Bishop Paolo Martinelli has received a letter from a Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches written in the context of the recent escalation of conflict in the Gulf region.

In the message, the cardinal expresses closeness “to every priest, every religious, and all the faithful of your Vicariate”, encouraging them to remain rooted in faith and hope. “In this context,” he writes, “the faith of your community shines as a living lamp, so that many may find, in the light that radiates from the Heart of Christ, the inner strength and wisdom needed to rebuild the gift of peace.”

He also conveys particular solidarity with those whose lives have been affected by fear and instability, and with communities called to adopt prudent measures, recalling that “fraternal communion in Christ remains, even in such circumstances, a source of nourishment and consolation for the People of God.”

Following is the text of the message:
 

Your Excellency,
I follow with deep participation and great concern the development of the situation of the conflict that is affecting the beloved land of Arabia. In this time so full of uncertainty and fear, I wish to convey to you my fraternal closeness and the assurance of my constant prayer.

I kindly ask you to extend these sentiments to every priest, every religious man and woman, and to all the faithful of your Vicariate, who with fidelity and courage continue to bear witness to the light of the Gospel in such delicate circumstances. We know well how demanding and at times painful it is to proclaim and make present the light of Christ in that much-loved region, all the more in days like these when danger looms and the precious gift of peace is taken away.

Precisely in this context, the faith of your community shines as a living lamp, so that many may find, in the light that radiates from the Heart of Christ, the inner strength and wisdom necessary to rebuild the gift of peace and to mend what violence has wounded.

I express particular closeness to those whose lives are limited or placed in danger because of the fears and consequences of the conflict, and to those who live in uncertainty or are deprived of their security. I embrace the communities forced to adopt prudent measures, reaffirming with faith that fraternal communion in Christ remains, even in such circumstances, nourishment and consolation for the People of God.

I exhort everyone to find in the gift of faith the strength to go through this time of trial, in the certainty that the Lord does not abandon His people and that even in the darkest nights He continues to work His salvation.

I entrust with confidence to the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi, whose Jubilee year we celebrate, a man of peace and dialogue, and to the powerful mediation of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, the heartfelt supplication that all weapons may soon fall silent and that the spiral of violence may be halted before it becomes, as Pope Leo XIV has warned in recent days, an irreparable abyss.

Renewing to you my full solidarity and communion, I assure you once again of my constant remembrance in prayer and take this opportunity to confirm myself, with sentiments of fraternal esteem, of Your Excellency most devoted,

 Luis Antonio Card. Tagle