(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday praised the people of Azerbaijan for the good relations that exisit between Catholic, Muslims, Orthodox and Jewish communities in the country.
In a speech on Sunday afternoon to political and civil authorities, the Pope expressed his hope that the signs of friendship and cooperation may continue to increase and said they lay the path for peace in the world.
“These good relations assume great significance for peaceful coexistence and for peace in the world, and they demonstrate that among the followers of different religious confessions cordial relations, respect and cooperation for the good of all are possible” he said.
The Pope also said “the attachment to authentic religious values is utterly incompatible with the attempt to violently impose on others one’s own vision, using God’s holy name as ‘armour’”.
And he appealed to all so that faith in God may be “a source and inspiration of mutual understanding and respect, and of reciprocal help, in pursuit of the common good of society”.
During the Pope’s visit to the Heydar Aliyev Center in the presence of some 1,000 government representatives, the diplomatic corps and members of civil society, the Pope wrote these words in the ‘Book of Honor’:
“Grateful for the hospitality I have received, I encourage all in this place of meeting and culture to always choose the path of man: openness, respect, sharing ”.
Please find below the full text of the Pope’s discourse to Authorities at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku:
Mr President,
Distinguished Authorities and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to be visiting Azerbaijan, and I thank you for your warm welcome to this city, the country’s capital, on the shore of the Caspian Sea, a city which has been radically transformed with new buildings, such as the one where we are meeting. I am most grateful, Mr President, for the kind sentiments of welcome which you have extended to me on behalf of the Government and Azeri people, and for allowing me to reciprocate your visit, together with your distinguished spouse, to the Vatican last year.
I have come to this country full of admiration for the intricacy and richness of your culture, fruit of the contribution of so many peoples who in the course of history have inhabited these lands. They have given life to a fabric of experiences, values and distinctive features which characterize contemporary society and are reflected in the prosperity of the modern Azeri state. This coming 18 October Azerbaijan will celebrate twenty-five years of independence. This occasion affords the possibility of taking comprehensive stock of these decades, of the progress achieved and of the challenges which the country is facing.
The road travelled thus far shows clearly the significant efforts undertaken to strengthen institutions and to promote the economic and civic growth of the nation. It is a path which requires constant attention towards all, especially the weakest, and one which is possible thanks to a society which recognizes the benefits of multiculturalism and of the necessary complementarity of cultures. This in turn leads to mutual collaboration and respect among the various components of civil society and among the adherents of various religious confessions.
This common effort to harmonize differences is of particular importance in our time, as it shows that it is possible to bear witness to one’s own ideas and worldview without abusing the rights of others who have different ideas and perspectives. Every ethnic or ideological identity, as with every authentic religious path, must exclude attitudes and approaches which instrumentalize their own convictions, their own identity or the name of God in order to legitimize subjugation and supremacy.
It is my sincere hope that Azerbaijan may continue along the way of cooperation between different cultures and religious confessions. May harmony and peaceful coexistence be evermore a source of vitality to the public and civil life of the country, in its multiplicity of expressions, ensuring to all men and women the possibility of offering their own contribution to the common good.
The world, unfortunately, is experiencing the tragedy of many conflicts fuelled by intolerance, which in turn is fomented by violent ideologies and by the effective denial of the rights of the weakest. In order to effectively oppose these dangerous deviations, we need to promote a culture of peace, which is fostered by an untiring willingness for dialogue and by the awareness that there is no reasonable alternative to patiently and assiduously searching for shared solutions by means of committed and sustained negotiations.
Just as within a country’s borders it is necessary to promote harmony among the various sectors, so too between states it is necessary to persevere wisely and courageously on the path which leads to authentic progress and the freedom of peoples, opening up new avenues that lead to lasting agreements and peace. In this way, peoples will be spared grave suffering and painful wounds, which are difficult to heal.
Mindful also of this country, I wish to express my heartfelt closeness to those who have had to leave their land and to the many people who suffer the effects of bloody conflicts. I hope that the international community may be able to offer unfailingly its indispensable help. At the same time, in order to initiate a new phase for stable peace in the region, I invite everyone to grasp every opportunity to reach a satisfactory solution. I am confident that, with the help of God, and the good will of those involved, the Caucasus will be a place where, through dialogue and negotiation, disputes and differences will be resolved and overcome. By such means, this area – “a gateway between East and West”, in the beautiful image used by Saint John Paul II when he visited your country (cf. Address at the Arrival Ceremony, 22 May 2002) – will also become a gateway open to peace, and an example to which we can look to solve old and new conflicts.
