VISITA APOSTÓLICA DO PAPA FRANCISCO A LESBOS (GRÉCIA)
VISITA AOS
REFUGIADOS
DISCURSOS DE SUA BEATITUDE HIERONYMOS,
ARCEBISPO DE ATENAS E DE TODA A
GRÉCIA,
DE SUA SANTIDADE BARTOLOMEU,
DE SUA SANTIDADE BARTOLOMEU,
PATRIARCA ECUMÉNICO DE
CONSTANTINOPLA,
E DO SANTO PADRE FRANCISCO
E DO SANTO PADRE FRANCISCO
Campo de Refugiados de Moira, Lesbos
Sábado, 16 de abril de 2016
Sábado, 16 de abril de 2016
ARCEBISPO DE ATENAS E DE TODA A
GRÉCIA
It is with unique joy that
we welcome today to Lesvos the Head of the Roman-Catholic Church, Pope Francis.
We consider his presence in
the territory of the Church of Greece to be pivotal. Pivotal because together
we bring forward before the whole world, Christian and beyond, the current
tragedy of the refugee crisis.
I warmly thank His
All-Holiness, and my beloved brother in Christ, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholemew;
who blesses us with his presence as the First of Orthodoxy, uniting through his
prayer, so that the voice of the Churches can be more vocal and heard at the
all the ends of the civilized world.
Today we unite our voices
in condemning their uprooting, to decry any form of depreciation of the
human person.
From this island, Lesvos, I
hope to begin a worldwide movement of awareness in order for this current
course to be changed by those who hold the fate of nations in their hands and
bring back the peace and safety to every home, to every family, to every
citizen.
Unfortunately it is not the
first time we denounce the politics that have brought these people to this
impasse. We will act however, until the aberration and depreciation of the
human person has stopped.
We do not need to say many
words. Only those who see the eyes of those small child that we met at the
refugee camps will be able to immediately recognize, in its entirety, the
“bankruptcy” of humanity and solidarity that Europe has shown these last few
years to these, and not only these, people.
I take pride in the Greeks,
who even though going through there own struggles, are helping the refugees
make their own Calvary (Golgotha) a little less ponderous, their uphill road a
little less rough.
The Church of Greece and
myself, personally, mourn the so many souls lost in the Aegean. We have already
done a great deal, and we will continue to do so, as much as our abilities
allow for us to undertake in handling this refugee crisis. I would like to
close this declaration by making one request, a single call, a single
provocation: for the agencies of the United Nations to finally, using the great
experience that they offer, address this tragic situation that we are living. I
hope that we never see children washing up on the shores of the Aegean. I hope
to soon see them there, untroubled, enjoying life.
PATRIARCA ECUMÊNICO
DE CONSTANTINOPLA
Dearest
brothers and sisters,
Precious
youth and children,
We have traveled here to
look into your eyes, to hear your voices, and to hold your hands. We have
traveled here to tell you that we care. We have traveled here because the world
has not forgotten you.
With our brothers, Pope
Francis and Archbishop Ieronymos, we are here today to express our solidarity
and support for the Greek people, who have welcomed and cared for you. And we
are here to remind you that – even when people turn away from us – nevertheless
“God is our refuge and strength; God is our help in hardship. Therefore, we
shall not be afraid” (Ps 45: 2-3).
We know that you have come
from areas of war, hunger and suffering. We know that your hearts are full of
anxiety about your families. We know that you are looking for a safer and
brighter future.
We have wept as we watched
the Mediterranean Sea becoming a burial ground for your loved ones. We have
wept as we witnessed the sympathy and sensitivity of the people of Lesvos and
other islands. But we also wept as we saw the hard-heartedness of our fellow
brothers and sisters – your fellow brothers and sisters – close borders and
turn away.
Those who are afraid of you
have not looked at you in the eyes. Those who are afraid of you do not see your
faces. Those who are afraid of you do not see your children.
They forget that dignity
and freedom transcend fear and division. They forget that migration is not an
issue for the Middle East and Northern Africa, for Europe and Greece. It is an
issue for the world.
The world will be judged by
the way it has treated you. And we will all be accountable for the way we
respond to the crisis and conflict in the regions that you come from.
