Canonisations
of Mariam Baouardy and Marie-Alphonsine Ghattas a symbol of support for
Christians facing persecution in Middle East
The Guardian, Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome, 17 May 2015
Pope Francis has canonised two 19th-century Palestinian nuns – the first Arabic-speaking saints in the Catholic church – in a ceremony in St Peter’s Square attended by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.
Pope Francis leads a ceremony for the canonisation of the nuns in St Peter’s square on Sunday. Photograph: Tony Gentile/Reuters |
Pope Francis has canonised two 19th-century Palestinian nuns – the first Arabic-speaking saints in the Catholic church – in a ceremony in St Peter’s Square attended by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.
The
canonisations were significant because they can be interpreted as a symbol of
support and encouragement for Christians who are facing persecution across the
Middle East, a fact that Francis has repeatedly cited as a cause of grave
concern.
“Their
luminous example challenges us in our lives as Christians,” he said during the
ceremony on Sunday, as 2,000 pilgrims looked on, many of them waving
Palestinian flags.
The event
has also made clear the Argentinean pontiff’s support for a two-state solution
in the conflict with Israel. In his 20-minute meeting with Abbas on Saturday –
which the Vatican described as “cordial” – the pope repeated his wish for
direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine to be resumed and emphasised
the importance of inter-religious dialogue.
During the
meeting, he gave Abbas a medallion with an angel on it and said: “It is
appropriate because you are an angel of peace.”
The nuns
who were canonised – Mariam Baouardy and Marie-Alphonsine Ghattas – lived in
Palestine under Ottoman rule. Both lived in poverty and were said to have
performed miracles, which is a necessary condition for sainthood.
Baouardy
founded a Carmelite monastery in Bethlehem and is said to have received
stigmata –marks or bleeding that resemble the wounds suffered by Christ on the
cross.
Ghattas was
born in Jerusalem and co-founded the Sisters of the Rosary, an order that still
has centres across the Middle East and operates services for children and the
elderly. She was said to have been responsible for the miraculous healing of an
electrician who was hurt in an accident in 2009 and considered brain damaged by
doctors. After he woke up from his coma fully recovered, his family said it was
their prayers to Ghattas that saved him.
The
canonisation ceremony took place just days after the Vatican announced its intention to sign its first treaty with Palestine. It was not the first time
the Vatican or Pope Francis recognised Palestine as a state – the church has
been using that language in official documents since November 2012 – but the
news about the treaty was nevertheless hailed by supporters of Palestinian
statehood and criticised by some Israeli officials.
“We believe
that such a decision is not conducive to bringing the Palestinians back to the
negotiating table,” said a spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry.
Late week
at a meeting in Switzerland in which bishops and other delegates discussed
Christian relations with Muslims in Europe, Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, the
archbishop of Bordeaux, said attacks in Europe and the “evolution of the
international situation” in the Middle East had “made us aware that hate
conflict in the Middle East could reach us in our daily lives”.
He
continued: “We see in our societies an increase in Islamophobic reactions. I am
struck by the fact that these are being expressed ever more openly, even in our
Christian communities.
“We notice
that a certain number of Muslims take badly the fact of being continually
challenged to show their loyalty to the laws of our European societies, when
they are not considered simply as a ‘fifth column’, the accomplices of a tough
and conquering Islam.”
The
cardinal added that only a path of “dialogue, awareness, collaboration and
mutual respect can realistically prepare for the future. This is both a
challenge for our societies and a call from the Lord,” he said.
Related Article:
Pope
Francis welcomes Palestinian authority President Mahmud Abbas during
a private
audience at the Vatican on May 16, 2015 (AFP Photo/Alberto Pizzoli)
|
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