From the 4th to the 10th of November, the bishops of Austria visited the Holy Land. After three intense days in the Galilee, on the afternoon of the seventh of November they came to Jerusalem. They began their stay in the Holy City with a Solemn Entry into the city and into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Resurrection, in accordance with traditional and custom.
At about 5:00 p.m., His Eminence Christoph Cardinal Schönborn came to Jaffa Gate in the Custos’ car. There, he was received by the Custodial Vicar, Fr. Artemio Vitores; the Co-adjutor of the Latin Patriarch, Bishop Fuad Twal; and the Apostolic Nuncio, Antonio Franco; as well as by representatives of other Churches.
He was accompanied by the other members of the Conference of Austrian Bishops: Archbishop Alois Kothgasser (Salzburg), Bishop Egon Kapellari (Graz-Seckau), Bishop Klaus Küng (St. Pölten), Bishop Paul Iby (Eisenstadt), Bishop Alois Schwarz (Gurk-Klagenfurt), Bishop Ludwig Schwarz (Linz), Bishop Manfred Scheuer (Innsbruck), Bishop Elmar Fischer (Feldkirch) and Abbot Kassian Lauterer (Wettingen-Mehrerau), as well as by five suffragan bishops, among them the Franciscan Franz Lackner, suffragan bishop on Graz.
After the greetings, the procession made its way through alleys of the Old City to the Holy Sepulcher’s forecourt: Kawas, Franciscans, monks and nuns of other religious congregations, representatives of the other Churches, the Cardinal and the other bishops. As the Cardinal and his entourage reached the forecourt, the doors of the Basilica of the Resurrection opened. In the forecourt, the superiors of the three communities that are responsible for the basilica greeted the cardinal.
Coming to the Stone of Anointing, the Cardinal donned his stole and kissed the stone where Our Lord was anointed; then he was incensed by the Custos of the Franciscans, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM. In his welcoming address, Fr. Pierbattista underlined the meaning of this visit as a sign of unity between the worldwide Church and the local Church, in the faith in Jesus Christ, source of love and peace. He greeted the Cardinal with the Franciscan greeting “pace e bene”, peace and goodness.
After the greetings, the procession continued to the empty grave while the Te Deum was sung. There, Bishop Twal gave an address in German. He places in the site of the Resurrection his hope that also the suffering population of the Holy Land can find comfort in the belief in the Resurrection. After a short visit to Golgotha, the bishops went to a reception at the Latin Patriarchate.
The next day, Cardinal Schönborn was the principal concelebrant with the other bishops of a solemn Mass in the Holy Sepulcher, on the site of the Resurrection.
Press Release at the Conclusion of the Summer Conference in Mariazell, 18 to 20 June, 2007
How will peace come to the Holy Land? The Austrian bishops share the profound worry of many people over the dramatic developments in the Near East and they invite the faithful to pray for peace in the Land of Jesus. As a sign of thereof, the Austrian bishops will hold their Autumn Plenary Assembly from the 4th to the 10th of November in the Holy Land, probably in Nazareth.
Holding the Autumn Plenary Assembly in the Holy Land is also an expression of solidarity with the Christians of the Land, who find themselves in a very difficult situation. The presence of a vibrant Christian community in the Holy Land has a larger meaning for all of Christendom. If there was no more sign in the Holy Land of Jesus’ story and of the primitive church, Christian believers would be cut off from their roots.
Similarly, the bishops are going there in order to encourage the Austrian faithful to come on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The existence of the Austrian Hospice in the Old City of Jerusalem is a sign of how involved Austrian Catholics have always been with the Holy Land. This involvement should be expressed today, too; to Christians the Holy Land is, as it were, a fifth gospel.
At about 5:00 p.m., His Eminence Christoph Cardinal Schönborn came to Jaffa Gate in the Custos’ car. There, he was received by the Custodial Vicar, Fr. Artemio Vitores; the Co-adjutor of the Latin Patriarch, Bishop Fuad Twal; and the Apostolic Nuncio, Antonio Franco; as well as by representatives of other Churches.
He was accompanied by the other members of the Conference of Austrian Bishops: Archbishop Alois Kothgasser (Salzburg), Bishop Egon Kapellari (Graz-Seckau), Bishop Klaus Küng (St. Pölten), Bishop Paul Iby (Eisenstadt), Bishop Alois Schwarz (Gurk-Klagenfurt), Bishop Ludwig Schwarz (Linz), Bishop Manfred Scheuer (Innsbruck), Bishop Elmar Fischer (Feldkirch) and Abbot Kassian Lauterer (Wettingen-Mehrerau), as well as by five suffragan bishops, among them the Franciscan Franz Lackner, suffragan bishop on Graz.
After the greetings, the procession made its way through alleys of the Old City to the Holy Sepulcher’s forecourt: Kawas, Franciscans, monks and nuns of other religious congregations, representatives of the other Churches, the Cardinal and the other bishops. As the Cardinal and his entourage reached the forecourt, the doors of the Basilica of the Resurrection opened. In the forecourt, the superiors of the three communities that are responsible for the basilica greeted the cardinal.
Coming to the Stone of Anointing, the Cardinal donned his stole and kissed the stone where Our Lord was anointed; then he was incensed by the Custos of the Franciscans, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM. In his welcoming address, Fr. Pierbattista underlined the meaning of this visit as a sign of unity between the worldwide Church and the local Church, in the faith in Jesus Christ, source of love and peace. He greeted the Cardinal with the Franciscan greeting “pace e bene”, peace and goodness.
After the greetings, the procession continued to the empty grave while the Te Deum was sung. There, Bishop Twal gave an address in German. He places in the site of the Resurrection his hope that also the suffering population of the Holy Land can find comfort in the belief in the Resurrection. After a short visit to Golgotha, the bishops went to a reception at the Latin Patriarchate.
The next day, Cardinal Schönborn was the principal concelebrant with the other bishops of a solemn Mass in the Holy Sepulcher, on the site of the Resurrection.
Press Release at the Conclusion of the Summer Conference in Mariazell, 18 to 20 June, 2007
How will peace come to the Holy Land? The Austrian bishops share the profound worry of many people over the dramatic developments in the Near East and they invite the faithful to pray for peace in the Land of Jesus. As a sign of thereof, the Austrian bishops will hold their Autumn Plenary Assembly from the 4th to the 10th of November in the Holy Land, probably in Nazareth.
Holding the Autumn Plenary Assembly in the Holy Land is also an expression of solidarity with the Christians of the Land, who find themselves in a very difficult situation. The presence of a vibrant Christian community in the Holy Land has a larger meaning for all of Christendom. If there was no more sign in the Holy Land of Jesus’ story and of the primitive church, Christian believers would be cut off from their roots.
Similarly, the bishops are going there in order to encourage the Austrian faithful to come on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The existence of the Austrian Hospice in the Old City of Jerusalem is a sign of how involved Austrian Catholics have always been with the Holy Land. This involvement should be expressed today, too; to Christians the Holy Land is, as it were, a fifth gospel.