Israeli police in Jerusalem carried out a wanton act of intimidation against the cardinal and the custos of the Holy Land, who were prevented from privately entering the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass this morning. The Patriarchate protested the lack of respect for “the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem.” Prayers will be held this afternoon at the Dominus Flevit.
The extremists set up a tent and raised an Israeli flag. The attacks aimed at seizing land carry religious, political, legal, and symbolic implications. For the local parish priest, Father Bashar, despite difficult circumstances, the Christian community wants to celebrate Easter "with deep faith”. The patriarchs and heads of the Churches of Jerusalem issued a message of peace.
In AsiaNews, Fr Ielpo describes the run-up to Easter amidst the war in the Gulf and the closure of the holy sites. He condemns the violence perpetrated by settlers in the West Bank: “Serious acts against people who want to live in peace”. His account of southern Lebanon, which he has just visited. Prayer as an ‘essential’ path to a peace ‘that comes from above’. An appeal to Christians worldwide to ‘carry this yet another cross together’.
Patriarch Pizzaballa made the announcement in a message to Latin Rite communities. The Chrism Mass has also been postponed due to the impossibility for the clergy to physically come together. A virtual community prayer with a rosary for peace has been scheduled for 28 March. Easter “reminds us that no darkness, not even that of war, can have the last word.” Meanwhile, terror continues amid raids and missile strikes, as well as settler violence in the West Bank.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Bishop Nahra describes the closure of sacred places as “a form of death that people are experiencing.” From COVID-19 to Gaza and the Iran war, a picture of a perpetual “pandemic” emerges. This is impacting children while critical issues remain within Israeli society, especially in the Arab community, torn by violence and murders. In parishes people want to come to church and pray, many of them young. In Israel, there has been “widespread damage,” but “it’s not widely discussed.” Some 80 Jewish and Arab groups sign an open letter for peace.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem’s address at a webinar organised by the Oasis Foundation. “We have seen in these decades of conflict what violence has produced: only further fear, resentment and hatred. We know that Leo XIV’s appeals will fall on deaf ears, but we must continue to speak the truth. Information is a weapon in this conflict. Gaza has been forgotten, yet the situation remains dire. In the West Bank, there are almost daily attacks by settlers on Palestinians'.
