Saturday, 21st June. The Concathedral Church of he Latin Patriarch would have been too small to hold the crowd that came to take part in the last Mass celebrated by Mons. Sabbah as Patriarch of Jerusalem.
And so it was the Basilica pf the Nations in Gethsemane that welcomed, although without being able to accommodate all this crown of the faithful who came from all the dioceses and all countries, to make their solemn farewell to the man who for twenty years has been the pastor and voice of the Christians of the Holy Land here, in Rome and all over the world.
His Eminence, Cardinal Foley, Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, accompanied by an international delegation of Knights and Dames; Mons. Camillo Ballin, Bishop of Kuwait and representative of the CELRA (Conférence des Evêques Latins dans les Régions Arabes); the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, Fra Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos of the Holy Land, about one hundred priests, the majority of whom are parish priests, many monks, friars and nuns, the representatives of all the Orthodox and Protestant Churches, the Consults of Spain and France, the Representatives of the civil and religious authorities, his family, together with all the faithful, in the heat of he first day of summer, in love and prayer, gathered around His Beatitude Emeritus, Mons. Sabbah. Emeritus because, at 1.00 p.m. the bells of the Patriarchate pealed to announce that Mons. Fouad Twal was officially appointed the new Patriarch of Jerusalem.
It was Mons. Sabbah who, having resigned having reached the age limit, on the day of his 75th birthday, had chosen this place and this time for the solemn Mass of thanksgiving, to celebrate his last Mass as Patriarch in his voice which was weak but very strong in its capacity to touch hearts and souls. At the start of the celebration, the Apostolic Nuncio Mons. Antonio Franco read, and it was then repeated in Arabic by the Chancellor of the Patriarch Abouna Humam Khzouz, a letter from Pope Benedict XVI addressed to Mons. Sabbah. They were words of thanks for all the work achieved in his long lifetime and, in particular, in the past twenty years spent as Patriarch of Jerusalem, Thanks for having been able o bring comfort and hope to the faithful in his care, underlining dedication expressed “without distinction of religious or social belonging”.
The Mass continued in Arabic, the main language of the Church of the Holy Land.
After the reading from the Gospel, Mons. Sabbah approached the microphone and, in a steady voice, despite his emotion, once again addressed his flock.
He had already anticipated the sense of his words: the Bishop has three functions – to sanctify, to teach and to administer. With “retirement” , administering passes on to others, but he is left with two-thirds of the ministry: to sanctify and to teach. There is still a great deal to be done!
Sanctifying and teaching were exactly what Mons. Sabbah did in this celebration in Gethsemane, so deeply marked by this holy place of the Passion of Our Lord.
In his homely, he often returned to this mystery of the Passion. And although the occasion for the celebration was to give thanks, his sermon began with greetings to the whole assembly. “May your prayer and your prayer address the past and the future. Mine and that of Mons. Fouad Twal.” As is his habit, the Patriarch did not fail to evoke the distressing situation existing between Israel and Palestine, asking once again for justice, peace and safety for both peoples. And for Cyprus, also divided into two states.
Then he once again addressed the Christians of the Holy Land, whom he invited to look for joy in the gift of the self, following the example of Jesus in Gethsemane, confident of the joy of Resurrection.
During the prayer of the Eucharist, it was moving to hear Mons. Sabbah pray for “our Patriarch Fouad Twal». But one of the most intense moments of this celebration was undoubtedly when the old Patriarch handed over to the new one: the pastoral staff that changed hands and the long embrace that followed.
Mons. Fouad Twal then warmly addressed the crowd, first in Arabic and then in French. And, digressing from his speech, he exclaimed: “You are marvellous!” Then, addressing his predecessor and thanking him for all his work, he announced his entry for the next day into the Basilica of the Resurrection, “near the empty tomb, which reminds us of the reason for our joy: Christ is risen. He is truly risen!”
The final blessing was given by the new Patriarch. Then the procession : Patriarchs, Cardinal, Bishops and Priests left the church amidst thunderous applause. The crowd then quickly dispersed, to form again at the Notre Dame Centre, where Mons. Michel Sabbah was again greeted by the people he loves, he served and has promised to serve with prayer and sanctification.
