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Pope's message on 5th centenary
of the 'Holy Robe' in Trier
Translated from
April 14, 2012
From April 13 to May 13 this year, the Cathedral of Trier in southwestern Germany is holding an exposition of the Holy Robe (Heilig Rock) ['Rock' is the German word for robe] to mark the fifth centenary of its first public exposition.
Photos are from the opening day rites of the pilgrimage, led by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Pope's special envoy to the celebration; the stamp was issued by the German Post Office in 1959.
[According to tradition, the Empress Dowager Helena brought the seamless robe of Christ to Trier, where her son Constantine the Greta had lived for some time. The Holy Robe is mentioned for the first time in the 11th century, but its history is documented with certainty only from the 12th century, when it was removed from the west choir of the Trier cathedral to the new altar in the east choir on May 1, 1196. Trier, established in 16 BC, is considered the oldest city in Germany, and Trier cathedral, built 1700 years ago, is considered the oldest in Europe (it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986).]
Here is the message (translated from German) sent by the Holy Fahter Benedict XVI to the Bishop of Trier, Mons. Stephan Ackermann, on the opening of the pilgrimage month yesterday:
My Venerated Brother
Stephan Ackermann
Bishop of Trier
In these days the Holy Robe will be on public exposition at the great Cathedral of Trier exactly 500 years since its first public exposition, when, at the wish of Kaiser Maximilian, Archbishop Richard von Greffenklau presented it at the opening of the main altar.
On this special occasion, I come in spirit as a pilgrim to the ancient and venerable episcopal city of Trier, and count myself among the ranks of the faithful who will be making this pilgrimage in the coming weeks.
To you, Excellency, to our confreres in episcopal service, the priests and deacons, members of religious orders, and al who have gathered for the opening of the pilgrimage to Trier, I assure you of the unity and spiritual closeness of the Successor of Peter.
Since that first exposition in 1512, the Holy Robe has drawn the faithful because this relic renders present one of the most dramatic moments in Jesus's earthly life, his death on the Cross.
The division among the soldiers of the garments stripped from the Crucified One may seem to be just a sidelight to which the synoptic Gospels make a fleeting reference.
But the evangelist John develops this episode with a certain solemnity. He is the only one who calls attention to the tunic which "was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down" (19,23). He makes the event clear to us and helps us, thanks to this relic, to look with faith at the mystery of salvation.
This undergarment, John tells us, is of one piece. The soldiers, who, according to Roman practice, could share the possessions of the crucified victims like bounty, did not want to tear up the robe. They drew lots for it, and thus it remained intact.
The Fathers of the Church see in this a symbol of the unity of the Church, which is founded by Christ's love as one indivisible community. The Holy Robe makes all this visible to us. The Lord's love brings together all that is divided. The Church is one in many. Christ did not dissolve the plurality of mankind, but unites them to be for one another and with each other as Christians should be, so that they may become themselves, in various ways, mediators for each other with God.
The tunic of Christ was "woven in one piece from the top down" (Jn 19,23). This is another image for the Church, which lives not of herself but from God. As a community that is one and indivisible, she is the work of God, not the product of men and their abilities.
The Holy Robe is also a reminder to the Church to remain true to her origin, to be aware that her unity, her consensus, her effectiveness, her witness, can only be created from on high - they can be given only by God. And only after Peter professed, "You are the Christ" (cfr Mt 16,16), did he receive the authority "to bind and unloose", and with it, the mission to serve the unity of the Church.
Finally, the Holy Robe is not a toga, nor an elegant garment that expresses social status. It is an undergarment which serves to cover and protect the wearer, preserving his privacy. This garment is the undivided gift of the Crucified one to the Church which he sanctified through his Blood. And so, the Holy Robe reminds us of the Church's intrinsic worth.
But how often do we see on what fragile vessels (cfr 2Cor 4,7) we carry this treasure that the Lord entrusted to the Church, and how, because of our selfishness, weaknesses and errors, the integrity of the Body of Christ is wounded.
Thus we need a constant disposition to conversion and to humility, in order to follow our Lord in love and truth. At the same time, the dignity and integrity of the Church cannot and must not be surrendered to the summary judgment of public opinion.
The Jubilee Pilgrimage has the motto - and yes, an invocation to the Lord - "to join together what is separated". So we must not remain in isolation. We ask the Lord to lead us on a common journey of faith and to make the contents of the faith live anew in us.
Thus, as Christians grow together in faith, in prayer, and in witness, we may also know, amidst the trials of our time, the magnificence and goodness of the Lord.
And so I impart the Apostolic Blessing from the heart to you and to everyone who will be visiting Trier in these celebratory days of pilgrimage.
From the Vatican
Good Friday
April 6, 2012
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 15/04/2012 10:35] |