Participants of this Synod of Bishops made a pilgrimage to the roots of faith of the early Christian community in Rome during a break. Chinese bishops and first-time visitors expressed their great emotion.
(Vatican News Network) “This is my first time here. It is a profound experience. I personally touched the church and the place where my faith began.” On the afternoon of October 12, about 250 participants of the Synod of Bishops made a pilgrimage to the Crypt of St. Bastion, St. Caledo and St. Domitilla. Chinese Bishop Yang Yongqiang shared his thoughts on this pilgrimage. The excitement of the event.
During the break, cardinals, bishops, men and women religious, lay people, and special guests attending this Synod of Bishops made a pilgrimage to the roots of faith of the early Christian community in Rome. It is the place where the two apostles St. Peter and St. Paul met, and it is a symbol of the pope’s desire to “seek unity in diversity” reflected in the world’s bishops’ conference.
The members of the synod participating in the pilgrimage held the brochures they had received in their hands, prayed in the Basilica of St. Bastion, and paused for a moment in silence. Bishop Pasquale Iacobone, President of the Pontifical Commission for Archaeology, who assisted in this activity, welcomed everyone and said: “It is very important for our colleagues to introduce these places that are of great significance to the understanding of the Church during our itinerary. We hope to keep this visit alive during the coming Jubilee as well.”
Mgr Iacobone went on to say that among these historically and spiritually important places was the encounter between Peter and Paul. Here was experienced the “harmony of the two apostles”, leaving behind “the earliest image of their embrace of each other and their belonging to the same Church”. For the church and the world today, this is the message that “differences are reconciled.”
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, general spokesman of the Synod of Bishops, also spoke at St. Sebastian’s Basilica, mentioning the life of early Christians in Rome and the testimonies of the martyrs buried in the crypt. “This pilgrimage from St. Peter’s Basilica is a journey towards our reality, the reality of our Church,” he said, always with the image of the Cross. “We bishops must look at our cross and say: Lord, I love you, I will take up my cross and follow you.”
Synod: participants make pilgrimage to the crypt
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2023-10-13 11:51:22
