Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
‘We need bridges, not walls!’ Pope says on Berlin Wall anniversary

‘We need bridges, not walls!’ Pope says on Berlin Wall anniversary

Last updated on: November 9, 2014 at 2:27 pm by CNA Daily News

‘We need bridges, not walls!’ Pope says on Berlin Wall anniversary 2014-11-09T14:27:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, Nov 9, 2014 / 07:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pope Francis said that it only happened through a long, painful struggle, and warned that there are still many walls that divide the world today.

“Wherever there is a wall, there is a closed heart. We need bridges, not walls!” the Pope voiced to those present in St. Peter’s Square for his Nov. 9 Angelus address.

He recalled how for many years the Berlin Wall had cut the city in two as a sign of the “ideological division” not only of Europe, but of the whole world.

When the Wall fell it happened suddenly, the pontiff observed, saying that although it happened fast, it was only made possible “by the long and arduous efforts of many people who fought, prayed and struggled for this, some even sacrificing their life.”

Among those who played a key role by working and praying tirelessly for peace and unity was St Pope John Paul II, he noted, and encouraged those present to work together in building and spreading a culture of encounter.

Constructed in 1961, the Berlin Wall was a large concrete barrier built by the German Democratic Republic that divided West Berlin from East Germany and East Berlin.

Built to stop people fleeing from communist East Germany to the West, the Wall’s fall in 1989 became a powerful symbol of the end of the Cold War. Within a year of tearing the Wall down, Germany – which was divided after its defeat in World War Two – was once again reunited.

The Pope explained that in order to foster unity rather than division, we need a culture “capable of tearing down all the walls that still divide the world, and (that) it will not happen again that innocent people are persecuted and even killed because of their beliefs and of their religion.”

In his address the Roman Pontiff also pointed to the day’s feast of the dedication of Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran. Built under Pope Melchiade in the early 300s, the basilica is the oldest Christian church in the world, and serves as Rome’s cathedral.

He referred to how the Lateran basilica is often referred to in tradition as the “mother of all the churches of the city and the world,” saying that the term “mother” refers to the work of the Holy Spirit who is manifested there, rather than the building itself.

Each time the dedication of a church is celebrated, we are reminded of the essential truth that the material structure is in fact a sign of the Church living and working throughout history, the Bishop of Rome explained.

In the day’s Gospel, Jesus reveals the “shocking truth (that) the temple of God is not only the building made of bricks, but it is his body, made up of living stones,” the Pope observed, noting how each person automatically becomes another living stone in this spiritual building through their baptism.

The spiritual building, which is the Church’s community of men and women sanctified by the death and resurrection of Christ, calls on each baptized person to live the faith they receive coherently in their daily lives, the Pope continued.

“And it's not easy, we all know it, this coherence in life between faith and witness; but we need to go forward and make this daily coherence in our lives,” he said, explaining that a Christian is not known for what he says so much as what he does.

It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the grace to live this coherence, the pontiff noted, saying that we should ask for this gift in order to both live the faith courageously and bear witness to charity, which are not separate things, but rather go together.

When meditating on the dedication of the Lateran basilica we also reflect on the communion of all churches throughout the world, he said, which motivates us commit ourselves to overcoming all “barriers of enmity and indifference.”

By making this commitment, we also commit ourselves “to build bridges of understanding and of dialogue, in order to make the whole world a family of peoples reconciled with each other, brotherly and harmonious,” the pontiff observed.

He concluded by pointing out how the Church herself is a sign of anticipation of this reconciliation through her message of hope and witness to the Gospel.

Vatican

Previous Post

November 9, 2014

Ruins of the Berlin Wall: what they whisper 25 years later

Next Post

November 9, 2014 Cardinal Scola: Universities can play crucial role in family synod

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian group is known for its rejection of military service and political involvement?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Amish Baptist Assemblies of God Methodist