Church wants possession of Upper Room in Jerusalem

The Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, yesterday issued a reminder to the Israeli authorities that the Catholic Church wants to retake possession of the Upper Room in Jerusalem.

Speaking at an open air Mass at the Ta' Pinu Sanctuary, in Gozo in the punishing afternoon heat, which marked the conclusion of the five-day International Convention for Priests, Cardinal Sodano said: "I too often think of that Upper Room ever since I had the joy of celebrating Holy Mass there with the Pope on the occasion of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in... 2000".

Cardinal Sodano said the Upper Room enabled each priest to discover the meaning of his own vocation. "Unfortunately, that particular building is no longer in the hands of Christians, even if there are hopes that the Israeli authorities might give it back in the future. Yet, that Upper Room remains in our hearts forever."

The cardinal said that a priest's holy life was like a lighthouse in the midst of a secularised world, which seemed to be drowning in the pursuit of pleasure, the cult of the body and the consumer society.

And then he paid special tribute to Gozo: "The island which is hosting us has a name that will serve as a reminder of our pilgrimage: Gozo. It is a Spanish word, which we translate as joy."

Anyone who had witnessed the earlier arrival of the priests on Gozo would understand why such fond words were used. A shower of green leaves fell gently on the cassocks of the cardinals and bishops in the morning as they made their way into the Xewkija church, albeit slowly as they stopped to acknowledge and greet the boisterous assembled crowd in the village square.

Children were given time off school to join the cheers of the young and old, the mobile and the not-so-mobile, as the 1,000 or so members of the clergy made their way into the impressive Rotunda for the beginning of the last day of the International Convention of Priests.

They had only been on the island for a matter of minutes and yet already they were hardly in need of the "warmest welcome to our island" extended to them by Gozo Bishop Nikol Cauchi as the official proceedings got under way, a little late because one of the buses carrying priests had broken down on the way to the Cirkewwa ferry terminal. Indeed, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, the Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy, made the point several times that he wanted the congress to take place in Malta because of the kind reception he received in Gozo on a visit a few years ago.

Mgr Cauchi said: "Your presence on our islands, though short, has been very precious to us because it has helped us to understand better the charisma of priestly life and spurred us to live it more authentically. Therefore, it has helped in this way for a spiritual revival for the whole local Church. It has given us also a good opportunity to pray together for the venerable Holy Father, the Shepherd of the Universal Church, who today marks the 26th anniversary of the beginning of his pastoral ministry".

Mgr Cauchi said the theme of the congress had offered several points for reflection and prayer. "Without doubt, it has been very topical, corresponding to the real needs that are so badly felt today. In our times, perhaps more than ever before, the world is in need of prayerful priests who are unreservedly dedicated to the apostolate," he said.

However, he said that pastoral problems were not wanting, as he mentioned the dangers which threaten the sanctity of family life and the hindrances encountered by the new generation in their Christian formation. "However, in spite of all the difficulties, today, as in critical moments of the past, our clergy and our people confide with full trust in the help of the merciful God," he said.