The Mediterranean Sea
should not be a tomb. It is a place of life, a crossroad of cultures and
civilizations, a place of exchange and dialogue. In order to rediscover its
original vocation, the Mare Nostrum, and more specifically the Aegean
Sea, where we gather today, must become a sea of peace. We pray that the
conflicts in the Middle East, which lie at the root of the migrant crisis, will
quickly cease and that peace will be restored. We pray for all the people of
this region. We would particularly like to highlight the dramatic situation of
Christians in the Middle East, as well as the other ethnic and religious
minorities in the region, who need urgent action if we do not want to see them
disappear.
We promise that we shall
never forget you. We shall never stop speaking for you. And we assure you that we
will do everything to open the eyes and hearts of the world.
Peace is not the end of
History. Peace is the beginning of a History tied to the future. Europe should
know that better than any other continent.
This beautiful island we
stand right now is just a dot in the map.
To dominate the wind and
the rough sea Jesus, according to Luke, called a halt to the blow outright when
the ship He and His disciples embarked was in danger. Eventually calm succeeded
the storm.
God bless you. God keep
you. And God
strengthen you.
Queridos irmãos e irmãs!
Desejei
vir estar convosco hoje. Quero dizer-vos que não estais sozinhos. Ao longo
destes meses e semanas, sofrestes inúmeras tribulações na vossa busca duma vida
melhor. Muitos de vós sentiram-se obrigados a escapar de situações de conflito
e perseguição, sobretudo por amor dos vossos filhos, dos vossos pequeninos.
Suportastes grandes sacrifícios por amor das vossas famílias. Experimentastes a
amargura de ter deixado para trás tudo o que vos era querido e – o que é talvez
mais difícil – sem saber o que o futuro vos reservava. Há ainda muitos outros,
como vós, que se encontram à espera, em campos de refúgio ou na cidade,
ansiando construir uma nova vida neste continente.
Vim aqui
com os meus irmãos, o Patriarca Bartolomeu e o Arcebispo Hieronymos, apenas
para estar convosco e ouvir os vossos dramas. Viemos a fim de chamar a atenção
do mundo para esta grave crise humanitária e implorar a sua resolução. Como
pessoas de fé, desejamos unir as nossas vozes para falar abertamente em vosso
nome. Esperamos que o mundo preste atenção a estas situações de trágica e
verdadeiramente desesperada necessidade e responda de modo digno da nossa
humanidade comum.
Deus
criou o género humano para ser uma única família; quando sofre algum dos nossos
irmãos ou irmãs, todos nos ressentimos. Todos sabemos por experiência como é
fácil, para algumas pessoas, ignorar as tribulações dos outros e até
aproveitar-se da sua vulnerabilidade; mas sabemos também que estas crises podem
fazer despontar o melhor de nós mesmos. Viste-lo em vós próprios e no povo
grego, que, apesar de imerso nas suas próprias dificuldades, respondeu
generosamente às vossas necessidades. Viste-lo também em muitas pessoas,
sobretudo jovens originários de toda a Europa e do mundo, que vieram
ajudar-vos. É verdade que ainda há muitíssimo a fazer; mas damos graças a Deus
porque, nos nossos sofrimentos, nunca nos deixou sozinhos. Há sempre alguém que
pode dar uma mão para nos ajudar.
Esta é a
mensagem que, hoje, vos quero deixar: não percais a esperança! O maior presente
que podemos oferecer uns aos outros é o amor: um olhar misericordioso, a
solicitude por nos ouvirmos e compreendermos, uma palavra de encorajamento, uma
oração. Oxalá possais partilhar este presente uns com os outros. Nós, cristãos,
gostamos de contar o episódio do Bom Samaritano, um estrangeiro que viu um
homem necessitado e, imediatamente, se deteve para o socorrer. Para nós, é uma
parábola alusiva à misericórdia de Deus, que se destina a todos (Ele é o
Misericordioso); mas é também um apelo a demonstrarmos a mesma misericórdia
àqueles que passam necessidade. Que todos os nossos irmãos e irmãs, neste
continente, possam – à semelhança do Bom Samaritano – vir em vosso auxílio,
animados por aquele espírito de fraternidade, solidariedade e respeito pela
dignidade humana que caracterizou a sua longa história.
Queridos
irmãos e irmãs, que Deus vos abençoe a todos, especialmente às vossas crianças,
aos idosos e àqueles que sofrem no corpo e no espírito. A todos vos abraço com
afeto. Sobre vós e quem vos acompanha, invoco os dons divinos da fortaleza e da
paz.
__________________________________________
Santa Sé