United in love of the homeland, in service, fraternity and dialogue

Posted on 2024-11-27

Spirituality and Symbolism of Saint Martha House

By their fruits you will know them. The most beloved of people to God are those who are most useful to people. In fact, I would like to begin this humble article with these two beautiful and delicate sayings; the first is from the words of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, in the Gospel of Matthew in his famous sermon known as the “Sermon on the Mount” (16:7), and the second is from the words of our prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, when a questioner came to him asking him and saying: O Messenger of God: Which people are most beloved to God? He replied with his immortal saying: “The most beloved of people to God are those who are most useful to people.”

The meeting was beautiful and brotherly, in an atmosphere full of vitality, love and friendship, and in a place where everything around us carried great symbolism. I received with great joy and pleasure the invitation of my dear brother, Father Yoannis Lahzi Gaid - former personal secretary of His Holiness Pope Francis, President of the Egyptian Human Fraternity Foundation and member of the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity - to attend Pope Francis' blessing of two mobile clinics that were donated to the Egyptian Human Fraternity Foundation to serve the dear people of Egypt. The donation was made by two associations; the first: Bambino Gesù of Cairo Onlus, and the second: Hospitals Without Borders.

Many thoughts came to my mind and heart during this unique meeting at the Casa Santa Marta - where Pope Francis resides in the Vatican - last Wednesday, November 20, 2024. The house takes its name from that Saint Marta who was famous for her hospitality. For the same previous symbolism, Pope Francis has preferred to reside there since assuming the papal mission in 2013. Some consider the Pope's stay there now as a message and symbolism of a new era; the era of simplicity within the Catholic Church, where the Pope wants everyone to feel this fraternal and family atmosphere during hospitality, and to reduce formalities as much as possible, and this is in line with and completely consistent with the personality of His Holiness, as he chose from the beginning to side with simplicity and with the poor and needy, since the first moment at the beginning of his papacy and his choice of the name of Saint Francis of Assisi (Francesco d’Assisi), who called for simplicity, love and respect for all religions.

The meeting was attended by international representatives of institutions and associations from many parts of the world, and from Egypt, the former Minister of Immigration was present; Her Excellency Ambassador Nabila Makram, and His Excellency Ambassador: Mahmoud Talaat, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Vatican, and his deputy Tamer Shaheen, and Professor Maged Hanna, and Professor Michael Lahzi Gaid.

Pope Francis delivered an important speech, in which he said:

“I thank all the people and organizations who worked and contributed to the establishment of these two mobile clinics that will provide assistance and care to many children and patients and reflect the spirit of the Document on Human Fraternity.

I am happy to see the Bambino Gesu Hospital, the Gemelli Hospital, the Italian authorities, associations and other institutions collaborating on this wonderful project.

I encourage you to continue supporting these concrete charitable initiatives, which are being implemented by Father Youannis Lahzi Gaid (President of the Egyptian Human Fraternity Foundation).

I cordially greet all those present and the delegations coming from the United States, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Argentina and Italy. May the Lord bless you and may the Virgin Mary protect you under her maternal mantle and please pray for me!".

His Holiness urged everyone to make more efforts and not to stop these good charitable works, asking us all to pray for him, which is a great humility from him, and everyone came out with one conviction: Human Fraternity in its highest meanings is a lifeline for everyone. During this meeting, the Egyptian Human Fraternity Foundation announced good news for our people in Egypt, which is the establishment of the first branch of the Italian Bambino Gesù Hospital outside Italy, and it will be in Egypt. It is a very important hospital for treating children, and it enjoys a good reputation in Italy due to its precision in specializing in treating rare and genetic diseases.

In fact, this important event today is an extension of a larger project, which is the Human Fraternity Project and Document, which was signed by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and His Holiness Pope Francis, on February 4, 2019 in the sisterly United Arab Emirates, as this historic document is considered a unique event in the history of Islamic-Christian relations.

In conclusion, I would like to conclude my talk with a verse from the First Epistle of John in the New Testament, where the verse says: “We do not love in word or tongue, but in deed and in truth” (18:3), and indeed, true patriotism appears in fruits and not just words, as actions are always more eloquent than words. One of the most important messages of this event - from my personal point of view - is that the sons of Egypt abroad, Muslims and Christians, and under the auspices of their embassy, stand side by side in support of their motherland; therefore, I extend my heartfelt thanks to our honorable brother, Father Yoannis, for all these great efforts in serving his country and his homeland, Egypt, as well as his efforts in the issue of Christian-Islamic rapprochement, especially at the level of Al-Azhar and the Vatican. We must not forget that he is one of the architects of the Human Fraternity Document; therefore, we support him and tell him: “We are with you in order to serve our people in Egypt with all our strength, and for a better relationship, cooperation and rapprochement between Islam and Christianity, and for the sake of human brotherhood.” I conclude these lines by asking God Almighty and hoping that He will accept from us all good deeds, and that He will grant us peace, reassurance and tranquility in our hearts, and that He will grant the entire world security and safety, for He is the Guardian and Able to do so.

Written by His Ex.: Muhammad Hassan Abdel Ghaffar Sheha

Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center for Human Fraternity and former Al-Azhar envoy to the Grand Mosque in Rome and member of the Advisory Committee of the Egyptian Human Fraternity Foundation.

Rome, November 25, 2024