JERUSALEMN E W S L E T T E R

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LATIN PATRIARCHATE PRINTING PRESSBEIT JALA – 2014

EditorialNUMBER 34JUNE 2014 S!"#$%& E'$($)*

Pope Francis in the Holy LandAfter an exhausting three-day marathon,

the Holy Father returned to the Vatican. Three days that leave behind the aroma of the Resur-rection morning. The impasse reached in the peace negotiations a few weeks ago has faded away. The Holy Land, still astir from the mete-oric passage of the pilgrim dressed in white, can once again glimpse with greater faith the road that leads to a new horizon, toward the day when the Church will meet and gather in its bosom all her children. The evening of prayer on Pentecost Sunday at the Vatican is the sign.

Some images will forever remain engraved in our hearts and memories. Those of Pope Francis in prayer down at the holy waters of the Jordan, the Pope inclined against the separa-tion wall between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, that of Francis and Bartholomew kneeling be-fore the Stone of Unction in entrance way of the Holy Sepulchre, of both prostrate, kissing the Tomb Christ with one spirit and one peti-tion. Francis prayer, at the Wailing Wall. Or im-posing his hand on the wall of the memorial to the victims of terrorism. He did not cease bowing, praying, kneeling, kissing. With the “humility of Jesus, (who) looks at human injury to heal” he himself said during his first Mass in the Holy Land, in Amman. He bowed in silence every time. A silence more eloquent than words, before the suffering and confusion in this much wounded region.

Humbly, he that came down from the plane in white cassock, wearing regular black shoes and carrying his own suitcase, came to visit the great of this world as well as the smallest, the refugees and the children. And he did not want to forget anyone. He did not fail, indeed, to greet the Christians of Galilee upon arrival at the airport in Tel Aviv, or exceed the planned lines of his speech at Gethsemane in order to give support to the Christians of Jerusalem who were prevented from welcoming him in their own city. Despite a timed program and all security barriers, his smile, his gestures, his cassock and cap flying in the wind, and above all his strong actions here and there, made him more accessible and closer to his people. In Jordan, Palestine, Israel, he was among his people as a father among his children. At each meeting, before speaking, he first listened to,

and rather than say, he first stopped at the foot of each wall to pray.

The rain of camera flashes that swept over him in an attempt to capture all the moments cannot all reach the public eye. His gestures were disarmingly authentic. The hug at the foot of the western wall between the Pope, Rabbi Skorka and Imam Aboud, was neither artificial nor stereotypical. It was one of three longtime friends, showing more the love that unites them that the differences that might divide them. A friendship sign of peace that is true only when it is “built” or handcrafted “by small and large gestures that involve our daily lives,” said the Holy Father during his homily in Amman. While “Salam!” and “Shalom!” concluded in a word every speech, he repeatedly called for peace with clarity and consistency: to Abbas and Peres he asked, at the risk of repeating two of his speeches to Bethlehem and Tel Aviv, that all “will refrain from initiatives and actions which contradict the stated desire to reach a true agreement, and that peace will be pursued with tireless determination and tenacity.” Calling all parties to “walk resolutely towards (peace), each giving up something.”

The Man in White has continued to advo-cate for peace and unity. At the Holy Sepulchre he preached an “ecumenism of blood” stress-ing “Christian blood is the same.” Because the accomplished unity of the Church will be the very sign of peace for the whole world. Peace for the large human “family” where “all (are) brothers and children of the one Father who is in heaven” concluded the Holy Father at the last Mass of his pilgrimage, in the Cenacle.

Return now to the highlights of this excep-tional Triduum in this special issue of the “Infor-mation Letter JERUSALEM.”

Myriam Ambroselli

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P A G E 2 N E W S L E T T E R — J E R U S A L E M

JORDAN – Pope Francis started his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Jordan on May 24, 2014. He was welcomed by the royal family before presiding the celebration of the Mass. In the early evening, he visited the baptism site on the Jordanian side and met with refugees and people with disabilities.

