Friday, November 10, 2006

Papal Visit to Turkey: website




The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has set up a website for the Papla visit.


Do say a few beads for the Papal visit; for the Pope it seems to be a very significant event in the progress towards unity with the East, so for this reason it is good to pray.

I must say I am worried about his safety, especially after Regensburg, so pray for this intention too.l
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Heavenly Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name, we humbly ask that you sustain, inspire, and protect your servant, Pope Benedict XVI, as he goes on pilgrimage to Turkey – a land to which St. Paul brought the Gospel of your Son; a land where once the Mother of your Son, the Seat of Wisdom, dwelt; a land where faith in your Son’s true divinity was definitively professed. Bless our Holy Father, who comes as a messenger of truth and love to all people of faith and good will dwelling in this land so rich in history. In the power of the Holy Spirit, may this visit of the Holy Father bring about deeper ties of understanding, cooperation, and peace among Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, and those who profess Islam. May the prayers and events of these historic days greatly contribute both to greater accord among those who worship you, the living and true God, and also to peace in our world so often torn apart by war and sectarian violence.


We also ask, O Heavenly Father, that you watch over and protect Pope Benedict and entrust him to the loving care of Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Fatima, a title cherished both by Catholics and Muslims. Through her prayers and maternal love, may Pope Benedict be kept safe from all harm as he prays, bears witness to the Gospel, and invites all peoples to a dialogue of faith, reason, and love. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer composed by Bishop William E. Lori,

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe one of things that Pope Benedict might do is reassure them that he is restoring the liturgy - prehaps what has been one of the biggest barriers to ecumenism since the 1970s (Paul VI really shot himself in the foot on that one). I suspect the Orthodox are watching with a keen eye, what Pope Benedict is going to do with regards to the traditional rite and sacraments.

Fr Ray Blake said...

I agree with you Andrew. It would be a very significant sign of the value of "Tradition" in the west.

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