Pope Francis and the Patriarchs from the Eastern Churches will meet in private for two hours today in the Basilica of San Nicholas in Bari to discuss the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.
The 20 seats around a large table in the nave of the Basilica will be taken by the leaders of the Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Churches, and the Eastern Catholic Churches. Dr Souraya Bechealany, Acting Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches and a distinguished theologian and sociologist, will be the only woman present at the meeting.
The private assistants of the Patriarchs and the translators will stand behind them. Five languages will be spoken: Italian, Arab, Greek, English and French.
The Apostolic Administrator to Jerusalem, monsignor Pierbattista Pizzaballa, will sit beside the Pope to give a short speech at the beginning of the meeting. There will be four seats on the corner of the Basilica for Pietro Parolin (Secretary of State), Angelo Becciu (Substitute for General Affairs), Kurt Koch (President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity) and Leonardo Sandri (Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches). The discussion is strictly confidential and no external observers are allowed to enter the Basilica.
The session will be preceded by two joint prayers that have been expressly requested by the Pope.
There will first be a veneration of the relics of Saint Nicholas, in the crypt of the Basilica. Pope Francis will then light up a torch. Father Giovanni Distante, Rector of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, said in an interview with the website Sir: “The lighting of a single flame will be a symbolic sign of unity despite all the differences which set us apart.”
Following this, the religious leaders will reach a stage along the seafront, and there will be a moment of prayer with the pilgrims. After engaging with them, the Pope and the patriarchs will retreat to Saint Nicholas for their private meeting. At the end of the meeting, they will leave the Basilica and Pope Francis will read a conclusive statement. At this stage, a group of children will fly some doves as a sign of peace.
Photo: Bari in Italy pictured yesterday by Paul Haring of CNS
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