This afternoon, Francis recited a prayer during his meeting with the Chaldean community in the presence of Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako and a group of refugees: “let the peoples so wearied by bombing experience the joy of your resurrection”
They sung the Vespers to the typical tune used in the Chaldean and Aramaic languages. They prayed for the war and the violence in Iraq and Syria to stop. The final event of the Pope’s intense first day in Georgia was a moving moment of prayer. Francis recited a prayer he had prepared for the occasion, speaking in the presence of bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church and its Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako, in the Assyrian-Chaldean Church of St. Simon Bar Sabbae.
“Lord Jesus, by your glorious passion,” the Pope prayed, “conquer the hardness of our hearts, imprisoned by hatred and selfishness; by the power of your resurrection, save the victims of injustice and maltreatment from their suffering; by the fidelity of your coming, confound the culture of death and make the triumph of life shine forth.”
“Lord Jesus,” he continued, “unite to your cross the sufferings of the many innocent victims: the children, the elderly, and the persecuted Christians; envelop in paschal light those who are deeply wounded: abused persons, deprived of freedom and dignity; let those who live in uncertainty experience the enduring constancy of your kingdom: the exiles, refugees, and those who have lost the joy of living.”
“Lord Jesus,” Francis went on to say in his prayer, “cast forth the shadow of your cross over peoples at war; may they learn the way of reconciliation, dialogue and forgiveness; let the peoples so wearied by bombing experience the joy of your resurrection: raise up Iraq and Syria from devastation; reunite your dispersed children under your gentle kingship: sustain Christians in the Diaspora and grant them the unity of faith and love.
In an interview with Fides news agency before the meeting, Patriarch Sako announced: “I will tell the Holy Father that I hope he will visit Iraq in the near future. We are in need of his presence and support there”. At the meeting there were 12 Chaldean bishops fresh from the annual Synod in Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. Besides Georgia’s Assyrian-Chaldean faithful, other groups of faithful from the US, France and Canada were also there to welcome the Pope, as was a group of Chaldeans currently living as refugees in Iraq, after they were forced to leave their homes behind in the face of ISIS’s advance.
There are around 10,000 Chaldean and Assyrian Christians currently living in Georgia. They originally settled as migrants in the Caucasus region, in the first half of the 19th century. The migration influx continued into the early 20th century, with Assyrians and Chaldeans also suffering persecution during World War I.
As he exited the church, the Pope released a white dove as a symbol of peace. It had been given to him by a young boy dressed in a traditional costume.
