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the Armenian Orthodox Church in Buenos Aires. He is a

close friend to Pope Francis, as they both knew each other

in Buenos Aires. He too delivered a speech about Unity.

He stated that we are not perhaps fully aware of how big a

work we are doing in being together and how important it

is to live in Unity with others. He compared our differences

with musical notes. Music is the same for all, but people

play different musical notes, since we belong to different

Churches – however, it is necessary to find the same musical

notes to play for Our Lord’s Glory.

As our friend the Imam, Mohammed Mazharual Islam

from Bangladesh was unable to attend the pilgrimage this

time because of a visa problem, Vassula was asked to read out

his talk. We were especially touched to hear these significant

words from his letter to us:

“I hope by the grace of Almighty Allah you all shall

enjoy the pilgrimage most pleasantly and this pilgrimage

shall help the stronger bond of friendship among us all.

Let us forget the bitter past and move forward for our

prosperity. I invite you all to visit Bangladesh and see

our natural scenery. Moreover, you can see in our country

how Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians are

living nicely in communal harmony. We are friends to

each other.”

This message was intended to remind us that in some

countries, even though various religions exist, there could be

peace and a life of harmony between them.

Right after the presentation of this letter, the Syrian Catholic

Archbishop, Gregorios Elias Tabe, gave a speech about the

division of Christian denominations and of what comprised

their early start in the first centuries. He said that he also

comes from a divided denomination. He continued saying

that with every difficulty we have in life we should seek

always reconciliation immediately because the Lord wants it.

Moreover, in his view, he believes that if Unity has not come

yet, it is because the Church is not paying enough attention

to the division or the differences among different groups,

different languages, and different personalities. He concluded

by saying that the Church has to focus more on this.

Fr. Stephen Rafael from Calcutta, India, gave us as well a

reminder of Christ’s

Love.

He quoted Jesus many times as:

“Love as I have loved you”.

He explained the importance

of Love and what could be achieved through it, reminding

us of the words Jesus says:

“Ask anything in My name and

it will be done”

.

Love will triumph over our division. Love

will bring the Church to be as one and not fragmented.

Hardening our hearts will never bring us

together.We

should

remember the famous words uttered by the Ecumenical

Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople who was so close

to bringing forth Unity with Pope Paul VI; he wrote:

“If

we are satisfied to repeat our formulas, hardening them

against our fellow Christians, then our inheritance

will become something dead. It is sharing, humility,

reconciliation which makes us truly Orthodox.”

Four years ago, our pilgrims visited Assisi where we had a

wonderful and unforgettable Maronite Mass in Aramaic

by Fr. Nabil Mouannes. In our program this year, 2015, we

scheduled ourselves again to visit Assisi,

the City of Peace

as

Saint John Paul II had named it. Our ride to Assisi, while on

the youth bus, which I was in, and which transported all the

youth, (some youth also of over 50 years of age, ahem…) the

Rosary was prayed in five different languages. Upon arrival,

we visited the upper Basilica of St. Francis, one of Italy’s

foremost monuments, which was built between 1228 and

1253 AD. St. Francis was a mystic who experienced visions

Rome Pilgrimage 2015

(continued)

Fr. Gavin Ashendon with Pope Francis at the Papal Audience

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