"The Holy Father Leo XIV and the Christian Churches from the East" by Carlo Coppola

la versione italiana di questo articolo di Carlo Coppola si trova su "La Fiaccola" diretto dall'avv. Paolo Scagliarini al seguente indirizzo https://www.lafiaccola.it/wp/propaganda-revisionismo-e-disinformazione-ai-danni-dellarmenia/

«Սուրբ Հայր Լևոն ԶԴ և քրիստոնեական եկեղեցիները արևելքից». Կառլո Կոպպոլայի հոդված

The pontificate of Pope Leo XIV began under the banner of unity, tradition, and an equally leonine courage needed to navigate the complex dynamics of contemporary Churches. From his first gestures, there emerged a desire to pay special attention to the Eastern Churches, which the Holy Father called "venerable guardians of the apostolic faith and witnesses, often through suffering, of the perennial vitality of Christianity." This concern is not accidental, considering that the then Cardinal Robert Prevost, a leading figure in the Curia and the future Leo XIV, had already been appointed a member of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches on October 4, 2023, demonstrating a long-standing commitment to dialogue and an authentically synodal vision. Leo XIV's First Mass with all the cardinals, on May 9, 2025 in the Sistine Chapel, was a moment of profound symbolic charge. Under the Last Judgment, the Pope evoked the figure of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, the martyred bishop, thus indicating the path of total donation and fidelity to the point of martyrdom as a paradigm of the Petrine and ecclesiastical ministry in general. As he himself stated in the homily of that day, "speaking first of all for himself as the successor of Peter": it is necessary to "disappear so that Christ remains, to make oneself small so that He may be known and glorified [...] to spend oneself completely so that no one lacks the opportunity to know and love Him." This spirit of radical service inspires his openness to the East. This profound conviction found a direct and vibrant echo in his speech to the representatives of the Eastern Churches last May 14, during the Jubilee day dedicated precisely to these churches, in a sort of true manifesto of his vision. Beginning with the Easter greeting, "Christ is risen. He is truly risen!", Leo XIV immediately affirmed: "You are precious." He acknowledged the "variety of your origins, the glorious history and the bitter suffering that many of your communities have endured or are enduring." Recalling the words of Pope Francis, he reiterated that the Eastern Churches "must be loved: they preserve unique spiritual and wisdom traditions." He then cited Leo XIII and his encyclical Orientalium dignitas, underlining how "the work of human redemption began in the East" and how crucial it is to preserve the "legitimate variety of Eastern liturgy and discipline." Leo XIII's concern, the Pontiff noted, is more relevant today than ever, given the risk that Eastern believers in the diaspora will lose their religious identity. For this reason, Leo XIV launched a heartfelt appeal: "We welcome the call to preserve and promote the Christian East, especially in the diaspora." He then announced a specific request: "I ask the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches […] to help me define principles, norms, guidelines through which Latin Pastors can concretely support Eastern Catholics in the diaspora".

The Pope continued by illustrating the inestimable value of the East for the entire Church: "The Church needs you. How great is the contribution that the Christian East can give us today! How much we need to recover the sense of mystery, so alive in your liturgies […] the sense of the primacy of God, the value of mystagogy, of incessant intercession, of penance, of fasting, of weeping for sins (penthos)". He urged us to preserve these traditions "without watering them down", defining Eastern spiritualities as "medicinal", capable of merging human misery with divine mercy, inviting us to welcome grace. Quoting Saint Ephrem the Syrian, he praised Christ who "made your cross a bridge over death".

In a world marked by conflict, the Pope asked himself: "Who, then, more than you, can sing words of hope in the abyss of violence? Who more than you, who know first-hand the horrors of war?" Denouncing violence from the Holy Land to Ukraine, from Lebanon to Syria, he raised Christ's appeal: "Peace be with you!" He clarified that Christ's peace "is not the deathly silence after conflict [...] but is a gift that looks upon people and reactivates their life." Firmly, he declared: "I will use every effort. The Holy See is available so that enemies may meet and look each other in the eye." Addressing the leaders of peoples, he implored: "Let us meet, let us dialogue, let us negotiate! War is never inevitable."

This renewed attention is not mere diplomacy, but a vital necessity. Vatican sources indicate that Leo XIV is already working on concrete initiatives, such as an extraordinary Synod on the Middle East and apostolic journeys to Lebanon, Armenia, Syria and Georgia. The intent is to root the Latin Church more deeply in common apostolic roots, opening up to the richness of the East. He asked the Christians of the East, "lights of the world", to continue to shine, promoting communion, transparency and humble dedication, free from worldly dependencies, to be faithful witnesses of the Gospel. Communion with the East, for Leo XIV, is a royal road for the future of Catholicism.