 31 Maggio 2021NEWS FLASH ANTIOCH: MAY 2021
Another month has passed. We may, at last, be emerging from the pandemic tunnel. After a good part of the month with very severe restrictions and a partial reopening from June 1st, a new phase is beginning.
In fact, according to the latest indications, our region (Hatay) has the second-lowest Covid-19 infection rate of the 82 Turkish regions. The vaccinations are continuing fairly quickly. In Hatay at least a quarter have been vaccinated. Two important events await us next month: the feast of Pentecost (which is celebrated on June 20th according to the Orthodox calendar) and the Feast of St. Peter on June 29th. We hope to be able to celebrate them with the assembly in some freedom.
The news of the month was also significant, even if the absence of pilgrims and the participation of the faithful in the celebration weighs heavily. I have already talked about Easter In addition, throughout the month, we recited and streamed the evening rosary. Some brave people always attended Mass. After 15 months we got used to living day to day without predicting the future. I believe we will do it again. My confrere, Fr. Francis, is still in India and in a message this morning May 31st, he tells me that for the month of June there will be no flights from India to Turkey ...
May 1st. There will be a total curfew until May 17th. The prefecture has given us permission to celebrate Easter with the assembly. At 5 pm Easter vigil ... and end of fasting in the "family". In church, at the end of the liturgy, after having arranged everything, with the faithful collaborators, we mark the occasion, cutting the Easter Columba (Easter cake in the shape of a dove) sent by Sr. Germana!
May 2nd. Greetings from the mayor with a large poster at the entrance of the Catholic church and exchange of greetings with the Orthodox abuna (priests) at the end of the Liturgy in their church!
May 3th. We begin saying and streaming the rosary in the evening.
May 5th. We mark Kristina's birthday. For over a year she has been broadcasting the celebrations of the Catholic Church of Antioch with her mobile phone.
May 11th. I bring the Muftì of the city the message of the PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE for the month of Ramadan. The theme is the following: Christians and Muslims: Witnesses of Hope . The Iman from the mosque near the Catholic church also comes with me. It is a simple message, but very beautiful.
Dear Muslim brothers and sisters,
We at the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue are glad to offer you our fraternal good wishes for a month rich in divine blessings and spiritual advancement. Fasting, along with prayer, almsgiving and other pious practices, brings us closer to God our Creator and to all those with whom we live and work, and helps us to continue walking together on the path of fraternity.
During these long months of suffering, anguish and sorrow, especially during the lockdown periods, we sensed our need for divine assistance, but also for expressions and gestures of fraternal solidarity: a telephone call, a message of support and comfort, a prayer, help in buying medicines or food, advice, and, to put it simply, the security of knowing that someone is always there for us in times of necessity.
The divine assistance that we need and seek, especially in circumstances like those of the current pandemic, is manifold: God’s mercy, pardon, providence and other spiritual and material gifts. Yet, what we need most in these times, is hope. At this time, then, we think it fitting to share with you some reflections on this virtue.
As we are aware, hope, while certainly including optimism, goes beyond it. While optimism is a human attitude, hope has its basis in something religious: God loves us, and therefore cares for us through his providence. He does this in his own mysterious ways, which are not always comprehensible to us. In these situations, we are like children who are certain of the loving care of their parents, but are not yet able to comprehend its full extent.
Hope arises from our belief that all our problems and trials have a meaning, a value and a purpose, however difficult or impossible it may be for us to understand the reason for them or to find a way out of them.
Hope also carries with it belief in the goodness present in the heart of every person. Many times, in situations of difficulty and despair, help, and the hope it brings, can come from those whom we least expect.
Human fraternity, in its numerous manifestations, thus becomes a source of hope for all, especially for those in any kind of need. Thanks be to God our Creator, and to our fellow men and women, for the quick response and generous solidarity shown by believers and also persons of good will with no religious affiliation in times of disaster, whether natural or man-made, like conflicts and wars. All these persons and their goodness remind us believers that the spirit of fraternity is universal, and that it transcends all boundaries: ethnic, religious, social and economic. In adopting this spirit, we imitate God, who looks benevolently upon the humanity he created, upon all other creatures and upon the entire universe. This is why the growing care and concern for the planet, our “common home”, is, according to Pope Francis, yet another sign of hope.
