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| The Letter "N for Nazarene is Used by the Islamists to Brand Christians |
(Rome) Already for several days a large banner has been hanging in the middle of the northern Italian city of Ferrara, with the Arabic letter N for Nazarene. With this symbol, the Islamists in northern Iraq label the homes of Christians who are who are to be driven out. The banner with the prominent announcement on the fate of persecuted Christians in the Middle East hangs on the main square of the city on the facade of the Archbishop's Palace. The reason for the display is the contentious Archbishop of Ferrara, Msgr. Luigi Negri, one of the most prominent Catholic bishops in Europe. From August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, the Italian Bishops' Conference had declared a day of prayer for the persecuted Christians of the Middle East.
On August 14, Archbishop Negri published on the Solemnity of the Assumption a pastoral letter to the persecuted Christians. Here are some excerpts:
"The meaning of this brand is that it represents the first letter of the word Nassarah (Nazarene), the word with which the Quran refers to the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth - that is imposed by the militias of the self-proclaimed Caliph al-Baghdadi on infidel Christians, for the there is no place in the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, except to convert to Islam, who are subject to a head tax, and suffer the destruction of their ancient places of worship and the confiscation of their goods - want to express publicly that the Archdiocese of Ferrara- Comacchio feels as one with our brothers and sisters who bear the wounds of the suffering and death of our Lord on their bodies and in their souls.
Archbishop Luigi Negri of Ferrara: "No dialogue at all costs"
"While we prepare for the Day of Prayer (August 15),for the coming of peace - or better it could be said that the Lord Jesus Christ will perform a miracle for it, that humanly speaking is not the least hope - I want that the entire diocese would perceive, what Pope Francis has repeatedly asked that it is not just the "saying" of a prayer, but a prayer with the wholeness of life and of the heart. That it is mainly a plea for forgiveness from Him, because our lives as Western Christians shares guilt as a co-responsibility for what is happening.
This responsibility comes with a naivete expressed, that is to say the least, pathologically. One must speak of dialogue, sure, but you should and can do so only if one is aware of the identity and the complexity of the conversation partner. There can not be in any case a dialogue at all costs and it can not mean a withdrawal of Christians from the Middle East completely.
It would be our desire to be there with them, to strengthen the numerical presence of Christians in the places where the Church and Christians have been present for two thousand years and to be prosecuted with them. Let us ask the Lord that He makes us able to build an intelligent dialogue, to guide and not an unconditional surrender. And we ask the Lord also that He grants us to stop not only the flight of thousands and thousands of our brothers and sisters whose guilt is only to be Christians like the first martyrs, but as far as possible, to strengthen their presence there, as they can not be valued differently than as a fundamental contribution to the common good of all mankind. This is the authentic way to pray for the peace that is a gift of the Risen Christ, 'Peace be with you '. Everything else is just empty talk. The Church needs no empty talk and, as far as I know, even God does not need it. "
+ Luigi Negri
Archbishop of Ferrara-Comacchio and Abbot of Pomposa
Archbishop of Ferrara-Comacchio and Abbot of Pomposa
Introduction / Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Asianews / Archdiocese of Ferrara
image: Asianews / Archdiocese of Ferrara
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
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