At around 1:00 pm, Pope Francis was received at the Amman airport by the Crown Prince of Jordan, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad. After a brief meeting, the Pontiff was driven to the royal palace in Amman where he was received by the royal family of the Hashemite Kingdom which he is meeting for the third time. His first words are words of appreciation: “I thank God that I am able to visit the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in the footsteps of my predecessors Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and I thank His Majesty King Abdullah II for his cordial words of welcome, recalling very well our recent meeting at the Vatican.”

He was responding to King Abdullah II who was delighted at his arrival and welcomed him to “the land of peace and Christian-Muslim harmony, and to the house of prophets and saints.” Both speeches were focused on the important links between Muslims and Christians in the kingdom, but also on the lives of Christians.

The Pope welcomed all measures implemented to protect this minority population. “Christian communities can develop qualified and appreciated work in the fields of education and health, schools and hospitals, and they can profess with tranquility their faith, and respect religious freedom as a fundamental human right that I sincerely hope is upheld throughout the Middle East and the entire world.”

Finally, the two heads of state discussed Syria, and the plight of many Syrian refugees that arrive every day

Pope  Francis  in  Jordan:  “Peace  cannot  be  bought”

Pope  Francis  in  the  Holy  Land  –  JORDAN

in Jordan. Pope Francis once again favored a peaceful solution: “a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis is, more than ever, necessary and urgent, as is a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

“Peace cannot be bought”

The Pope’s visit was followed by Mass at the Amman stadium in the presence of many faithful. As the Pope made a round of the stadium in his popemobile, his white skull cap (zuchetto) flew off in the breeze. In a combination of Arabic and Italian the crowd sang, and listened attentively to the words of the homily. His words are strong: “Peace cannot be bought.” Then he went on to say that peace is “a gift to be received with patience and built, “handcrafted”, by small and large gestures that involve our daily lives. The path to peace is consolidated if we recognize that we all have the same blood and are part of the human race; if we remember that we have a unique Heavenly Father and that we are all His children, made in His image and likeness.”

Patriarch Fouad Twal introduced the Church of Jordan and the Diocese of Jerusalem to the Holy Father in these words: “The local Catholic Church, particularly the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, is making huge efforts towards unity, between churches and between peoples. We are a small church, but a church that listens, supports and collaborates according to its modest strengths with these modest forces, on a path of conversion.”

In the evening, the Pope went to edge of the Jordan River, to the roots of his baptism, to share a meeting with disabled persons and refugees, for one of the first commitments related to baptism is to live in charity daily. It is a path to peace.

Pierre Loup de Raucourt

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L O V E T H E H O LY L A N D A N D B E L O V E D P A G E 3

BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN – In the early evening of the May 24, 2014, Pope Francis visited the site assumed to be the place of the baptism of Jesus by Saint John the Baptist and met with handicapped persons and refugees. A visit to the poorest and a call to the international community.

Despite itself, Jordan is a country that welcomes the world. Surrounded by countries where peoples are torn apart, the Hashemite Kingdom is invaded by Syrians, Iraqis and Palestinians. The number of refugees is almost equivalent to that of native inhabitants. The government’s response is complicated as it is expensive and requires labor.

In Jordan, there are also people with disabilities. Only since 1993, a law allows them to have proper care, a job, and training opportunities. Many centers have been established by the Church and have become meeting points between Christians and Muslims. Widely supported by the royal family, these projects help people out of social misery which added to their already physical and mental hardship.

These are the people that the Pope likes so much to meet. He did not fail to do so and imparted his blessing, inviting them with courage to pray for peace and to offer their sufferings to God.

Francis stressed the “generous” hospitality of the Kingdom.

Appeal to the international community

For several months the Jordanian government cried for help: it is financially overwhelmed by the daily influx of refugees. Pope Francis re-echoed the call imploring the international community to “not leave Jordan alone in the task of meeting the humanitarian emergency caused by the arrival of so great a number of refugees; but continue and increase its efforts to support and help.” Reiterating his appeal for Syria, the Pope also called for “that all abandon the contention of leaving the solution of problems to weapons and that there should be a return to the path of negotiation. The solution, in effect, can only come from dialog and moderation, compassion for those who suffer, in the search for a political solution, and a sense of responsibility toward the brothers.”