The Catholic Church, even though it has a small presence in the country, is truly present in the civic and social life of Azerbaijan; it participates in its joys and shares the challenges of confronting its difficulties. The juridical recognition, made possible by the ratification of the international agreement with the Holy See in 2011, has furthermore offered a stable regulatory framework for the life of the Catholic community in Azerbaijan.
I am moreover particularly pleased with the cordial relations enjoyed by the Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox and Jewish communities. It is my hope that the signs of friendship and cooperation may continue to increase. These good relations assume great significance for peaceful coexistence and for peace in the world, and they demonstrate that among the followers of different religious confessions cordial relations, respect and cooperation for the good of all are possible.
The attachment to authentic religious values is utterly incompatible with the attempt to violently impose on others one’s own vision, using God’s holy name as “armour”. Rather, may faith in God be a source and inspiration of mutual understanding and respect, and of reciprocal help, in pursuit of the common good of society.
May God bless Azerbaijan with harmony, peace and prosperity.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The joyful witness of Azerbaijan’s small Catholic community, which has “accomplished wonders” even after years of persecution, was at the centre of Pope Francis’ address at Baku’s Salesian centre, where he celebrated Sunday Mass as part of his day-long pastoral visit to the nation .
Listen to Ann Schneible’s report:
“In this Eucharistic celebration I have given thanks to God with you, and also for you,” Pope Francis said during his Angelus address at the conclusion of Sunday’s Mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
“Here,” he said, “the faith, after the years of persecution, has accomplished wonders.”
The Pope recalled “the many courageous Christians who trusted in the Lord and were faithful in the face of adversity.”
The Holy Father encouraged the Azerbaijan Catholics in their joyful witness “to faith, hope and love, united among (themselves) and with (their) Pastors.”
He made particular mention of the Salesians, as well as the Missionary Sisters of Charity, for their respective ministries, before entrusting all of these intentions to Mary.
In a few off-the-cuff remarks, Pope Francis acknowledged how Catholics in Azerbaijan – who number in the hundreds nationwide – are truly a “community of the periphery,” and encouraged them to move forward without fear.
The Holy Father likened his visit to the small Catholic community to that of the Holy Spirit, who descended on the small “community” gathered in the Upper Room.
Earlier that morning, during his homily for the Mass , Pope Francis spoke on “two essential aspects of the Christian life: faith and service.”
The Lord “invites patient waiting, without ever losing hope; above all, he emphasizes the importance of faith, since it is by faith that man will live.”
“When faith is interwoven with service, the heart remains open and youthful, and it expands in the process of doing good,” the Holy Father continued.
“Thus faith, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel, becomes powerful and accomplishes marvellous deeds.”
In following the call to service, Pope Francis warned Christians against two key temptations: that of becoming lukewarm, and that of seeing service only as a way of gaining prestige and power.
Finally, the Pope recalled the words of the recently canonized St Teresa of Calcutta, saying: “The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) After having celebrated Mass on Sunday morning upon his arrival in Azerbaijan, Pope Francis met with the nation’s President, Ilham Heydar Aliyev in the Presidential Palace of Baku where he was received by the full Guard of Honor salute which is reserved for visiting dignitaries during the official Welcome Ceremony.
As per protocol, Pope Francis and President Aliyev then met for a private meeting behind closed doors.
President Ilham Aliyev, the fourth President of Azerbaijan, has been in office since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee. Ilham Aliyev is the son of Heydar Aliyev, who was President of Azerbaijan from 1993 to 2003.
Pope Francis has many engagements on this final day of his 16th Apostolic Journey which has taken him to Georgia and to Azerbaijan. After meeting with the President, he paid a visit to the Baku Monument for the Victims Fallen in the Battle for Independence. Pope Saint John Paul II visited this site when he travelled to Azerbaijan in May 2002 .
Here the Pope participated in a ceremony which saw the laying of a wreath in the presence of the Major of Baku.
The monument is known as the ‘Alley of Martyrs’ and it is situated on one of the highest hills in Baku overlooking the Caspian Sea.
A long marble wall stretches the length of the memorial, with a portrait of each martyr standing above the tombstone and grave of their final resting place. Hundreds of the Azeris who lost their lives in the Karabakh hostilities and the events of Black January lie in repose, and an eternal flame underneath a large dome stands adjacent to the wall.
