«To be a seed of hope, a small seed, a seed surrounded by darkness, but a seed that bears fruit». Cardinal Pietro Parolin, at the inauguration of the new sanctuary dedicated to the Baptism of Jesus, in al-Maghtas, Jordan, takes up the Pope’s words to urge Christians “not to be overcome by the serious difficulties of this moment”, and to encourage them to continue to have “trust that God governs the history of men, even if it bears the signs of violence, sin and death”. In his homily, the Secretary of State recalled that “Christians can make their contribution to the pacification of the Middle East” and “to a just and peaceful society”. The Vatican Secretary of State, delegated by the Pope to preside over this event which was also attended by Cardinal Pier Battista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of the Latins of Jerusalem, also spoke about the conflict between Israel and Palestine: «I would also like to look beyond the Jordan , asking that the weapons be silenced, that prisoners and hostages be freed, that humanitarian law be guaranteed, that the hearts of the leaders of the nations be convinced to seek peace and coexistence among the peoples. Violence must not determine our future,” he declared. And again, he underlined that his presence «here today, also by will of the Pope, is intended to be a tangible sign of the closeness of the entire Church to the Christian communities of the Middle East. This presence has expressed itself in many ways in these last months, painful and war months, especially through the words of Pope Francis.” From the banks of the Jordan, «from this place, the lowest on earth, from this blessed Earth in which we feel all the suffering of conflicts and inhumanity and sin, from this place where however the sky has opened, we ask the sky the gift of peace, the true one, which is born in the hearts and spreads throughout the social fabric”, he then concluded by consecrating “this Church, which officially becomes a place of worship. With it we offer our hearts, our lives to God, so that peace may reign in the Middle East.”