We are also aware that hope has its enemies: lack of faith in God’s love and care; loss of trust in our brothers and sisters; pessimism; despair and its opposite, unfounded presumption; unfair generalizations based on one’s own negative experiences, and so forth. These harmful thoughts, attitudes and reactions must be effectively countered, so as to strengthen hope in God and trust in all our brothers and sisters.
In his recent Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis speaks frequently of hope. There he tells us: “I invite everyone to renewed hope, ‘for hope speaks to us of something deeply rooted in every human heart, independently of our circumstances and historical conditioning. Hope speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a longing for a life of fulfilment, a desire to achieve great things, things that fill our heart and lift our spirit to lofty realities like truth, goodness and beauty, justice and love… and it can open us up to grand ideals that make life more beautiful and worthwhile’ (cf. Gaudium et spes, 1). Let us continue, then, to advance along the paths of hope” (No. 55).
We, Christians and Muslims, are called to be bearers of hope, for the present life and for the life to come, and to be witnesses, restorers and builders of this hope, especially for those experiencing difficulties and despair.
As a sign of our spiritual fraternity, we assure you of our prayer, and we send best wishes for a peaceful and fruitful Ramadan, and for a joyful Id al-Fitr.
Miguel Angel Cardinal Ayuso Guixot,MCCJ
President
May 11th. This morning Sisters Agnese and Maria from Tarsus go back to Italy after 25 years in Turkey!
May 13th: The month of fasting (Ramadan) ends and there will be three days of holydays but only in the family. The curfew is in effect until Monday the 17th.
The Palestinian revolt in Israel is given great prominence in the Turkish newspapers.
May 18th. Monsignor Paolo Bizzeti comes to Antioch with (from the left of Father Domenico) Sr. Janet, Mariagrazia Zambon, the bishop, a lady from Bologna and two members of the Focolari.
May 19th. I have finally finished writing my MEMOIRES as a priest in Turkey. There are 233 pages of text and photographs with 92 pages of notes and appendices. I sent them to my confreres in the Province with this accompanying letter.
Dear confreres,
During these 14 months of pandemic, I have written down some of my experiences of 54 years as a friar and as a missionary in Turkey.
They are only offered as a testimony of a vocation and my experience as a Capuchin Franciscan missionary in a Muslim country with Eastern Christian minorities.
I think they may be of interest to you, so I am happy to share them, in the hopes that they will be of use.
First of all, I want to say in all sincerity that I have not done anything special in my life. Only that the Lord and St. Francis have guided and supported me on a long journey that I have tried to follow and… sometimes succeeded.
Unfortunately, there is not much esteem for Turkey, but its inhabitants are also creatures of God to be loved despite their diversity. I love them and have received a lot from them.
I would like our young people in formation to be able to read this too because my missionary vocation was born through contacts with the first missionaries of Australia, even if I was then ... "diverted" to Turkey! Maybe it could entice some of them to come to this country.
As a sub-title of MEMOIRES I have used three keywords: Respect, Dialogue and Testimony. These are the keys that have guided me up to now. They did not disappoint me!
I wish you happy reading. Always in union of prayer and fraternity.
Peace and love! p. Domenico Bertogli
May 22nd. The Metropolitan Mayor of Antioch Lutfu Savas accompanies the former minister of state Tuzmen Kursat (first on the left) on a visit the Catholic Church.
May 26th. Mother General Maria Correndentora (in civilian clothes), with the bursar Mercy, of the Sisters of the Institute of the Lord and the Virgin of Matsarà (Argentina), visit Antioch. They already have a presence in Trabzon and are going to open a house in Izmir. They stay for lunch with Father Darius, parish priest of the Catholic Church of Iskenderun and Adana.
May 31st. Mrs. Meral Akşener, founder of the IYI PARTI party, visits our church. She has a growing following.
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