Just across the street from the memorial’s location is the Parliament building – thus the cemetery serves as a constant reminder to the nation’s leaders and policymakers of the immense sacrifices that earlier generations made in order to secure the nation’s freedom.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) After celebrating Mass in Baku’s Church of the Immaculate Conception, the city’s Salesian centre, Pope Francis encouraged Azerbaijan’s small Catholic community in their witness of the faith, before leading the faithful in the Angelus prayer.
In off-the-cuff remarks delivered after his prepared Angelus address , the Pope stressed that he is not “wasting time” travelling long distances to visit such a small community of Catholics in Azerbaijan and explained why it is so important for him to travel to these nations “on the peripheries.”
Please see below an English translation of the Pope’s off-the-cuff remarks:
Someone may think that the Pope wastes so much time: travelling so many kilometres to visit a small community of 700 people, in a country of 2 million. Yet it is a community which is not uniform, because among you there are several languages spoken: Azeri, Italian, Spanish… many languages. It is a community on the peripheries. But the Pope, in this, imitates the Holy Spirit: he also descended from heaven to a small community in that closed periphery of the Cenacle. And to that community, which was fearful, felt poor and perhaps persecuted or rejected, the Holy Spirit imparts fortitude, power, and bold eloquence to go forth and proclaim the name of Jesus! And the doors of that community in Jerusalem, which were closed for fear or shame, were thrust wide open releasing the power of the Spirit. The Pope wastes time as the Holy Spirit did in those days!
Only two things are necessary: Mary was among that community. Don’t forget our Mother! And in that community resided charity, a fraternal love, which the Holy Spirit poured into their hearts. Have courage! Go ahead! Without fear, go ahead!
Below, see the official English language translation of Pope Francis’ prepared remarks for the Angelus:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In this Eucharistic celebration I have given thanks to God with you, and also for you: here the faith, after the years of persecution, has accomplished wonders. I wish to recall the many courageous Christians who trusted in the Lord and were faithful in the face of adversity. As did Saint John Paul II, I offer you the words of the Apostle Peter: “Honour to you who believe” ( 1 Pt 2:7; Homily , Baku, 23 May 2002).
Our thoughts turn now to the Virgin Mary, who is venerated in this country not only by Christians. To her we address the words of the Angel Gabriel who brought her the good news of salvation, prepared for humanity by God.
In the light that radiates from the maternal gaze of Mary, I offer a warm greeting to you, dear faithful of Azerbaijan, as I encourage each of you to witness joyfully to faith, hope and love, united among yourselves and with your Pastors. I greet and thank in a particular way the Salesian family, who take such good care of you and who promote various good works, and the Missionary Sisters of Charity: continue with enthusiasm your work in the service of all!
Let us entrust these intentions to the intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God and let us invoke her protection upon your families, the sick and the elderly, and upon all those who suffer in body or spirit.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Sunday at the Salesian centre in Baku, the central event of his 10-hour visit to Azerbaijan.
The Pope’s homily, delivered to the congregation gathered in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, centred on the Lord’s call for Christian’s to live in faith and in service.
Below, please find the official English language translation of Pope Francis’ prepared homily:
Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
Holy Mass, Baku, Church of the Immaculate Conception
2 October 2016
The word of God presents us today with two essential aspects of the Christian life: faith and service . With regard to faith, two specific requests are made to the Lord.
The first is made by the Prophet Habakkuk, who implores God to intervene in order to re-establish the justice and peace which men have shattered by violence, quarrels and disputes: “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” ( Hab 1:2), pleads the Prophet. God, in response, does not intervene directly, does not resolve the situation in an abrupt way, does not make himself present by a show of force. Rather, he invites patient waiting, without ever losing hope; above all, he emphasizes the importance of faith, since it is by faith that man will live (cf. Hab 2:4). God treats us in the same way: he does not indulge our desire to immediately and repeatedly change the world and other people. Instead, he intends primarily to heal the heart, my heart, your heart, and the heart of each person; God changes the world by transforming our hearts, and this he cannot do without us. The Lord wants us to open the door of our hearts, in order to enter into our lives. This act of opening to him, this trust in him is precisely “the victory that overcomes the world, our faith” ( 1 Jn 5:4). For when God finds an open and trusting heart, then he can work wonders there.
