An address to Europe

In the past days, at the Press Office of the Holy See took place the presentation of the Pauline Year (June 28 2008 – June 29 2009) was called by the Pope on the occasion of the bimillenary of the birth of Saint Paul. On the occasion, Turkey’s Bishops Conference today a Letter titled “Paul, testimony and apostle of Christian identity”. Follows an excerpt of the letter devoted to the testimony and ministry of Saint Paul in the field of dialogue and in the quest for truth.The Apostle who with his life and words strengthens our Christian identity is also a man of dialogue. Having experienced the encounter with men from different ethnic and religious background, Paul understood that the Spirit of Christ is not only present in the Church since it precedes it and acts outside of the Church. As he declared in Athens: “God created everything….so that men may seek Him and feeling after Him, they shall find Him”. Son these grounds we are all called to intensify dialogue with the Muslim world: a dialogue of life where there is sharing an coexistence; the dialogue of undertakings, where Christians and Muslims collaborate “in view of integral development and the liberation of Peoples”; the dialogue of religious experience, where persons share their spiritual riches, for instance “with regard to prayer and contemplation, faith and ways of searching for God and the Absolute” (Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue- Dialogue and Proclamation, n.42). Lastly, the dialogue of theological exchange, with an emphasis on mutual understanding in view of greater mutual respect. This dialogue doesn’t entail putting aside one’s religious belief. A true dialogue occurs when believers remain true to their religious identity never denying the difficulties encountered by non-Christian believers. If in this encounter with the Christian world the apostle is our teacher, in the relations between the different Christian communities he is the minister of unity. As recalled by Benedict XVI when he invoked the Pauline Year “the Apostle of the People, totally committed himself in spreading the Good News to all peoples, for the unity and harmony among all Christians”. Still today he appeals to us to look at Christ to overcome resistance along with the indifference for those who are not members of ‘our’ Church”. The Apostle experiencing the difficulties in proclaiming the Gospel, reminds us that what is important is His “proclamation”. This equally calls into question our own responsibilities towards non-Christian faithful. Before being Catholic, Orthodox, Syrian, Armenians, Caldeans and Protestants we are Christians. On these grounds is founded our duty to be testimonies. Let us not allow our differences to generate diffidence to the detriment of the unity of faith. Tertullian,in referring to Christians, underlined the admiration of pagans with these simple words: “See, how they love one another!”. Can the Muslim world say the same for us today?