Bishop Paul Releases Final Pastoral Letter

In his last pastoral letter to the faithful, offering thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, Bishop Paul reminisces over his experiences in leading the diverse and multicultural flock in the Arabian Peninsula during his tenure as Apostolic Vicar for the past 18 years.

Below is the full text of the Pastoral Letter 2022.
 

“I give thanks to my God each time I remember you. And when I pray for you, I pray with joy.” Phil 1:3

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

May the Lord give you peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Before the new bishop takes over the responsibility for the Vicariate of Southern Arabia, I am writing to you this last pastoral letter. I look back with gratitude at the last 18 years, which I spent with you as your bishop and as your companion on the journey of faith. Like any other journey, it had its ups and downs. There were moments of joy. I think about thousands of young people and adults I confirmed. I remember the pastoral visits when I could see the vitality of your faith. There were highlights like the visit of Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi or the blessing of new churches and the inauguration of new schools. There was the encouragement I received from your prayer and from your love.

It is true, there were also difficult moments. I think about the killing of the four Missionaries of Charity and eight of their collaborators in March 2016 in Aden and the kidnapping of Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil on the same day. There were the struggles with group egotisms within the parishes. There was the experience of my own limits in leading the complex flock of the multi-national and multi-ritual Church in the Gulf.  

Nevertheless, while looking back, I can say that I enjoyed this journey together with all of you. When the fellow passengers are good and motivated, the journey is not only pleasant but even turns out to be a memorable one. There are so many memories and experiences which can never be forgotten, and I will treasure them in my heart. Each one of you has contributed either directly as a collaborator in the mission, or in prayer and living an exemplary faith life. Therefore, whenever I remember these wonderful experiences of my life, I will joyfully pray for you.

St. Paul, when in prison for his witness to Christ, wrote to the Philippians, “I give thanks to my God each time I remember you, and when I pray for you, I pray with joy” (Phil 1:3). The apostle is not worried about his present situation, but he thanks God for the wonderful community of Philippi who had been concerned about his wellbeing. St. Paul thanks those who helped him in his missionary journeys and his service to share the good news. For the last eighteen years, you have accompanied me on my missionary journey in this Arabian Peninsula. You have helped me in my work of spreading the Gospel.

Pastoral care of the Migrant people

I remember with gratitude all the priests, religious sisters and brothers, who came here as missionaries to serve the pastoral needs of the migrant Catholic Church. A priest or religious working in the Gulf must bear with the fellow Christians “the day’s burden and the heat” (Mt 20:12). Our task is “not that we lord it over your faith; rather, we work together for your joy, for you stand firm in the faith” (2 Co 1:24). When I arrived in January 2004, we had just little more than 40 priests in 6 countries of the Vicariate of Arabia. Now, even after reorganising the two vicariates in the Arabian Gulf, we have seventy priests in the Vicariate of Southern Arabia alone. I thank the Capuchin Order which takes care of the Church in the Gulf, the diocesan priests belonging to the Vicariate or coming from outside and the priests from other religious Congregations. I ask all the priests to love their brothers and sisters in faith and to serve them with a generous heart. I invite all of you to love our priests and work with them to fulfil the mission in the vicariate.

I thank God for the talented and committed lay collaborators in the vicariate. A bishop cannot go everywhere and do everything. The same is true for the parish priests and their assistants. Without committed lay people we could not serve such a vast number of faithful in the vicariate. I thank God for the thousands of men and women who in different capacities help the church fulfil its mission. What touched me the most in this part of the world is the joy with which you serve the Church. Be it preparing a catechism lesson or preparing the liturgy you do it with a joyful passion. I admire your commitment. Almost all of you are here for work. Sometimes the jobs you do demand a lot of your time and energy. And still, you sacrifice your little time for the church, for the community. I am sure that your sincere work is not unseen by God. God does not pay attention to the words of our prayer but looks at our hearts. Keep this joy in the community alive, and hand on the same joy of living, serving and celebrating our faith to the next generation. I thank all of you for your assistance in my mission in the Vicariate and shall continue to pray joyfully for you.

Justice, Peace and Joy

When I was consecrated as bishop, I took “Justice, Peace and Joy” as my episcopal motto, as it is seen in my coat of arms. This motto was fitting well for the one who had to lead the migrant Church in the Gulf. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans says, “The kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17). The Apostle here speaks of this in the context of food laws and habits of his time. There were people judging and criticizing others based on their food habits. In a community like ours where there are people of different nationalities, cultures and languages, it is not only food, but several other things that differ from the other. It could be the type of dress, the words and expressions we use, the lifestyle etc. However as the Apostle says, these  should not set a boundary for us to mingle with others, because we all belong to the one Kingdom of God. We should rather look for justice, peace and joy for all.

There cannot be peace without justice, nor can it be possible to have justice without peace. In fact, one influences and gives birth to the other. If we are to be the men and women of peace, we need to learn to practice justice – justice at work, in our relations, in our responsibilities, in our faith and in our spiritual lives. If true justice is practised in every sphere of life, we can be sure of having peace around us. Pope Francis at the founders Memorial in Abu Dhabi on 4th February 2019 said, "Justice is the second wing of peace. No one, therefore, can believe in God and not seek to live in justice with everyone, according to the Golden Rule, so whatever you wish that  others would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets …  Peace and justice are inseparable!"

There is joy where there is peace. We follow Christ in our life of justice. Peace and  joy in the Holy Spirit is the gift given to us by Christ. During the last eighteen years I have witnessed a lot of joy in our Church. We are migrants, almost all of us, without having greater rights, and no great security for our stay in this part of the world. Yet despite some struggles, we have joy in our faith, and peace in this multi-cultural, multi-lingual Church. This is the gift we should thank God for we should hold on to this unity of the Church and always work towards that unity.

God sends us an able shepherd

Now, my dear friends, I am about to leave this responsibility to my successor. I thank God for choosing Bishop Paolo Martinelli to be your shepherd. I have known Bishop Martinelli for many years, and I am at peace that God has sent a worthy shepherd to the Vicariate of Southern Arabia. Bishop Martinelli has been a good Capuchin Friar and a great professor. He was ordained bishop in the Cathedral in Milan on 28 June 2014. Since then, he was serving as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Milan. With his experience as a Capuchin Franciscan Brother, a Priest, a Professor and a Bishop, he will be able to guide the Vicariate to new heights.

Let us always remember, that it is God who sends us pastors and shepherds. Just remember the word of the prophet Jeremiah, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart” (Jer 3:15). First of all, God gave us the great high priest in his own Son, who through his blood has saved us and purchased us back to God. For the last two millennia, God has sent his people good and able shepherds. Every Bishop stands in succession to the apostles in teaching the gospel and in taking care of the mission of the Church. I ask you to honour and obey your new Shepherd as you would do the apostles, as he is sent by God Himself. Pray for him every day and support him in his mission with the same love that I experienced from you for the last eighteen years.

Finally, my dear people, do not forget to pray for me. I have done whatever was possible in the given situation for the well-being of the whole Church in Southern Arabia. You helped me with your prayer and your might. May the Lord of Mercies reward us for all the work we have done. Like St. Francis of Assisi, I can say “I have done my part. May God help you to do yours.”

May Mary, the Blessed Mother of Our Lord and God, intercede for us.

With my blessings,

+  Paul Hinder OFM Cap.