At the same time, digressing from his text, as he does so often, Pope Francis, by two questions, blasted the attitude of fueling conflict: “Who is behind the sale of arms?” And “who is responsible for selling arms to the warring parties, thus fueling the conflict?” He does not provide answers, but immediately called, in a serious tone, asking that “God converts the violent.”

This landmark meeting, expressly desired by the Pope and attended by many children and refugees, ended the first day of pilgrimage in the Holy Land. A day marked, as might be expected, by the attention to refugees and the alarming situation in Syria and a region rife with conflicts that do not end. At the same time, the Mass celebrated by the Holy Father, and his visit to the place of Christ’s baptism serve to remind that the Pope came for Christians and the Church, reminding all of the commitments of baptism, which are lived mainly in the support and accompaniment of the poorest.

Pierre Loup de Raucourt

To  the  poor  and  refugees:  “God  converts  the  violent”

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P A G E 4 N E W S L E T T E R — J E R U S A L E M

“This situation is becoming increas-ingly unacceptable”

Responding to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Pope Francis recalled his closeness to those who suffer from the “decades-long” conflicts in the Middle East.

Repeating the diplomatic discourse held by the Vatican for many years, he described the situ-ation as increasingly “unacceptable”, and called for a quick resolution and two states, as he himself explained: “The time has come for everyone to find the courage to be generous and creative in the service of the common good, the courage to forge a peace, which rests on the acknowledg-ment by all of the right of two States to exist and

to live in peace and security within internationally recog-nized borders.”

This peace will be effective especially if religious free-dom is maintained. “Respect for this fundamental human right has, he continued, and is, indeed, one of the essential conditions of peace, brotherhood and harmony”. He told the world that “it is necessary and possible to find a good agree-ment between different cultures and religions.”

A unique Regina CoeliA little later, at the end of the Mass, attended by Mahmoud

Abbas, Pope Francis, surprising everyone, invited the presi-dent of the Palestinian Authority and his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, to pray together for the gift of peace. “I offer my house, at the Vatican, to host this meeting of prayer” proposed Pope Francis before an emotional gathering. The in-vitation was extended. The two heads of state later confirmed that they will meet Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Pierre Loup de Raucourt

BETHLEHEM – Pope Francis arrived in Palestine for a few hours on the morning of May 25, 2014. In Bethlehem, he met with the president of the Palestinian Authority and made an unscheduled visit to the separation wall erected by Israel. This ges-ture further strengthens the political impact of this pilgrimage.

The  Pope  at  the  foot  of  Separation  Wall

Early on Sunday morning, a helicopter transported Pope Francis from Amman to Bethlehem. Truly a symbolic step whereby the Pope did not pass through Israel to come to the Palestinian Territory.

Stronger still was his willingness to go to the separation wall built by Israel since 2004. Descending from his popemo-bile, the he took a few steps to the Wall, appearing very small before the massive concrete slabs. The construction of the “security barrier” beyond the boundaries set in 1967 is strongly questioned by the international community, and sometimes by the Israeli courts. The Pope’s decision to go there may there-fore make an impression and, what many hope, influence the Israeli government’s project to further extend the Wall.

The third act of the morning was a very political meeting with Mahmoud Abbas. A few months ago, the Palestinian President was received at the Vatican and here he never con-cealed his joy of receiving the Pontiff. At their reunion, after a long hug, President Abbas welcomed the Holy Father recalling the strong ties that exist between the Holy See and the Pales-tinian Authority, before discussing the “hideous wall” erected by Israel.

Pope  Francis  in  the  Holy  Land  –  BETHLEHEM

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L O V E T H E H O LY L A N D A N D B E L O V E D P A G E 5

BETHLEHEM – Pope Francis celebrated Sunday Mass on May 25, in Manger Square in the presence of several thousands of people. At the place of Jesus’ birth, his homily centered mainly on children as signs of hope and life.

Manger Square was arranged to accommodate 10,000 persons. However, there was a little less than that number in the Bethlehem Square who attended Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.

