In a reflection sent to AsiaNews on the eve of the prayer vigil for peace called for tomorrow by the Pope – which coincides with the anticipated start of talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan – the cardinal recalls that peace is not an “external matter”, but “arises from within” and becomes “word, gesture and way of life”. If conscience “is silenced, aggression grows”. The cross “shows that true power is not that which crushes, but that which remains faithful to the truth”.
The secretary general of Catholic schools spoke to AsiaNews about the climate of fear and mourning in his country a day after Israeli’s devastating attack. “We have never experienced anything so strong, serious, and sudden,” he said, speaking on the eve of peace talks in Pakistan. Meanwhile, he remains committed to keeping teaching alive, online and in person.
Despite President Joseph Aoun's efforts to include his country in the Pakistan-brokered agreement, the Netanyahu government has intensified military action with 89 deaths in a single day. Hezbollah halted the attacks, declaring victory, but Trump said that Lebanon was not included in the deal. A convoy with Patriarch al-Rahi was prevented from reaching Debel, due to tensions between Israeli forces and the UNIFIL escort.
Bishop Martinelli talks about the festivities in the conflict-stricken Gulf, starting with the testimony of the Missionaries of Charity. As a result of fear, some migrants have left the Emirates temporarily, while marriage and baptism courses are on hold. School and catechism classes have been "online for over a month." Church closures generated “significant media coverage”. A "people of peoples" from over a hundred countries bear witness to the faith.
In the hills south of Hebron, in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, marked by increasingly frequent Israeli settler attacks, a small music project called Sotna (Our Voice) is trying to carve out some room for normalcy. Two activists, Amalia Kelter Zeitlin and Kai Jack, have started a children's orchestra that continues to meet weekly despite rockets and intimidation.
The Franciscan Amedeo Ricco – one of the key figures in the excavations that have brought to light new evidence supporting the Gospel accounts – comments on the celebrations in Jerusalem following the ‘incident’ on Palm Sunday. ‘We are experiencing a quieter Easter, which takes us back to our roots. But the Sepulchre remains the living heart from which to proclaim that death does not have the final say.’
