformed the doubt of Thomas to a living and deep faith, I would say more personal, when he confesses in front of Jesus, saying: « My Lord and my God» In this way, all those who believe and confess: « You are Christ, the Son of the Living God» will have eternal life.
We received the peace of Christ through our baptism. This peace is renewed in the Holy Eucharist, in prayer and in the personal relationship with the Lord. This inner peace is manifested spontaneously and naturally in the public sphere, in order to build a human society based on peace among men. It relates to the building of the culture of peace, the culture of reconciliation and of forgiveness. During this hour, everything is transformed, the doubts, the hostilities, the divisions, the conflicts and all kinds of evil, to a brotherly love and family spirit experienced in this multicultural human family, so rich in diversity but united in the love of God and the respect of others.
Let us built our lives based on the peace of Christ. Let us live the peace in our society here where we live and in our wider region which is lacking peace, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of peace and Saint George who defeated evil with his faith.
Amen.
Nicosia, 22 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
22/04/2012
Sunday of the disciple of Emmaus, 29.4.2012 - Homely of the Archbishop
3rd Sunday after Easter 2 Tim 2/8-13; luck 24/13-35
One of them, who was called Cleopas asked Him: “Are you the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there, these last few days?” (Luke 24:18)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
But what happened in those days? It is the question asked by the disciples of Emmaus, but it is also the question asked by each one of us in his life as disciple and baptized. It is the question motivated by faith but also by sorrow, by love but also by despair. It is the question that indicates the conflict that exists inside a human person, a search for truth and a march towards truth. The sorrow of those two disciples was caused by the fact that they were hoping for a Messiah with worldly power as all the kings of the world, whereas He announced that His kingdom was not of this world. They followed Him like so many others, but at the hour of the cross, this hour so difficult to be handled, they abandoned Him, and returned sorrowful and disappointed to their villages, to their old way of life, to their past, being aware of the happening but without understanding the meaning of it. Jesus marches with them and as pedagogue, brother, knower and examiner of their hearts, He helps them to open their hearts to the truth, and ultimately to His own truth as Lord and Resurrected. That knowledge, that light, that transformation, that joy that prevailed in their hearts, took flesh in the breaking of bread that is in Holy Eucharist, and they urged Him strongly: «Stay with us, for it is nearly evening, the day is almost over. So He entered the village to stay with them.” (Luke 24:29).
Dear brothers and sisters, it is right here, in the Holy Eucharist that we encounter the Risen Christ. It is here that we proclaim His death and resurrection, and from here that we are called to witness our faith in Him, to live following His example in the world, in integrity, in a spirit of brotherhood, of love and peace. Today’s world needs witnesses of the resurrection that will announce the good news to everyone. Christian life is a plan of life and all life marches in that spirit, otherwise all consistency and authenticity is lost. In front of this divided world, in front of sorrow and the pain of humanity, only the truth of the risen Christ consoles people. Christ is our strength, Christ is our joy, Christ is our peace, He has risen and we are the witnesses. Amen.
Nicosia, 29 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
29/04/2012
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Monday after Easter, 16.4.012
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Monday after Easter
1 Cor 15/1-11; Marc 16/9-14
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On this feast day of the Virgin Mary I want to meditate with you on the virtues of Virgin Mary who participated in the glory of Her alive and resurrected Son, as well as on the behavior of the other Maries. I quote the following three points:
- The presence of Mary. She accompanied Her Son who was born to accomplish the will of His Father, from the first moment of His mission. In the temple on the eighth day and when he became twelve years old, as well as during His teaching, she understood very well that He had come to fulfill the will of God the Father, this Daughter of David, who was called by Him to become Mother of the Son and of all of us, on the cross, at the hour of glory, in the resurrection and with the apostles in the upper room during Pentecost. Mary is the daughter, mother, friend, image of the Church who shares what She has lived with the apostles and continues to share it will each one of us, in front of His cross, in His glory. She inspires us the peace of the heart of Her Son Jesus.
- The other Maries. The other Maries have experienced themselves the presence of Jesus in their lives. Mary Magdalene, sentenced to death for adultery, but forgiven through His love and compassion, was the first to announce the biggest event in human history, He is no longer there, He has risen. She who wept for her sin, she who wept in front of the love of God who freed her, she who wept of joy for His victory over death, over His death and over ours, announces that He is alive; He is alive for all of us mortals. Let us approach Him. He is the God of the living and not of the mortals.
- Mary and her sister Martha. They asked for the life of their brother, his resurrection. In order to prepare the big event, and in the context of Easter and especially the new Easter which is His, which is Himself, Jesus resurrects Lazarus from the dead and shows that He is the source of life. Mary wanted to leave everyone and everything in order to hear His word, while Martha devoted in His service. Mary listened and Martha served. We are in front of a beautiful picture of the Church, but listening preludes service. A good hearing of the word of God so as to understand His desire leads to a good service towards others; otherwise service is given without meaning and purpose. Jesus is the servant of humanity like someone who listens to the voice of His Father and fulfils His will. His death on the cross is the greatest service of mankind, whom He transferred from death to eternal life.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We are called to witness the living God like the Virgin Mary and the other Maries. She is the Theotokos, who accompanies us and our community on this land of our fathers and ancestors. To Her we offer our villages, our island and the whole world and we ask Her to guide us in the path of Her Son. Amen.
Nicosia, 16 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
16/04/2012