In an enthusiastic atmosphere, under a blazing sun, the Pope arrived in his popemobile just after meeting with Mahmoud Abbas. He also stopped at the foot of the separation wall between Israel and Palestine.

Alternating moments of silence and singing with the beautiful choir, the faithful listened carefully to the words of the homily delivered first in Italian by the Pope, then in Arabic by Bishop Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine.

Children, the heart of the messageIf children are “signs of life and hope,” they are also diagnostic

‘signs’, markers “indicating the health of a family, a society, and the world.” The Pope also warned: “When children are welcomed, loved, defended, and protected in their rights, the family is healthy, the society is better, and the world is more human.”

Thanking institutions that protect children, he mentioned the Ephphetha Paul VI Center. This institution that welcomes deaf-mute children in Bethlehem was founded at the request of Paul VI. Passing from the presidential palace to Manger Square, Pope Francis was greeted by screams and sign language made by a small crowd of children, young babies and their parents.

At the same time, the Holy Father warned that a child is fragile and easy to destroy. “Many children today are exploited, abused, enslaved, objects of violence and illegal trafficking. Many children are uprooted refugees, sometimes drowned in the seas, especially in the waters of the Mediterranean. For all this, we are ashamed today before God, the God who became a Child.”

A strong speech that Pope Francis offset by words of hope and a call to take a frank look again to the newborn in the manger and adopt a new lifestyle “where our relationships are no longer marked by conflict, oppression and consumerism, but fraternity, forgiveness and reconciliation, solidarity and love. “

He ended his homily with a short prayer: “Mary, Mother of Jesus, you who accepted, teach us how to accept; you who adored, teach us how to adore; you who followed, teach us how to follow. Amen”

After Mass, he had lunch with Christian families and later moved on to Jerusalem for the highlight of his pilgrimage, the meeting with the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Pierre Loup de Raucourt

Who will lunch with Pope Francis? An interview with Bishop William Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem, about the families who will have lunch with Pope Francis in Bethlehem after Mass. “Pope Francis wants to spend a little time with the poor families in the Bethlehem and their children to listen to them, permitting them to feel his closeness and tenderness. He did not want to have lunch with the cardinals, bishops and politicians, but with poor families. It took time to understand the reasons for this gesture. It really makes the Pope admired: how Jesus wants to stay close to the poor.”

Bethlehem: A local nativity scene for papal MassA work of art of 14 meters long by 6 meters wide. Nothing is too big or too good to welcome the Holy Father. Created by a Palestinian artist, the figurative art piece, full of symbols, will be positioned as a backdrop behind the altar for the Papal Mass. A nativity scene reinterpreted with many local elements.

Bethlehem finish line before the arrival of PopeMay 2014. Bethlehem While getting ready for the big day, the one when the successor of Peter, the Pope Francis, arrives and the eyes of the world turn to one of the more humble towns of Palestine. All have imaginative images of the tender, loving and humble Pope Francis. All already imagine his arrival in Bethlehem to see him walk in the streets, and when they gather to celebrate Mass in the Plaza of the Basilica of the Nativity, and the Christian people listen hungering to hear just an authentic word that could relieve their pain and heal their past and still open wounds.

The State of Palestine in the joy of receiving FrancisOn 20 May 2014, the President of the State of Palestine, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, issued a statement in which he welcomed the Pope Francis who is expected by the Palestinian people in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, with all the proper respect to his dignity and the message of love and peace he brings.

The  Mass  in  Bethlehem:  Pope’s  homily,  “Children  are  a  sign”

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P A G E 6 N E W S L E T T E R — J E R U S A L E M

the angel, he repeated “do not be afraid” and invited the congregants “to reject another form of fear which is probably the most common in modern times, namely, the fear of the other, the fear of difference, the fear of a believer of an-other religion or another confession.”

Great reverence for this celebration without

mingling with the crowd. An intimate moment between two Apostles and their Lord, who together returned to the Tomb, have lengthily embraced.

