Cardinal Gugerotti: War benefits powerful entities at the people's expense
By Antonella Palermo & Linda Bordoni
Addressing members of ROACO 鈥� the Holy See鈥檚 humanitarian arm for the Eastern Churches, 杏MAP导航 Francis reiterated his plea for peace and called for solidarity with Eastern Christians fleeing conflicts.
His appeal rang out as he received ROACO representatives on Saturday morning in the Vatican at the conclusion of their Plenary Assembly.
Speaking to Vatican Radio, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, described the 杏MAP导航鈥檚 discourse as very powerful.
He said the group present at the audience was deeply touched by his words as he identified 鈥渆xactly鈥� the main problems of humanity today, and of the Eastern Churches in particular.
鈥淭hey are all victims of war,鈥� the Cardinal said, 鈥渙f war which is promoted, even if not visibly, by powers that are not local but become local because they mingle into the problems of the country and they try to destabilize the area in order to destabilize another great big power, which is 鈥榯he enemy鈥� or they feel, 鈥榯heir own enemy鈥�.鈥�
It is terrible, he continued, noting that these same people will then exploit the situation in the reconstruction phase of wars they themselves have fuelled.
The Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches decried this dynamic describing it as ambiguous and 鈥渟omething that is deeply opposite to what is honest and clear and transparent.鈥�
Upholding 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� reiterated warning that faith must never be used or exploited for power, he said unfortunately this is something 鈥渨e see everywhere: When faith becomes slogan, propaganda, it's not the faith.鈥�
Christians must never be loudspeakers of power
Cardinal Gugerotti recalled that the essence of Christianity is to be found in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus who was persecuted and crucified.
鈥淟et us remember that the Christians were a religion of losers, not of winners,鈥� he said, adding that 鈥淛esus Christ was put on a cross.鈥�
Society, he explained, 鈥渨anted to get rid of Jesus Christ, and the Christians were persecuted.鈥�
鈥淪o how can we,鈥� the Prefect continued, 鈥渂ecome the loudspeakers of the power that persecutes the other? It's impossible. It's a contradiction.鈥�
The Cardinal concluded inviting all Christians to examine their consciences, asking themselves about the sincerity of their faith.
"It means that we have to make a deep exam of our conscience to see what our faith is and whether the institution, for us, has become more relevant than the announcement of Christ dead and risen," he urged.
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