But to have faith, a lively faith, is not easy; and so we pass to the second request, which the Apostles bring to the Lord in the Gospel: “Increase our faith!” ( Lk 17:6). It is a good question, a prayer which we too can direct to the Lord each day. But the divine response is surprising and here too turns the question around: “If you had faith…”. It is the Lord who asks us to have faith. Because faith, which is always God’s gift and always to be asked for, must be nurtured by us. It is no magic power which comes down from heaven, it is not a “talent” which is given once and for all, not a special force for solving life’s problems. A faith useful for satisfying our needs would be a selfish one, centred entirely on ourselves. Faith must not be confused with well-being or feeling well, with having consolation in our heart that gives us inner peace. Faith is the golden thread which binds us to the Lord, the pure joy of being with him, united to him; it is a gift that lasts our whole life, but bears fruit only if we play our part.
And what is our part? Jesus helps us understand that it consists of service . In the Gospel, immediately following his words on the power of faith, Jesus speaks of service. Faith and service cannot be separated; on the contrary, they are intimately linked, interwoven with each other. In order to explain this, I would like to take an image very familiar to you, that of a beautiful carpet. Your carpets are true works of art and have an ancient heritage. The Christian life that each of you has, also comes from afar. It is a gift we received in the Church which comes from the heart of God our Father, who wishes to make each of us a masterpiece of creation and of history. Every carpet, and you know this well, must be made according to a weft and a warp; only with this form can the carpet be harmoniously woven. So too in the Christian life: every day it must be woven patiently, intertwining a precise weft and warp: the weft of faith and the warp of service . When faith is interwoven with service, the heart remains open and youthful, and it expands in the process of doing good. Thus faith, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel, becomes powerful and accomplishes marvellous deeds. If faith follows this path, it matures and grows in strength, but only when it is joined to service.
But what is service? We might think that it consists only in being faithful to our duties or carrying out some good action. For Jesus it is much more. In today’s Gospel, and in very firm and radical terms, he asks us for complete availability, a life offered in complete openness, free of calculation and gain. Why is he so exacting? Because he loved us in this way, making himself our servant “to the end” ( Jn 13:1), coming “to serve, and to give his life” ( Mk 10:45). And this takes place again every time we celebrate the Eucharist: the Lord comes among us, and as much as we intend to serve him and love him, it is always he who precedes us, serving us and loving us more than we can imagine or deserve. He gives us his very own life. He invites us to imitate him, saying: “If anyone serves me, he must follow me” ( Jn 12:26).
And so, we are not called to serve merely in order to receive a reward, but rather to imitate God, who made himself a servant for our love. Nor are we called to serve only now and again, but to live in serving . Service is thus a way of life; indeed it recapitulates the entire Christian way of life: serving God in adoration and prayer; being open and available; loving our neighbour with practical deeds; passionately working for the common good.
For Christians too, there are temptations which lead us away from the path of service and end up by rendering life pointless. Here too we can identify two forms. One is that of allowing our hearts to grow lukewarm . A lukewarm heart becomes self-absorbed in lazy living and it stifles the fire of love. The lukewarm person lives to satisfy his or her own convenience, which is never enough, and in that way is never satisfied; gradually such a Christian ends up being content with a mediocre life. The lukewarm person allocates to God and others a “percentage” of their time and their own heart, never spending too much, but rather always trying to economize. And so, he or she can lose the zest for life: rather like a cup of truly fine tea, which is unbearable to taste when it gets cold. I am sure, however, that when you look to the example of those who have gone before you in faith, you will not let your hearts become lukewarm. The whole Church, in showing you special affection, looks to you and offers you encouragement: you are a little flock that is so precious in God’s eyes.
There is a second temptation, which we can fall into not so much because we are passive, but because we are “overactive”: the one of thinking like masters , of giving oneself only in order to gain something or become someone. In such cases service becomes a means and not an end, because the end has become prestige; and then comes power, the desire to be great. “It shall not be so among you”, Jesus reminds all of us, “but whoever would be great among you must be your servant” ( Mt 20:26). This is the way the Church grows and is adorned. Returning to our image of the carpet, and applying it to your fine community: each of you is like a magnificent silk thread. Only if you are woven together, however, will the different threads form a beautiful composition; on their own, they are of no use. Stay united always, living humbly in charity and joy; the Lord, who creates harmony from differences, will protect you.
May we be aided by the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and by the saints, especially Saint Teresa of Calcutta, the fruits of whose faith and service are in your midst. Let us recall some of her noble words to summarize today’s message: “The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace” ( A Simple Path , Introduction).
(from Vatican Radio)…