Synod

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Friday, 23 May 2014 : 5th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 15 : 22-31

Then the Apostles and elders together with the whole Church decided to choose representatives from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. These were Judas, known as Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers.

They took with them the following letter : “Greetings from the Apostles and elders, your brothers, to the believers of non-Jewish birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We have heard that some persons from among us have worried you with their discussions and troubled your peace of mind. They were not appointed by us.”

“But now, it has seemed right to us in an assembly, to choose representatives and to send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have dedicated their lives to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. We send you then Judas and Silas who themselves will give you these instructions by word of mouth.”

“We, with the Holy Spirit, have decided not to put any other burden on you except what is necessary : ‘You are to abstain from blood from the meat of strangled animals and from prohibited marriages. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.’

After saying good-bye, the messengers went to Antioch, where they assembled the community and handed them the letter. When they read the news, all were delighted with the encouragement it gave them.

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Chaldean Patriarch election during Synod of Chaldean Bishops in Rome

http://www.news.va/en/news/vatican-the-synod-for-the-election-of-the-new-chal

As Cardinal Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly has retired on 19 December last year, the Pope has called and convened a Synod for Chaldean bishops in Rome, in order to elect their new Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, in full communion with the Pope as the Bishop of Rome. The Patriarch is of the See of Babylon, an ancient diocese dating from before the original split between the Chaldean Church from Rome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaldean_Catholic_Church

The Chaldean Church was part of Nestorianism, who rejected the Council of Ephesus in 431, as they believed in the distinctive human and divine nature of Christ, while we believe that Christ is truly fully human and also fully divine at the same time, and both are inseparable. The Chaldeans first returned to full communion with Rome in the mid 1500s, and after a period of lull in the communion, the full communion was restored in the 1800s, and continued well until today.

Let us pray for the bishops of the Chaldeans, that they will elect a worthy Patriarch for the Chaldean Catholic community, as shepherd to guide the faithful mostly in the region of Iraq and Mesopotamia, especially through the turbulent times experienced by all Christians in that area with intense persecution and harassment of all the faithful in Christ. May God bless them, and may He bless our Universal, Catholic Church.