Toast of Cardinal Koch in honor
of His Holiness Tawadros II
(Pontifical Ethiopian College, 9 May 2023)
Your Holiness,
It is a special honor and a great joy for me to welcome you on this first day of your visit to Rome. You have come here at the invitation of His Holiness Pope Francis, to join him in commemorating the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting between your predecessor, His Holiness Pope Shenouda II, and Saint Pope Paul VI. This is also the tenth anniversary of your first visit to Rome.
“Ahlan wa sahlan fi beytikum!” “Welcome to your house!” I hope that these words do not sound like mere courtesy and that you will truly feel at home here in the Vatican. Indeed, as Saint Pope John Paul II affirmed, recognizing our brotherhood among the baptized “is something much more than an act of ecumenical courtesy; it constitutes a basic ecclesiological statement” (UUS 42). To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, you are here not as a stranger or an alien, but as a fellow citizen (cf. Eph 2:19), a beloved brother welcomed into his own home. This is particularly true this evening, since we are hosted by the Pontifical Ethiopian College with which the Coptic Orthodox Church shares the same Alexandrian tradition.
Fifty years ago, on this very day, Pope Paul VI welcomed Pope Shenouda, of blessed memory, here in the Vatican, with the following words: “You come to this ancient See of Rome, bearing with you the traditions of the ancient See of Alexandria, of its apostles, its martyrs, its doctors, its holy monks and the vast army of its people, who have given witness to their faith in periods of joy and in periods of great darkness. It is our hope that through our discussions and prayer we may make a significant contribution towards understanding each other better, thus making it possible to help Christians find valid answers to the questions they are asking themselves today.”
With these words, Paul VI made clear that the goal of the ecumenical journey of our Churches is not unity for its own sake, but for the proclamation of the Gospel. I have no doubt that your visit will mark another historic step in the relationship between the See of St. Peter and the See of St. Mark, and enable them to bear witness of the Risen Christ to the world.
Your Holiness, on behalf of the Holy See, represented this evening also by the honorable presence of His Excellency Richard GALLAGHER, Secretary for Relations with States, and His Excellency Claudio GUGEROTTI, Prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, I would like to express our deep gratitude for your visit, and to call upon it the blessing of our Lord.
It is also a joy for me and for the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, to greet the distinguished members of your delegation: Anba DANIEL, Secretary General of the Holy Synod, Anba PAPHNUTIUS, Metropolitan of Samalut, Anba JULIUS, Administrator of the Patriarchal Social Services, Anba ANGAELOS, Archbishop of London, and Anba ANTONIO, Bishop of Milan and Northern Italy. A special greeting to Anba BARNABA, with whom our Dicastery has collaborated so fruitfully for more than thirty years, and to Anba KYRILLOS, Cochairman of the Joint international commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. And of course, special gratitude to our host this evening, Reverend Father Hailemikael BERAKI, Rector of this Pontifical College.
Your Holiness! Through the intercession of the Holy Apostles Peter and Mark, and of all the Saints and Holy Martyrs, may your visit further strengthen the bonds of love and friendship between the Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church. May your visit help us to progress along the path of unity for which Our Lord prayed! I raise my glass to Your Holiness and to His Holiness Pope Francis, to your delegation, and to the beloved Coptic Orthodox Church. Ad multos annos!