Encounters of hope

“Brevivet, the value of experience” is the theme of the meeting held in Istanbul November 18-21 promoted by tour operator Brevivet, leader in the field of cultural and religious travel. Over sixty participants, including journalists, diocesan pilgrimage coordinators and Brevivet travel agents from Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Jordan, Slovenia, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey and Italy, addressed the theme of pilgrimages, which Brevivet chairman Giovanni Sesana described as “a passport for peace”, a tool, as recalled in the Bishops’ Synod for the Middle East that “enables to meet and encourage local Christian communities, the living stones of the Church”.The open door. The concept was reiterated by religious men and women living in Turkey who shared their experience during the conference. The urgency of ecumenical dialogue, notably interreligious dialogue, encompasses pilgrimages and “the pilgrims who help small Christian communities not to feel alone but part of the universal Church”. These deeply felt and “non-obvious” words are the result of the daily experience as “a minority religion”, with all that it entails, like “not being able to receive the Eucharist since we don’t have a priest”, said sister Isabella Sartori, member of the small community of the Fraternity of the Resurrected Christ with sister Serena Vanzetta in the Turkish city of Konya, where stands the Church of Saint Paul, memory of the preaching of the Apostle of the Peoples to young Christian community of Ikonio. “Out presence here – explained the young religious -symbolises the gratitude of the diocese of Trent, where we come from, for this land. In fact, we were brought the Gospel from the monks of Turkey. Today in Konya, in the only church of the city, we receive the pilgrims and the Muslims who wish to visit it. The door of the church is always open. It’s a way to encourage the local population to approach it and ask questions if they wish, so as to get to know each other and establish ongoing dialogue. There are very few Christians, but recently Chaldean and Syriac Iraqi refugees arrived. We are grateful to the pilgrims who visit our church, since thanks to them we can receive the Eucharist, as we do not have a priest. The pilgrims fill the church not only physically, and provide a religious witness also to the Muslims”.Forbidden charity. Also the “Daughters of the Church” represented in Istanbul by sister Maria (Giuseppina) Bolo are dedicated to the welcoming of pilgrims. “We have been living in Tarsus for the past 16 years. At the beginning – she said – nobody wanted to rent us a house where we could stay. After much effort the bishop, Msgr. Ruggero Franceschini, finally found one, overcoming the diffidence of the owner, who was afraid of losing his business. But after obtaining the necessary guarantees he consented”. Initial difficulties were coupled by further and even more serious problems: “we were immediately told that we meant nothing, and that we counted nothing. In Tarsus we are responsible of the reception of pilgrims in the Museum-church of Saint Paul and we prepare for the celebration of Mass”. Msgr. Luigi Padovese, the apostolic vicar of Anatolia, murdered by his driver past June, dedicated himself deeply to the church of Tarsus, asking that it be officially recognized as a permanent place of worship, but to no avail. The Pauline church is still a museum, the religious said, “and the custodians are kind persons, but the law must be respected. Our presence here is marked by prayer and silence, and if we want to remain in Tarsus we have to follow the law. There are things that we are forbidden to do, such as charity to the poor, for fear of proselytism. We give employment to those in need who are paid a just salary as provided for by the law. Many ask us for prayers, but we cannot let them inside the home. We do our utmost to be a positive presence. We enjoy adorning the church for the pilgrims, who are ever more numerous since the Pauline Year. When there are no pilgrims we attend Mass in Mersin, 60 kilometers away”.Like saint John Chrysostome. Father Felice, 72, Salesian of the cathedral of the Holy Spirit, “the only priest to ride the bike all the way to Istanbul” has been living in Turkey since 1959. “I witnessed many changes – he told participants during the conference – I lived through all the events in Turkey, I witnessed the erection of the two bridges on the Bosphorus that connected the East to the West. The Salesians came here in 1907 to assist the Levantines, the foreigners. We have a private school, with no subsidies, we pay taxes on everything, and we are compelled to grant free tuition to 5% of the students. It’s hard but we do our best. We’re at the service of the cathedral of Istanbul, where pilgrims and simple visitors arrive. Through art we convey the messages of fraternity and the tenets of faith. We propose to everyone the visit of the cathedral in a sufficient amount of time, at least an hour, to explain not only what is visible but also all that is not evident to the eye. As Saint John Chrysostome, who invited the sovereigns of his time to pay heed not only to those in high-ranking positions but also the people, the poor, hidden in the corners of the streets”.