Your Holiness,
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It is with fondness that we remember your and your delegation’s visit to Sweden last year. To be able to see the joy of the Coptic community in greeting their Pope warmed our hearts. I also recall our public conversation on spirituality, skilfully moderated by Rev. Prof. Samuel Rubenson. And we were united in worship in the Cathedral of Uppsala, where you graciously preached the gospel to us.
When gathered at the Archbishop’s residence in Uppsala, you generously invited us to visit you, and today, we truly rejoice in being here, bringing you greetings from the Church of Sweden and its Bishops’ Conference.
As we enter the Season of Advent, the Christmas Fast, what would be more appropriate than starting from the opening lines of the gospel that was written by “your own” evangelist, St. Mark of Alexandria?
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” (Mark 1:1-3)
The paths of our Lord literally led to your country. These paths were not necessarily straight, however, since the Holy Family was in need of a hiding place, seeking refuge, like so many others these days. Yet, these paths of the Lord have made an indelible imprint on this country.
Yesterday, we were given the opportunity to pray at holy sites connected to the stay of the Holy Family here in Egypt. The roots of Christianity as well as the testimony of the martyrs are alive and present in your tradition in ways that we do not find in our tradition. It is not only the beauty of tradition we have seen manifested, and not only the martyria, but also diaconia. Yesterday, we also visited the Daughters of Saint Mary. Their work, passion and compassion made a lasting impression on us. Seeds of hope, indeed! We are grateful for our partnership in diaconia with the Daughters of Saint Mary as well as the Bishopric for Public, Ecumenical, and Social Services (BLESS).
Christians in the Middle East are talked about in Sweden. Often as victims or objects, more seldom as the citizens and subjects in complex social, economic and political situations they in fact are. This reminds us of how important it is that we visit each other and listen to each other’s stories, because, in spite of different histories, traditions and contexts, we belong together. We, who in baptism were made disciples of the Son of God, have also been united with one another as members in the one and living body of Christ. In a world marked by disharmony and violence, such communion needs to be strengthened: through prayer, learning from each other and sharing burdens and treasures with each other.
We live in a difficult time for humankind and for the earth. Violent conflicts, extremism, social and political unrest, economic crises and climate issues are threats to the livelihood of women, men and children around the world. Polarisation, populism and protectionism are endangering the solidarity between people and between states – a solidarity so badly needed in order to cope with today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
Moreover, in regard to, among other things, the influence of social media on politics, the Oxford Dictionaries recently declared the term “post-truth” the word of the year. If they are right, this is a serious situation. For Christians from all traditions it harbours the call to speak truth to power with love. After all we have been entrusted the precious word of hope in the gospel of him who says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
Less than a month ago, Lutheran and Roman Catholic Christians, in the presence of Pope Francis and the President and General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Munib Younan and Rev. Martin Junge, gathered together in Lund, Sweden, for a Joint Commemoration of the Reformation that split the Western Church in 1517. For the first time in 500 years (499 to be exact), Lutherans and Catholics commemorated the reformation together. Moreover, they agreed on a common account of their history, and even more importantly, they agreed on five imperatives, or commitments, for the future. The first of these imperatives admonishes us to “always begin from the perspective of unity and not from the point of view of division in order to strengthen what is held in common even though the differences are more easily seen and experienced”, and another one says that we should “witness together to the mercy of God in proclamation and service to the world.” This was expressed in a common worship service with the theme From Conflict to Communion and the message: Together in Hope.
The path to communion and the way to express Christian togetherness in hope often is ‘learning by doing’ in response to the needs of the world. We have been learning – sometimes the hard way – that it is about sharing the richness of traditions rather than building fences around one’s own turf; that it is about empowerment rather than about power. That it is about celebrating unity in the midst of existing diversity. That it is about fostering dialogue rather than cultivating prejudice.
I hope and pray that our churches will be able to work successfully for human dignity and freedom, against repression, war and destitution. As Your Holiness saw last year, in Uppsala Cathedral we have a candle-holder that is called The Tree of Reconciliation. It dates back to the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Uppsala 1968. It is a constant reminder of the needs of the world and the groaning of Creation, as well as of reconciliation and equal justice as accessible realities: reconciliation between God and people, between peoples and traditions, between humans and nature can and should result in equal and just relationships.
We who in baptism were made disciples of Jesus, we live in the world: partaking in structures that do not always support life, structures that are unhealthy for humans and the rest of creation, structures engrained with fear and hatred – a fertile soil for violence, racism and extremisms of various kinds – all of which are defiling the face of the earth that God so loved ... Therefore, as churches we need to do innovative interfaith and intercultural work and at the same time resist violence in the name of religion.
The world is crying out for credible words of hope. The leaders of the world look to religious leaders to take a stand and offer guidance. They do so because religions provide a cultural integrity, a spiritual depth and a moral force often lacking in purely secular approaches.
Your Holiness, given the encounters and engagement between our traditions that predate both you and me in our offices, I hope that there is a way forward, together in hope, also between us and those we serve, and those who one day will succeed us.
As we prepare for Christmas, we remind ourselves: Christ has broken the power of darkness. Christ has lit the light of faith, hope and love and calls us to carry that light.
May the journeys of faith in our traditions and communities spread that light, for the glory of God and the sake of the world!