Many Catholics might recall little about St. Barnabas, but this key figure from the early Church has been the "pilgrim's guide," so to speak, on Pope Francis' trip to Cyprus.
The Pope arrived to the island nation in the mid afternoon of December 2. He'll spend all day there December 3, and then head to Greece on the 4th.
He gave two main speeches on his first day, one to bishops, priests, religious, and other Catholic leaders; and another to government authorities, and social and diplomatic leaders.
In both, St. Barnabas' lessons were key.
In the latter address, Pope Francis said something that could be considered a guiding principle of his pontificate:
The Pope spoke of the message of the Beatitudes, and used the image of a pearl to consider the mission of Cyprus: formed over time, through the trials of suffering, in multifaceted layers.
To the Catholic community, the Holy Father gave an extensive reflection on St. Barnabas as a lesson on how to live as Catholics.
He first spoke of the diversity of their community, noting the Maronite Church, and then speaking of the trials of Lebanon, where the Maronite Church is based. He then noted how the Latin Church in Cyprus is made up mainly of immigrants, "a true point of encounter between different ethnicities and cultures."
Regarding Barnabas, he characterized him as patient, and fraternal.
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To the Orthodox
On December 3, in a meeting with the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, the Pope turned again to this native son of the island.
