Krzysztof Bronk – Vatican
The Church from apostolic times, missions in India and China
The Chaldean Church is present in the historical lands of Mesopotamia, encompassing present-day Iraq and eastern Syria. The Pope recalled that this community has its roots in the primitive apostolic Church and carried the Gospel far beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, reaching with Christian faith as far as India and China.
You have been through the hardest trials
“You are guardians of a living and noble memory,” said Leo XIV, “of a faith passed down through the centuries with courage and fidelity. Your history is glorious, but also marked by the hardest trials: wars, persecutions, torments that have affected your communities and scattered many faithful throughout the world.”
Holy places of Christianity desecrated by war
The Pope noted that members of the Chaldean Church are signs of hope in a world marked by absurd and inhumane violence, which is spreading precisely in these areas connected with the history of salvation, “in the holy places of the Christian East, desecrated by the blasphemy of war and the brutality of interests.”
God does not bless any conflict
Leo XIV emphasized that “no interests can be worth the lives of the weakest, children, families; no cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood. You, called to be tireless builders of peace in the name of Jesus, help us to openly proclaim that God does not bless any conflict; to proclaim to the world that whoever is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, never stands with those who fought with the sword yesterday and drop bombs today; to remind that it is not military actions that will create spaces of freedom or times of peace, but only the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among nations.”
New patriarch, a father in faith
The Holy Father noted that it is precisely in such a difficult situation that the election of a new patriarch takes place. “Seek not what seems most useful in the eyes of the world, but what is most in line with the heart of Christ,” said Leo XIV. He emphasized that the new head of the Chaldean Church should primarily be a father in faith and a sign of unity.
Proclaim Christ in the context of death
In his final words, the Pope once again recalled the importance of the presence of Christians in the Middle East. “Your mission is great: to proclaim the risen Christ even in the context of death, to be a living presence of faith and love, to sustain hope where it seems to be fading. Do not be discouraged: the Lord walks with you,” said the Holy Father.
