The jubilee year opens today in the Church of Arabia 15 centuries (it was 24 October 523) after the massacre of the saint of Najran and his companions.
Msgr Berardi: discover the “rich Christian past of the Arabian Peninsula”.
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Milan (AsiaNews) – That of Christians in the Middle East, from the first centuries to the present day, is a story of blood and martyrdom, it is a testimony of fidelity to the Gospel amid wars, persecution and sectarian violence, of which they are often “collateral victims” : the latest example is of the Christian refugees in the vicinity of the Greek Orthodox church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza, killed by an Israeli rocket in the ongoing conflict with Hamas in the Strip and which risks inflaming the entire region.
Even before that, there is the example of the Iraqi Christians, who paid with their lives as happened during the massacre at the Syro-Catholic church of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad on 31 October 2010, with a death toll of 58 (among including two priests) and over 70 injured.
The story of Saint Arethas and companions, known as the “martyrs of Arabia” of Najran, dates back to the first millennium, remembered by the Catholics of the Arabian Peninsula with an extraordinary jubilee year that begins today and will end on 23 October 2024. Once upon a time ideal for rediscovering the value of their presence in a region with a large Muslim majority, in which however there are traces of Christian communities well before the rise of Islam and Muhammad.
Saint Arethas and companions: faith, beyond life
This is the legacy of the “martyrs of Arabia” of Najran, who sacrificed their lives to bear witness to the Gospel led by their leader and charismatic leader, Saint Aretas, for a very current affair.
On 24 October 523 one of the bloodiest events of the first centuries of the history of the church in the Arabian Peninsula took place, with the martyrdom of the saint and his companions which today, 1500 years later, becomes an occasion of celebration for the Catholics of Arabia .
An extensive reality, in which they are a minority composed mostly of economic migrants coming from other Asian nations, especially the Philippines or from the Indian subcontinent: the northern vicariate, which includes the territories of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia (where however, no other cult other than the Muslim religion is allowed, at least officially) and the southern vicariate which embraces the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yemen and Oman.
On 30 September 2011 the then apostolic vicar of the North, Msgr. Camillo Ballin, indicated Saint Arethas and the martyrs of Najran to the Christians of the Gulf as examples of life and faithfulness.
The prelate then drew an analogy between the ancient presence of Christianity in the region – well before the majority Islam today – and the modern testimony of Christian communities in the Arab world. In this way the vicar wanted to emphasize their contribution to the realization of the ideals of peace and dialogue between the different communities.
At the same time he urged today’s Christians to explore local history, its traditions and cultures in depth, to “love this land better and respect it”.
Saint Arethas and his companions were originally from the ancient city of Najran, in southern Arabia (now Saudi Arabia), martyred in the year 523 for their faith.
Their leader, Arethas, was born in Al-Harith bin Ka’b in 427 and governed the city, which was predominantly Christian at the time, until his martyrdom at the age of 95 when the area was attacked by the Himyarite king Dhu Nuwas .
He is a convert to Judaism and a rebellious vassal of the king of Ethiopia and manages to deceively overcome the city’s defenses and penetrate inside, massacring those who refused to renounce the Christian faith and burning the churches.
After conquering Najran, Dhu Nuwas orders that priests, deacons, nuns and lay people be thrown into a trench which is set on fire, originating a practice that later becomes known in Arab tradition as al-ukhdud. Subsequently, men, women and children were massacred, including one only five years old who threw himself into the flames to be with his mother.
Saint Arethas, together with a hundred of his followers, was finally beheaded. The number of martyrs would range from 340 to more than 4 thousand, but there is no certainty about the numbers.
From Gaza to Aden, today’s martyrs
To rediscover their history and the value of the Christian presence, the vicar of northern Arabia Msgr. Aldo Berardi and the vicar of southern Arabia Msgr. Paolo Martinelli asked Pope Francis to call a jubilee year.
The heart of the celebrations to obtain plenary indulgence are the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Bahrain and the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Abu Dhabi, in the Emirates. A relic of the saint, a gift from the ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, is expected to arrive in Bahrain in November.
To rediscover their history and the value of the Christian presence, the vicar of northern Arabia Msgr. Aldo Berardi and the vicar of southern Arabia Msgr. Paolo Martinelli asked Pope Francis to call a jubilee year.
The heart of the celebrations to obtain plenary indulgence are the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Bahrain and the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Abu Dhabi, in the Emirates. A relic of the saint, a gift from the ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, is expected to arrive in Bahrain in November.
Learn more about the history of the martyrs of Arabia in this jubilee year, underlines Mgr. to AsiaNews. Berardi, is an opportunity to “discover a rich Christian past in the Arabian Peninsula” which is also a way to “live the faith” and be “daily martyrs”, giving meaning “to our presence”.
“They look to them and take inspiration – continues the prelate – as an example of loyalty and perseverance, but also as a community response in the face of danger”, or an external threat.
“The martyrs – he recalls – did not live in an easy reality, like us today, but they remained firm in their faith, in the defense of the Cross” and are helpful in “deepening our faith”. “It’s us – says Msgr. Berardi, priest of the Order of the Holy Trinity – the witnesses of Christ in this region” and from here “we unite with all the Christians in difficulty in the world” starting from Gaza, from the Christians killed in the cross bombs of Israel and Hamas, new martyrs of modern times.
“Let our prayers and our sacrifices – concludes the prelate – come together to promote peace” in a region where, even today, being witnesses of Christ “means living the Gospel in a coherent and profound way” , even to the extreme sacrifice of self.
The story of the martyrdom of Saint Arethas and companions, adds Msgr. Paolo Martinelli, apostolic vicar of southern Arabia, originates from Najran, a locality “now belonging to Saudi Arabia but which, originally, was part of Yemen. This is one more reason – he continues – why the Southern Vicariate also feels this jubilee is so significant”, in addition to the fact that “the memory of their testimony is precious for all of us” Christians of Arabia.
Their example, states the prelate, “reminds us of the fact that martyrdom, as testimony, is a daily dimension of Christian life” and makes the “precious testimony of Mother Teresa’s missionaries of Charity” even more important.
The reference is to the martyrdom of the nuns of Aden, four nuns killed by a jihadist commando belonging to the Islamic State (IS, ex Isis) who attacked their compound in the southern city of Yemen on 4 March 2016.
Their sacrifice, like that of Saint Arethas and his companions, concludes the prelate, is “remembered by the entire vicariate as an enormous testimony of faith, love and charity, which makes us full of gratitude and responsibility”.
