JERUSALEM - On Sunday, March 24th, 2024, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over the Palm Sunday celebrations, with the participation of Mgr. William Shomali, Patriarchal General Vicar, Fr. Francesco Patton, the Custos of the Holy Land, and many bishops, priests and faithful.
The celebrations began at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, where His Beatitude blessed the palm and olive branches and led a procession around the tomb, remembering Christ's royal entry into Jerusalem before the beginning of Holy Week, while the Gospel of the Passion according to the Evangelist Mark was read.
At noon, the faithful gathered at Betphage Monastery to start the traditional procession to the Monastery of St. Anne. Indeed, small in numbers compared to previous years, but with faith and unity, many people from Jerusalem and Galilee, different monastic orders and a few pilgrims who came to show solidarity and pray with the people of the Holy City, prayers were raised in the streets for peace and the cessation of war, while raising the voice of praise to Jesus Christ the true King and victor over the darkness.
Mrs. Lucy Al-Rai from Jerusalem expressed the importance of participating in this annual tradition despite everything: "I don't let anything hinder me from participating in the Holy March, it is a great blessing for us, we are the living stones in the Holy Land. As a Palestinian Christian, it is my existential and religious duty to participate in this day when the eyes of the world are on Jerusalem."
A group of Mexican pilgrims who came specially to participate in the Holy Week celebrations said: "What a precious joy it is to be here today. We wonder why so many people from around the world are not coming to participate in the celebrations, our faith must be stronger than fear and war."
Towards the end, His Beatitude addressed all the participants, expressing his dismay that parishioners and pilgrims were unable to participate due to the prevailing conditions: " We have joined voices with those who sang in Jerusalem two thousand years ago: "Hosanna Filio David," Hosanna to the Son of David. Yes, especially now, it is even more important and necessary to shout strongly that Jesus is our Messiah, He is our Lord, He is the Kyrios. It may be that in these past months, we have felt lost or alone and without reference points. We have felt crushed by so much hatred. This war, which is so terrible and seems never-ending, sometimes leads us to fear for the future of our families. Yet today we are here again, even if few in number, without pilgrims and without so many of our brothers and sisters from so many parts of our diocese, who could not join us. It does not discourage us! Few or many, it is important to be here, and to shout with strength and faith that we have a point of reference, Jesus Christ. We are not alone, we are not abandoned, and above all, we are not afraid!”.
Then, His Beatitude recited the closing prayer and blessed all the attendees with a relic of the Holy Cross.
For the first time, all scout groups in Jerusalem participated in the procession, escorting His Beatitude the Cardinal from Lions Gate to the Freres School (New Gate) as a sign of Christian unity and solidarity with our people in Gaza who are still suffering from injustice. His Beatitude said: "Despite the sadness that surrounds us, I saw something very beautiful today: your Christian unity. As the patron of this holy land, I ask you to stay and maintain this unity among you, this is how we are stronger, and I bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit... A holy and blessed week to all."
Click here to view the pictures of the Mass at the Holy Sepulcher