Marie Armelle Beaulieu
Official website of the Latin Patriarchate
And so it was the Basilica pf the Nations in Gethsemane that welcomed, although without being able to accommodate all this crown of the faithful who came from all the dioceses and all countries, to make their solemn farewell to the man who for twenty years has been the pastor and voice of the Christians of the Holy Land here, in Rome and all over the world.
His Eminence, Cardinal Foley, Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, accompanied by an international delegation of Knights and Dames; Mons. Camillo Ballin, Bishop of Kuwait and representative of the CELRA (Conférence des Evêques Latins dans les Régions Arabes); the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, Fra Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos of the Holy Land, about one hundred priests, the majority of whom are parish priests, many monks, friars and nuns, the representatives of all the Orthodox and Protestant Churches, the Consults of Spain and France, the Representatives of the civil and religious authorities, his family, together with all the faithful, in the heat of he first day of summer, in love and prayer, gathered around His Beatitude Emeritus, Mons. Sabbah. Emeritus because, at 1.00 p.m. the bells of the Patriarchate pealed to announce that Mons. Fouad Twal was officially appointed the new Patriarch of Jerusalem.
It was Mons. Sabbah who, having resigned having reached the age limit, on the day of his 75th birthday, had chosen this place and this time for the solemn Mass of thanksgiving, to celebrate his last Mass as Patriarch in his voice which was weak but very strong in its capacity to touch hearts and souls. At the start of the celebration, the Apostolic Nuncio Mons. Antonio Franco read, and it was then repeated in Arabic by the Chancellor of the Patriarch Abouna Humam Khzouz, a letter from Pope Benedict XVI addressed to Mons. Sabbah. They were words of thanks for all the work achieved in his long lifetime and, in particular, in the past twenty years spent as Patriarch of Jerusalem, Thanks for having been able o bring comfort and hope to the faithful in his care, underlining dedication expressed “without distinction of religious or social belonging”.
The Mass continued in Arabic, the main language of the Church of the Holy Land.
After the reading from the Gospel, Mons. Sabbah approached the microphone and, in a steady voice, despite his emotion, once again addressed his flock.
He had already anticipated the sense of his words: the Bishop has three functions – to sanctify, to teach and to administer. With “retirement” , administering passes on to others, but he is left with two-thirds of the ministry: to sanctify and to teach. There is still a great deal to be done!
Sanctifying and teaching were exactly what Mons. Sabbah did in this celebration in Gethsemane, so deeply marked by this holy place of the Passion of Our Lord.
In his homely, he often returned to this mystery of the Passion. And although the occasion for the celebration was to give thanks, his sermon began with greetings to the whole assembly. “May your prayer and your prayer address the past and the future. Mine and that of Mons. Fouad Twal.” As is his habit, the Patriarch did not fail to evoke the distressing situation existing between Israel and Palestine, asking once again for justice, peace and safety for both peoples. And for Cyprus, also divided into two states.
Then he once again addressed the Christians of the Holy Land, whom he invited to look for joy in the gift of the self, following the example of Jesus in Gethsemane, confident of the joy of Resurrection.
During the prayer of the Eucharist, it was moving to hear Mons. Sabbah pray for “our Patriarch Fouad Twal». But one of the most intense moments of this celebration was undoubtedly when the old Patriarch handed over to the new one: the pastoral staff that changed hands and the long embrace that followed.
Mons. Fouad Twal then warmly addressed the crowd, first in Arabic and then in French. And, digressing from his speech, he exclaimed: “You are marvellous!” Then, addressing his predecessor and thanking him for all his work, he announced his entry for the next day into the Basilica of the Resurrection, “near the empty tomb, which reminds us of the reason for our joy: Christ is risen. He is truly risen!”
The final blessing was given by the new Patriarch. Then the procession : Patriarchs, Cardinal, Bishops and Priests left the church amidst thunderous applause. The crowd then quickly dispersed, to form again at the Notre Dame Centre, where Mons. Michel Sabbah was again greeted by the people he loves, he served and has promised to serve with prayer and sanctification.
Marie Armelle Beaulieu
Official website of the Latin Patriarchate