charge which our beloved Pope John Paul II left with you in the year of the

Great Jubilee of Christ's birth. Count on the prayers and solidarity of your

brothers and sisters in the universal Church, and work, with concrete initiati-

ves, to consolidate your presence and to offer new possibilities to those tempted

to leave. Be a bridge of dialogue and constructive cooperation in the building of

a culture of peace to replace the present stalemate of fear, aggression and

frustration. Build up your local Churches, making them workshops of dialogue,

tolerance and hope, as well as solidarity and practical charity.

Above all, be witnesses to the power of life, the new life brought by the

Risen Christ, the life that can illumine and transform even the darkest and

most hopeless of human situations. Your homeland needs not only new eco-

nomic and community structures, but most importantly, we might say, a new

"spiritual" infrastructure, capable of galvanizing the energies of all men and

women of good will in the service of education, development and the promo-

tion of the common good. You have the human resources to build the culture

of peace and mutual respect which will guarantee a better future for your

children. This noble enterprise awaits you. Do not be afraid!

The ancient Basilica of the Nativity, buffeted by the winds of history and

the burden of the ages, stands before us as a witness to the faith which endures

and triumphs over the world.9 No visitor to Bethlehem can fail to notice that in

the course of the centuries the great door leading into the house of God has

become progressively smaller. Today let us pray that, by God's grace and our

commitment, the door leading into the mystery of God's dwelling among men,

the temple of our communion in his love, and the foretaste of a world of eternal

peace and joy, will open ever more fully to welcome, renew and transform every

human heart. In this way, Bethlehem will continue to echo the message entru-

sted to the shepherds, to us, and to all mankind: "Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth, peace to those whom he loves"! Amen.

IV

In Eucharistica celebratione apud Montem Praecipitii in Nazareth.*

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

"May the peace of the Risen Christ reign in your hearts, for as members of

the one body you have been called to that peace!".1 With these words of the

9 Dicembre 2009 -11 :13 pagina 478 e : /0693_9 /Lavoro /Acta_Giugno_9.3d GRECCO

Acta Apostolicae Sedis Commentarium Officiale478

9 Cfr. 1 Jn 5:4.

--------

* Die 14 Maii 2009. 1 Col 3:15.