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October 27, 2023Abu Dhabi
To the people of God in the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia
Dear brothers and sisters,
May the Lord give you peace and pascal joy, the joy of the risen Jesus!
We have reached the last week of the Synod of Bishops. Unfortunately, we haven't had much time to tell you what we have experienced and are still experiencing these days of synodal assembly.
First, I would like to share the joy of this journey together with the many bishops present here and with the other people, lay as well as consecrated. It was a time of deep listening in the Spirit. It is very enriching to hear the experiences of many different churches spread across the world and to discover that we often have the same problems, dreams, and desires, together with different viewpoints, which we must deepen.
Furthermore, I would like to tell you that both, I and Mathew Thomas from St Mary’s parish in Dubai, who shares this Synodal adventure with me in Rome, were able to tell the participants of the Synod about the work that has been done in our Apostolic Vicariate in recent years.
We met the Holy Father, Pope Francis several times. We gave him the two booklets of the vicariate, which collected all our wishes for the future of the Church. So, the Pope keeps all of you in his heart.
The richness of our ecclesial experience has inspired everyone. We are a Church of migrants. We are different, yet we form a single Church with different charisms and ministries. Many bishops have approached us, wanting to know more about this unique experience of the Church in Arabia.
Listening to the different experiences of synodality from the various dioceses around the world, I am even more convinced that our Church in the Gulf has so much to offer to the whole Church of God and that we can learn so much from others.
Finally, there are so many topics covered these days, as expected. In fact, we followed the Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for this assembly, which detailed the three fundamental themes of synodality: Communion, participation, and mission.
In this last week, no conclusions will be made, but a summary document will be drawn up, which will serve as a working tool for the next few months in view of the second stage of the Synod of bishops in October 2024.
Also, we are preparing a letter to the People of God! A message for all of you from the Synod!
I am now asking you to continue to pray for the Synod and all of us who find ourselves involved in this adventure.
May the Lord bless you
I hope to see you soon.
Bishop Paolo Martinelli OFM Cap.
Apostolic Vicar of Southern ArabiaAbu Dhabi, 27 October 2023.