This morning, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the Synod of Bishops of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch.

The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present during the meeting:

Address of the Holy Father

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you!

Your Beatitude,
Dear Brother Bishops, brothers and sisters,

It is a pleasure to meet with you on the occasion of your Synod, which is not only an act of governance but also a moment of communion and of service as bishops. Through you, I extend a warm greeting to the priests, men and women religious, seminarians and all the beloved faithful of the Melkite Church, both within your own territories and in the diaspora throughout the world.

As you well know, it was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians.” Then, as now, Christians are called to live their lives in a way that bears witness to the living presence of God dwelling among us. Indeed, the early Christians were recognized as different from others by their lives of charity, which is still the case in your parishes. You do not simply carry the faith in your minds, but allow it to penetrate your hearts, impelled by the Spirit to share food with the hungry, to provide education and health care, to accompany and encourage the suffering, to allow the Church to be a beacon — the light of Christ — especially in this tumultuous period.

In many of the traditional lands of your Church, the faithful are beset by war, unrest, religious extremism and economic distress. Through you, I would like to say to your beloved Church: I am with you. The entire Catholic Church is with you. For when one member suffers, the entire Body suffers with it (cf. 1 Cor 12:26). And precisely because you are suffering and striving to imitate Jesus in the meekness with which he redeemed the world, you are at the heart of the Church. I think in particular of the wounds, the difficulties you face that spur many of your faithful to travel to distant lands, to find work, to escape dangers and sometimes even persecution, to raise their families in safety.

What a great vocation your Church has: to be witnesses of reconciliation and peace in lands ravaged by conflict. You are the seeds of communion in lands that are scarred by violence. This testimony truly makes you icons of centuries of faith in the holiest places of our salvation.

At times, the human predilection for conflict may also affect us within the Church. It is no coincidence that in the sacred and evocative rite of your Byzantine tradition, the first instruction to the priest and deacon preparing to celebrate the Divine Liturgy is to be reconciled with everyone, hold nothing against anyone, and harbor no evil in his heart. This reconciliation is itself a sacrifice in and with Christ.

In this regard, your Synod of Bishops serves as the guardian of communion. You have a great responsibility, to be safeguarded and nurtured within episcopal collegiality, as I wished to emphasize through the Apostolic Letter Mutua Concordia. We must be ever vigilant not to fall into the temptation to elevate ourselves above others, seeking power rather than service, profit rather than transparency and honesty, and personal success rather than pastoral care. The Holy Spirit impels us to strive and to pray, to pray for the unity which will help all people recognize that Christ is in our midst.

Moreover, the most eloquent expression of our faith and the clearest communication of the Good News to those who do not know Christ occur when we take up our cross and choose to manifest love in moments when we are afraid, angry or suffering. We who serve the Church as clergy give our faithful greater hope in the Gospel when we examine ourselves and hold each other accountable not only in matters of administration of material goods but also in the way in which we seek reconciliation.

We have seen throughout history that the trials we face — whether martyrdom or the simple sacrifices we make out of love for our neighbor — give us the opportunity to show our faith in a way that resonates in the hearts of those who are seeking true peace. I pray, then, that with Christian hope and with love for all the people with whom you live, you will continue to form young people and encourage everyone in your noblest traditions.

For its part — and thanks to the generosity of so many — the Apostolic See, is ensuring that there are scholarships available for the faithful in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq to receive a Catholic education. Our goal is to support young people, so that Christian families will have the assistance required to remain in the Middle East and maintain a Christian presence.

I thank you for what you do, and I assure you of my spiritual closeness. Entrusting this Synod to the intercession of the Theotokos — the God-bearer — I pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten and guide you in your decisions. Upon you and all the faithful of the Melkite Church, I invoke an abundance of the Lord’s blessing.

Thank you.