Pope in Romania/Pontiff at Patriarchal Palace: I came as a pilgrim of brotherhood

Pope Francis said on Friday at the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest that he came as a pilgrim of brotherhood and referenced Pope John Paul II's visit to Romania in 1999. "Twenty years ago, in front of this Holy Synod, Pope John Paul II said 'I have come to contemplate the Face of Christ etched in your Church; I have come to venerate this suffering Face, the pledge to you of new hope.' I too have come here as a pilgrim, as a pilgrim brother, desirous of seeing the Lord's Face in the faces of my brothers; looking at you I offer you my heartfelt thanks for your welcome," Pope Francis said at the meeting with the Permanent Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchal Palace. His Holiness also mentioned the crowds' spontaneous cry for unity during the Bucharest visit of Pope John Paul II. "It was an announcement of hope from the People of God, a prophecy that ushered in a new time: the time of walking together to rediscover and awaken the fraternity that already unites us. Let us walk together with the power of memory. Not with the memory of the injustices suffered or caused, of the judgments and prejudices that lock us in a vicious circle and determine us to have sterile attitudes, but with the memory of the roots, of the first centuries when the Gospel, proclaimed with courage and prophetic spirit, has met and lighted new nations and cultures, of the first-century martyrs, of the Holy Fathers confessors of faith, of the holiness lived in everyday life and preached by so many simple people who share the same Heaven. Thanks to God, our roots are healthy and powerful, and even though they have suffered distortions and the trials of time while growing, we are called, like the psalmist, to remember with gratefulness what God has worked inside us, to exalt to Him a hymn of praise for one another. The memory of the steps we have taken together encourages us to advance towards the future, certainly aware of the differences, but above all, finding the satisfaction of the family atmosphere, reviving the memory of communion which, like a torch, should light the steps of our journey. Let us walk together in obedience to the Lord. We have as an example what Christ did on the day of Passover, as he walked together with his disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were discussing what had happened, about their anxieties, their doubts, and their questions. The Lord listened patiently to them and spoke to them with open heart, helping them understand and discern the events. We too need to listen together to the Lord, especially in these final times, where the world's roads have led to rapid social and cultural changes," said Pope Francis. His Holiness pointed out that the bonds of faith that unite the two Churches date back to the Apostles, and arise in particular from the bond between Peter and Andrew. "Here - as in so many other places nowadays - you have experienced the Passover of death and resurrection: so many sons and daughters of this country, from various Churches and Christian communities, knew the Friday of persecution, endured the Saturday of silence and experienced the Sunday of resurrection. So many martyrs and confessors of faith! Many, belonging to different confessions, have shared the same prison, offering each other support. Today their example stands before us and before the new generations that have not experienced those dramatic conditions. The reason they have suffered so much that they even gave up their lives is too precious an inheritance to be forgotten or tarnished. It is a common inheritance that urges us to not move away from the brother who shares it. United with Christ in suffering and pain, united by Christ in Resurrection, so that we too might 'walk in a new life'," the Pope said in his address.AGERPRES(RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Maria Voican)