Podcast - Middle East North Africa: Lenten Reflection 2012

Dr Harry Hagopian

To mark the start of Lent 2012, there is a departure from the regional analysis of the Middle East and North Africa to reflect on the Christian realities of the lands of Christ's birth, ministry, death and Resurrection.

Consultant to the bishops on the MENA region and our regular studio guest, Dr Harry Hagopian looks at what it means to live out one's faith to a backdrop of violence, uncertainty and suffering.

"Time and time again, the Christian communities in the Middle East North Africa region are re-baptised in their faith. Whilst it is very difficult in the midst of all the tension and violence to reflect on the Lenten period, the fact that they are rooted in their faith offers them support and helps them to remember what Jesus himself went through - the temptations, the challenges.

"Ultimately, in a region that is riven with violence at the moment, we should not forget that Jesus was Crucified - He died on the cross - but was Resurrected and that, for me, is where hope always springs eternal in the Christian heart."

Duration: 15m 34s

Dr Hagopian is an international lawyer and consultant to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales on the Middle East. He's also a former Assistant General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches.

Listen to the podcast here: www.catholicnews.org.uk/mena-lent-2012

To visit Dr Harry Hagopian's website see: www.epektasis.net/