Newsflash

With One Heart and One Voice

(www.lpj.com) Just as last year, in 2011 Christians all over the world will once again celebrate Easter together. The concurrent timing is a source of great joy for many Orthodox, Protestants and Catholics. Last year, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem welcomed this happy coincidence thus: “Our joy is double”, he declared. “We, the pastors and faithful of the various churches, will be celebrating Easter on the same day and in the same place. It is the same voice”.

For historical reasons, it is rare for Christians to celebrate Easter on the same day. The difference is due to the calculations made by the Christian churches when setting the date of Easter. Most of the Western Churches use the Gregorian calendar, which dates back to the 16th century, whereas the Orthodox Church uses  the older, Julian calendar.

Assembly of Ordinaries:
“live the spirit of the Synod”

(www.lpj.com) Ordinaries in the Holy Land met at the Latin Patriarchate on March 15-16, the first time since the Synod for the Middle East last October. The representatives of the local church discussed and reflected on the implementation of the Synod’s Proposals and other challenges concerned with prayer and communion.

In his welcome address, His Beatitude Fouad Twal expressed the need for “a true follow-up to this historic event, guided by the Spirit.”

The first working day of the Assembly was devoted to the recently published Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini as well as to debate on ways to preserve the spirit and experience of the Synod.

On the second day, much of the time and work of the plenary assembly focused on pastoral care for migrants, both foreign workers and refugees, and on young people in the Holy Land. Archbishop Antonio Maria Vegliò, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People took part in this segment of the meeting. An outline of the pastoral challenges associated with migration was presented. Ways to be more present in this sphere and to improve coordination among the priests and pastoral workers already active in caring for these marginalized populations are under consideration.

Bilateral Commission:
Holy See and Grand Rabbinate

(www.lpj.com) The 10th meeting of the Bilateral Commission between the delegation from the Holy See’s Committee for Religious Relations with the Jews and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel was held on March 29-31 in Jerusalem. A Joint Statement was issued at the end of the meeting on March 31st expressing “the hope that outstanding issues in negotiations between the Holy See and the State of Israel can be resolved quickly, and that bilateral agreements will soon be ratified in favor of the two communities.”

Nazareth’s International Marian Center opens

(www.lpj.com) On March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem, H.B. Michel Sabbah, inaugurated the International Marian Center in Nazareth. The new center, located near the Basilica of the Annunciation, is now open to pilgrims and local people.

Mary is at the heart of the three mysteries of Nazareth: the Annunciation, the Incarnation, and Life of the Holy Family. She can also be a “bridge” to other religions in this country because Mary is a Jewish woman, a daughter of Zion, and is also mentioned in 114 suras of the Koran.

Projects Supported by the Equestrian Order
of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

(www.lpj.com) The project to build the Stella Maris Catholic Church in Aqaba is a direct response to the needs of this city in southern Jordan on the shores of the Red Sea. At the present time, the Catholic community of Aqaba only has a room where Mass is celebrated. Recent economic developments, however, have attracted and are still expected to attract many more Jordanians from the rest of the country. These include workers from the Arab world, and also migrant workers from the Filipino and Sri Lankan communities. This influx of population will increase the number of Christians in the area.

Thanks to the generosity of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (the major benefactor), the 750 or so Catholics present in Aqaba, (comprising fifteen percent of all Christians of the city), will soon see the first fruits of this project. On May 15, 2011, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, will officially lay the cornerstone of the building’s foundation. Construction will take a little over a year.

Cairo: ruined church reopens for Easter

22.04.11 (KAP) The burnt-out Coptic-Orthodox church of the "Two Martyrs" on the southern edge of Cairo has been rebuilt. The work was completed just in time for Easter. The church had come under attack on 4 March and the event triggered conflict in post-revolutionary Egypt.

Egypt's Supreme Military Council undertook responsibility for rebuilding the church. The project was realized in less than a month, something viewed in Coptic Church circles as an "impressive sign of good will". Nonetheless, the spokesman for the Coptic Diocese expressed regret that action against the Islamist arsonists was not being vigorously pursued.

“Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified”
Born to die, humiliated to reign, died to be raised!

50,000 Christian Pilgrims from all over the world in Jerusalem on Good Friday

Jerusalem, 22.04.11 (KAP) On Friday, ten thousand Christians from a dozen or more countries commemorated the suffering and death of Jesus. Despite hail and thunderstorms, some of the pilgrims followed the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus walked carrying his cross on the way to his execution on the hill of Golgotha. They stopped at the traditional 14 stations of Jesus’ ordeal, from his condemnation to his crucifixion and entombment. From the early hours of the morning large groups of pilgrims gathered at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre for the main ceremonies.

The number of Christian visitors to the Old City was estimated at 50,000. Figures issued by the Israeli police stated that they had mobilized 500 security forces to protect those taking part in the processions and Masses. Access to the Holy Sepulchre during the Easter period is subject to strict controls and monitors have been installed, as it is impossible for everyone to enter.

The Way of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa is part of the traditional Easter customs in Jerusalem. The route was established by the Franciscans in the 14th century.

Many pilgrims and groups carry wooden crosses as they walk along. The meditational path ends at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, where a total of six different denominations celebrate their Masses according to a timetable drawn up in the 19th century.

The existing conditions mean that the Catholic Easter Vigil ceremonies in the Basilica take place early on Saturday morning.

Easter Sunday Mass in Jerusalem was celebrated in the Holy Sepulchre at 10.30 a.m. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem presided. In his homily, H.B. Mgr. Fouad Twal spoke of the current situation in the Arab world. He praised the “generation of young people who had shaken the dust off’ their distressing conditions and set about seeking a new path marked by justice and dignity”.

He emphasized that “an entire generation is looking for resurrection for their people who have no other means but their determination and confidence to bring about change for a better future”. He urged pilgrims and faithful in the Holy Land “to support them with their prayers and advice”.

The Community of the Beatitudes organized a big procession from Jerusalem to Emmaus on Easter Monday, followed by a solemn Mass at which Patriarch Fouad Twal presided.

Emmaus

(oessh) On Easter Monday too, it was once more biblical Emmaus that became the destination for a large number of pilgrims who made the journey from Jerusalem on foot. The event, supported by German-speaking Christians from the Franciscan community in the Holy Land led by the Custos, Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM, brought the Easter celebrations to a close. The pilgrimage took 5 hours from Jerusalem to the western village of Al Qubeiba which is home to a Franciscan religious center. The journey was a reminder of the ordeal described in St. Luke’s Gospel, when the risen Christ appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The exact location of the biblical site is, however, contested.

On Easter Day the heads of the various Christian Churches in Jerusalem issued a joint message: that Jerusalem, the place of the Resurrection, should also remember the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in Egypt, Iraq and elsewhere. We are witnesses to violence and that is why “we find sadness competes with the joy of Easter”. They were watching developments closely and hoped for a modern civil society that would “respect freedom of expression, freedom of religion and human rights, especially those of minorities”. The resurrection of Jesus represented the victory of peace over violence and they hoped that this vision would give people courage in times of trouble. “The cross is empty. New life has come”.

Signatories to the statement included the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos, the Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, the Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land Fr. Pizzaballa and the leaders of eleven other denominations, amongst them the Armenian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox and Maronite Churches.