Jubilee around the world

Asia

Holy Land

Graziano Motta

Awaiting the pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II

Now that the date has been set – from March 20 to 26 – the days that separate the Holy Land from the arrival of John Paul II for his pilgrimage are being counted, a pilgrimage that has been in the makings for a long time, the longest ever. “The Pope will strengthen us in our faith,” says Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, looking at the church of Jerusalem, which has mysteriously remained small, just as in Jesus’ time. “The Pope will bring a message of peace, of justice and of reconciliation” he continued, reflecting on the negations that are in course between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He adds that “it will be a message of fraternity for the faithful of the three monotheistic religions.” Judaism, Christianity and Islam, who date back to Abraham, common father in the faith, and who all live on the same land. The Pope was hoping to retrace the steps of Abraham, beginning his pilgrimage in Ur, the present-day Iraq, where he then moved on towards the land indicated by God; the current circumstances do not permit him to visit there, thus he will first visit Jordan: he will want to see Jerusalem from Mount Nebo, just as Moses did, who died here without having been able to lead the Jews to the Promised Land: he will visit the Jordan river, there where tradition holds that John baptized the first converters and then the Pope will hold mass in the stadium of Amman. He will pass through Palestine and visit Bethlehem: the grotto of the Nativity, where he will celebrate mass in the square next to the Basilica. There will be two Eucharistic celebrations in Jerusalem: in the basilica of the Holy Sepulcher and at the site of the Last Supper. The latter will be an exceptional event, because it is built on the site where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and where the Holy Spirit alighted on the first Church, a Christian cult for almost five centuries, until in the middle of the 1500s, the Ottoman authorities expelled the Brothers Minor from the building, which they owned, and transformed the main room into a mosque. Two other days will be had in Galilee, in Nazareth – with the celebration on March 25 of the feast of the Annunciation of the same-named Basilica – and on the mountain of the Beatitudes, where at least 50,000 young people, both local youths and those  coming from all over the world, will encircle the Pope. Several important encounters are scheduled for Jerusalem: an ecumenical encounter with the Patriarchs and the Heads of the Christian Churches, that is the Orthodox and the Protestants, as well as with the Catholic groups of various rites, who are all committed to attain the ancient unity and have thus begun a program of common celebrations for the Great Jubilee. Two other encounters of an inter-religious nature are planned: next to the Wailing Wall, near the Jewish temple with the two High Rabbis of Israel, Meir Lau and Mordechai Bakshi-Ddoron, while the other will take place on the field near the Mosque, with the High Muslim Mufti Ikrima Sabri. A final, civil encounter will take place with the President of the state of Israel Ezer Weizman, similar to the meeting he will have in Bethlehem with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Finally, there will be two highly significant visits: one to a Palestinian refugee camp and the other to the Holocaust museum, which honors the six million Jews who died in Nazi death camps.

Nepal

New elementary schools

David Murgia

“St. Xavier’s School” and “Moran Memorial School” are the two new elementary schools that will recently open in Nepal, in the south-eastern part of the country. The institutes were initiated by the Jesuits, who after having practiced their apostolic education in the capital Kathmandu, have extended their pastoral initiatives to outward lying areas. In fact, St. Xavier’s School is located in the village of Deonia, also know as Chandragadi, 600 km from the capital. The school will be attended by local students even if they do not exclude the possibility that children from other territories may attend. On the other hand, Moran Memorial School is located in the village of Maheshpur, 10 km south-west of Deonia. Some 150 students are already signed up to attend, many of whom come from tribal families who work in the tea fields. However, the Sisters of the Daughters of the Cross are also at their missionary work. Father Matthew Assarikudy comments on the meaningful moment: “It is the first organic approach of a pastoral nature that is being undertaken by the Jesuits to benefit rural Nepal. Our aim in this vast territory is to develop western Nepal in its education and healthcare system.” The areas mostly lack education or cultural structures or centers to take the ill or cure infections. The same opinion is shared by the principal of a school in Godavari, who explains: “In this rural area, where base needs like electricity are a recent occurrence, we are focusing on helping local students, who are more and more expressing a desire to learn and enhance their cultural education, which they see as a means to integrate themselves in a constructive manner into civil society.” The school will be called “Regina Amoris.” “Being able to count on a new school means having a real and concrete means of teaching the kids of the streets, or those tied to negative conditions of life, marked with depravation and misery,” the organizers affirm.

Singapore

An Inter-Religious Holy Year

Taiwan

In procession with allegorical floats