For this great moment of prayer and unity, Pope Francis and Patri-arch Bartholomew were received by the three superior of the Status Quo communities (Greek Orthodox, Ar-menian Apostolic and Franciscan), the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Je-rusalem Theophilos III, the Custos of Jerusalem, Father Pierbattista Piz-zaballa, OFM, and the Armenian Ap-ostolic Patriarch H.B. Nourhan Ma-noogian. Also present were the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal and the bishops of the Holy Land, the Syrian Archbishop, Archbishop of Ethiopia, the Anglican bishop, the Lutheran bishop and other bishops. A ceremony where Greek and Latin interspersed and reconciled so that a single prayer soared skyward from the Sepulchre.

Myriam Ambroselli

lowed by the Latin choir, accompanied by organ. “Christos Anesti!” “Christ is risen!” exclaimed Francis, Bishop of Rome, in Greek.

Facing the empty tomb of the Lord, Pope Francis recalled “the extraor-dinary grace to be gathered here in prayer” before the “empty tomb” and stressed that the announcement of the Resurrection is “the foundation of the faith that unites us”. This is the “great-ness of our Christian vocation, that we are men and women of resurrec-tion, not death.”

Facing death and resurrection, we are all “Christians” the Pope said. “In the face of death and resurrection, we are all “Christians”, the Pope said. “When Christians of various denomi-nations are found to suffer together, next to each other and helping one another in brotherly love, there is re-alized an ecumenism of suffering, an ecumenism blood (…) . Those who hate the faith and who kill and per-secute Christians do not ask them if they are Orthodox or Catholic Chris-tians. Christian blood is the same.”

For his part, Bar-tholomew, the Ecumeni-cal Patriarch of Constan-tinople, facing the Holy Tomb, recalled the words of Genesis 28.17, “how awesome is this place… the gate of heaven”, and that the path of love is “the only path that leads to the fulfillment of the will of the Lord.” Echoing the words of

Francis  and  Bartholomew  at  the  Tomb  in  prayer

Pope  Francis  in  the  Holy  Land  –  JERUSALEM

HOLY SEPULCHRE – Fifty years af-ter Paul VI and Athenagoras, and climax of Pope Francis’ pilgrimage, his meeting with the Ecumenical Pa-triarch took place at the foot of the empty tomb of the risen Lord, May 25, 2014. Two thousand years later, Peter and Andrew prayed Jesus own prayer, “That they may be one … that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21).

The bells of the Holy Sepulchre are ringing in celebration. The Pope and the Patriarch are expected. They are still at the Apostolic Delegation. Shar-ing a very warm time of fellowship that lasted longer than expected. There, an agreement was signed. A ten-point joint statement welcoming progress towards unity, encouraging “ever deeper knowledge of the other’s tra-ditions” in search of “the whole truth that Christ has given to his Church” invoking the “urgency of the hour that compels us to seek reconcilia-tion and unity of the human family” including the “situation of Christians in the Middle East.”

Finally, “il Baba” arrives at Jaffa Gate. Moments later, the long-awaited hug. Emotion and simplicity. A historic moment, a spark of eternity in the his-tory of the Church and of humanity. Pope and Patriarch advance towards each other and embrace warmly be-fore helping each other down the steps to approach the Holy Sepulchre. Both kneel humbly to kiss the Stone of Unction, the place where the body of Christ was embalmed before burial and located a few meters from the Tomb. The two brothers, Peter and An-drew, are close together at the empty tomb. Meditating before the holiest place in Christendom. The Greek Or-thodox choir sang and was soon fol-

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L O V E T H E H O LY L A N D A N D B E L O V E D P A G E 7

Pope  Francis’  Interfaith  morning Francis Pope at Yad Vashem: «Adam, where are you?»In the second part of the morning pri-marily devoted to interreligious dialo-gue on Monday, May 26, 2014, Pope Francis honored several protocol related appointments based on his position as a head of State. Meetings at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memo-rial, with the two chief rabbis of Israel and with the highest political authori-ties of Israel took place.

End of pilgrimagewith religious and bishopsBefore his return to Italy, the Pope took time to meet the religious of the Holy Land at the Basilica of Gethse-mane, before celebrating a private Mass with the Catholic bishops in the holy place of the Cenacle. In his homily, Pope Francis asked the bis-hops to the recall everything that re-minds them of the Last Supper: ser-vice, sacrifice, friendship, sharing, harmony, brotherhood, peace, and the family dimension of the church after the announcement of the resur-rection.

