Second day in Cyprus for Pope Francis, today the protagonist of ecumenical meetings with the Orthodox, of a mass for the small local Catholic community, and of a prayer with migrants.
Early in the morning, at 8.30 local time, at the Orthodox Archbishopric of Nicosia, the courtesy visit of Pope Bergoglio to Chrysostomos II, Orthodox archbishop of Cyprus. Then the meeting with the Holy Synod in the Orthodox Cathedral and the mass for the Catholic community at the “Gsp Stadium” of the Cypriot capital.
"I sincerely hope that the chances of meeting each other, of getting to know each other better, of breaking down many preconceptions and of listening docile to their respective experiences of faith will increase. It will be a stimulating exhortation for each one to do better and will bring both a spiritual fruit of consolation ". Thus Pope Francis during the meeting with the Holy Synod in the Orthodox Cathedral of Nicosia.
Focusing his speech on the figure of St. Barnabas - a companion of St. Paul and the first evangelizer of the island of Cyprus - whose name means at the same time "son of consolation" and "son of exhortation", the Pope wished to assure the " Orthodox brothers "" my prayer and closeness and that of the Catholic Church, in the most painful problems that anguish you as well as in the most beautiful and daring hopes that animate you. Your sadnesses and joys belong to us, we feel them ours! also so much need of your prayer ".
In the afternoon, at 4 pm, ecumenical prayer with migrants in the parish church of Santa Croce, also in Nicosia, and then the return to the Apostolic Nunciature, where the Pope is staying during his stay in Cyprus.
This morning moments of fear at the "Gsp Stadium", where among others there was also the president of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiades: arrested a man who, with a knife in his pocket, tried to enter the stadium while Pope Francis he was celebrating mass in front of thousands of people.
The arrested man is a 43-year-old foreigner. It is not clear what his intentions were.
(Unioneonline / vl)