On the first of January, as every year, a large crowd gathered at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to start the new year in prayer.
His Beatitude Fouad Twal presided the papal Mass in honour of Mary the Queen of Peace, surrounded by numerous bishops and patriarchal exarchs of the Catholic Oriental Churches, by the Custody of the Holy Land, by abbots and father superiors and by about thirty priests.
As the majority of the religious congregations of the country were present, in his homily the Patriarch greeted in particular those who have spent their first Christmas here in the service of the Holy Land, also returning to the tragedy that befell the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Speaking in Arabic about the positive and negative things of last year, he outlined some points for the new year in terms of “ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue”, of “consolidation of the Faith of the people of God, thanks to reading the Word of God every day” and welcoming the increasing numbers of pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.
In Italian and then in French, the Patriarch recalled the drama of the emigration of the Christians from the Middle East and particularly from the Holy Land, which is a “loss for the universal Church, for Muslims and for Jews. Christians can play a role as mediators in a conflict which has lasted too long.”
Speaking of the divisions between Christians as a reason for calling the Synod, His Beatitude spoke about the “desire of local Christians to see a common date for Easter,” which is included in the list of final propositions of the Synod.
It was the Patriarch who announced the attack on a community of Christians during the night, as they were celebrating Midnight Mass in a church in Alexandria, in Egypt, causing 21 deaths and 43 casualties, according to a provisional toll of the victims. “This new massacre,” said the Patriarch, “must lead us to reflect on our vocation as Christians in this region which cannot abstain from embracing the Cross. The disciple is not above his Master.” Addressing the Lord, the Patriarch added: “If you send us more suffering, please also give us the courage to follow you.”
The Patriarch then spoke of the 63 years of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, emphatically stating that “violence and weapons will never be a solution.”
The mass dedicated to peace through the intercession of the Virgin Mary continued in contemplation. After the final blessing, His Beatitude and a number of Ordinaries of the Holy Land received the good wishes for the new year of the faithful thronging the church.
Returning to the attack in Egypt last night, the Patriarch commented: “I had intended to talk about the massacre in Iraq in my sermon but I have just learned of the one in Alexandria. All this puts all our efforts, our hope and our expectations once again in difficulty. The Holy Father will certainly add Egypt in his message of peace from Rome, but it is pointless to add that every day we face new problems. For how long will it continue to be like this? Praying for peace and religious freedom is always topical, day and night.”
According to the Custos of the Holy Land: “It is the governments of Arab countries that have to do something to prevent events like this. It is not the first time, especially in Egypt, that these things have happened. And what has the government done? What is it doing for the refugees from Eritrea? The governments of Arab countries have the duty to act and stop the violence against minorities, in particular the Christian minority.
“Courage, courage!” the Patriarch repeated several times, with a smile to wish everyone a happy new year.
Mab
His Beatitude Fouad Twal presided the papal Mass in honour of Mary the Queen of Peace, surrounded by numerous bishops and patriarchal exarchs of the Catholic Oriental Churches, by the Custody of the Holy Land, by abbots and father superiors and by about thirty priests.
As the majority of the religious congregations of the country were present, in his homily the Patriarch greeted in particular those who have spent their first Christmas here in the service of the Holy Land, also returning to the tragedy that befell the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Speaking in Arabic about the positive and negative things of last year, he outlined some points for the new year in terms of “ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue”, of “consolidation of the Faith of the people of God, thanks to reading the Word of God every day” and welcoming the increasing numbers of pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.
In Italian and then in French, the Patriarch recalled the drama of the emigration of the Christians from the Middle East and particularly from the Holy Land, which is a “loss for the universal Church, for Muslims and for Jews. Christians can play a role as mediators in a conflict which has lasted too long.”
Speaking of the divisions between Christians as a reason for calling the Synod, His Beatitude spoke about the “desire of local Christians to see a common date for Easter,” which is included in the list of final propositions of the Synod.
It was the Patriarch who announced the attack on a community of Christians during the night, as they were celebrating Midnight Mass in a church in Alexandria, in Egypt, causing 21 deaths and 43 casualties, according to a provisional toll of the victims. “This new massacre,” said the Patriarch, “must lead us to reflect on our vocation as Christians in this region which cannot abstain from embracing the Cross. The disciple is not above his Master.” Addressing the Lord, the Patriarch added: “If you send us more suffering, please also give us the courage to follow you.”
The Patriarch then spoke of the 63 years of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, emphatically stating that “violence and weapons will never be a solution.”
The mass dedicated to peace through the intercession of the Virgin Mary continued in contemplation. After the final blessing, His Beatitude and a number of Ordinaries of the Holy Land received the good wishes for the new year of the faithful thronging the church.
Returning to the attack in Egypt last night, the Patriarch commented: “I had intended to talk about the massacre in Iraq in my sermon but I have just learned of the one in Alexandria. All this puts all our efforts, our hope and our expectations once again in difficulty. The Holy Father will certainly add Egypt in his message of peace from Rome, but it is pointless to add that every day we face new problems. For how long will it continue to be like this? Praying for peace and religious freedom is always topical, day and night.”
According to the Custos of the Holy Land: “It is the governments of Arab countries that have to do something to prevent events like this. It is not the first time, especially in Egypt, that these things have happened. And what has the government done? What is it doing for the refugees from Eritrea? The governments of Arab countries have the duty to act and stop the violence against minorities, in particular the Christian minority.
“Courage, courage!” the Patriarch repeated several times, with a smile to wish everyone a happy new year.
Mab