Francis on the plane:“When was your Christresurrected?”After three intense days of meetings and prayer in the Holy Land, Pope Francis returned to the Vatican yes-terday evening. On the plane, he spoke at length with journalists. A common date for Easter for all Chris-tians and a “prayer meeting” at the Vatican with Abbas and Peres will soon be among the great fruit of the unusual ecumenical and interreli-gious pilgrimage.

Pope gives thanks for hispilgrimage at the Audienceof Wednesday May 28 - During his Wednesday au-dience, Pope Francis gave thanks for his pilgrimage to the Holy Land: “The main goal was the 50th anniversary of the prophetic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenago-ras. With His Holiness Bartholomew we prayed at the Holy Sepulchre and we expressed the desire to continue on the path towards full communion. I also wanted, during this pilgrimage, to encourage peace in the Middle East region, particularly in Syria (...).“

JERUSALEM – Arriving in Jerusalem, May 25, 2014, for an ecumenical meeting at the Holy Sepulchre, Pope Francis continued his pilgrimage to Jerusalem Monday, May 26 with a visit to the Temple Mount and the West-ern Wall, before meeting two rabbis.

Early this morning, Pope Francis was received at the Temple Mount, the third ho-liest site in Sunni Islam, for a meeting with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. Present also was the Crown Prince of Jordan, Ghazi bin Muhammad, as the area is under the jurisdiction of the Hashemite kingdom. In a politicized discourse, the Grand Mufti welcomed the Holy Father to Palestine, at the place so coveted by Jews and by Israel.

The Pope, glad to meet with Muslims, focused his speech on Abraham who united the three monotheistic religions in the Holy Land. His words urged all not to abandon the search for God, “We cannot be content with remain-ing withdrawn, secure in our convictions. Before the mystery of God we are all poor. We realize that we must constantly be prepared to go out from ourselves, docile to God’s call and open to the future that he wishes to cre-ate for us.”

A call, no doubt, to develop interreligious dialogue and so serve all Chris-tians, Muslims and Jews, the common search for God.

Pope Francis also called all to seek peace so that God’s name is not ex-ploited to justify violence.

A few minutes later and a few meters down

Immediately after, Pope Francis went to the foot of the Wailing Wall. Laying his hands on the Wall, the Holy Father recollected for a few moments before leaving a message be-tween the stones of the Wall, the main holy place of Jews. It seems that this message is the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish, his native language, he took the time to read and recite it in front of the wall.

The Pope also surprised by giving a beautiful and honest hug to his two Argentine friends who accompanied him: Rabbi Abraham Skorka, visibly moved, and the Muslim professor, Omar Abboud who, visiting the Jew shrine, made an important political and religious gesture. A trio, which give a picture of the speech Francis tries to uphold: men must love and respect, regardless of their religion, and even in the name of their religion.

After the Sunday ecumenical dimension, Pope Francis placed a stronger emphasis on interfaith dimension. This small morning, more religious than po-litical, ends soon and then the Pope went off to the grave of Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement, and Yad Vashem.

Pierre Loup de Raucourt

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Latin  Patriarchateof  JerusalemP.O.B.  14152Jerusalem  9114101Tel:  +  972  2  628  23  23Fax:  +  972  2  627  16  52Media  office  :  meo@lpj.org

Invitation  of  Pope  Francis  to  PresidentsAbbas  and  Peres  at  the  Vatican

In  BethlehemSunday,  25  May  2014

In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace. I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer.

All of us want peace. Many people build it day by day through small gestures and acts; many of them are suffering, yet patiently persevere in their efforts to be peacemakers. All of us – especially those placed at the service of their respective peoples – have the duty to become instruments and artisans of peace, especially by our prayers.

Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment. The men and women of these lands, and of the entire world, all of them, ask us to bring before God their fervent hopes for peace.

To read more, please visit www.lpj.org :

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Church, Patriarch Ra’i (May 30, 2014)