Pope Leo XIV received today in the Library of the Apostolic Palace the members of the Conference of Latin Bishops in the Arab Regions (CELRA), warning about the impact of violence on Christian communities in the region. During the audience, held this morning in Vatican City, the pontiff urged the bishops to reject resignation in the face of conflicts and to transform their parishes into strongholds of protection for minorities and migrants.
In his address, Leo XIV remembered the religious figures murdered in Yemen, Iraq and Syria, underlining that their fidelity to the Gospel remains a light and an invitation not to yield to fear or resignation. The Pope emphasized that Christian communities must show that it is possible to live, serve and hope together in the heart of societies marked by conflicts and divisions.
The pontiff expressed particular concern for migrants who live in solitude and precariousness in Gulf countries, asking that local structures be homes in which no one feels like a stranger. Leo XIV clarified that dialogue does not mean renouncing one's own identity, but living it without fear of encounter, arguing that gestures of interreligious respect represent a step toward peace.
CELRA has representatives from countries such as Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Djibouti, Somalia and the Arabian Peninsula. The Pope recalled that the true pastoral charge does not simply consist in preserving a Christian presence, but in making Christ present, challenging the Church to fulfill this mission through hospitals, schools and charitable works.
