With a thanksgiving mass in Bethlehem, the Holy Land also celebrated the anniversary of the Pope Francis' election. On the afternoon of March 14, the Catholic priests of the Holy Land paid tribute to the Pope at St. Catherine's Church in Bethlehem. Gathered on March 14 and 15 for one of the two annual sessions, the Assembly of the Catholic Priests (A.O.C.T.S.) includes all of the Catholic priests of various rites that have jurisdiction over the territory of the Holy Land. The mass, celebrated in Arabic with the accompaniment of the choir chants, was presided over by Mons. Giuseppe Lazzarotto, the Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Cyprus and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.
Mons. George Bacouni, the Melkite bishop of Galilee and president of the A.O.C.T.S., gave the homily: “We are here for the anniversary of the election of Pope Francis. We pray for him and at the same time we want to honor him, because it is written in the commandments to honor our father and mother, and he is our spiritual father.” Also present in the church were religious sisters, church groups, scouts and pilgrims, who listened to his words carefully. “A way to honor one's parents is to obey them, as children do, continued Mons. Bacouni. Parents love their children and want the best for them. So, if we also wish to honor the Pope, we must obey him.” The Melkite bishop then focused on the figure of Pope Francis and his years of work. "We believe that he has been chosen by the Holy Spirit and that he was sent to us for these hard times. And his life is like that of the prophets that you read about in the Bible: he not only pronounces speeches, but he lives what he speaks.”
Among the other religious authorities, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francis Patton and the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa also officiated the mass. Fr. Patton said that one of the main issues for this A.O.C.T.S. session is school. The meeting, which was established at the initiative of the Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem to promote unity within the Church of the Holy Land, has the task, in fact, of studying common problems and fostering shared programs. "The main point of this meeting are the Catholic schools in the Holy Land, their mission and how to improve them, explained Mons. Bacouni. We are also preparing for the next synod and we have some decisions to make.” The pastoral care of the youth is another one of the issues addressed in the meetings of A.O.C.T.S., so as not to lose sight of their goal of working together to take care of all of the Catholic Christians of the Holy Land.
Beatrice Guarrera
