To all the priests, religious men and women and to the faithful of the Latin Diocese of Jerusalem,
May the Lord give you peace!
In these days we are witnessing another outburst of hatred and violence, which is once again bleeding all over the Holy Land. The lives of so many young people have once again been shut down and hundreds of families are mourning their loved ones, dead or wounded. As in a kind of vicious circle, we must condemn all forms of violence, any cynical use of human lives and disproportionate violence. Once again we are forced by circumstances to plead and cry out for justice and peace!
These expressions of condemnation are similarly repeated, each and every time.
I invite the entire Christian community of the Diocese to join in prayer for the Holy Land, for the peace of all its inhabitants, for the peace of Jerusalem, for all the victims of this interminable conflict.
We need to pray more for peace and our conversion and for all.
I invite all the priests, religious, seminarians, all the faithful of Jerusalem and those who wish to join the prayer vigil for peace which will be held in the Church of St Stephen (École Biblique) at 17:00 on the eve of Pentecost, Saturday, May 19, 2018.
We must truly pray to the Spirit to change our hearts to better understand His will and to give us the strength to continue to work for justice and peace!
I also invite the entire Diocese – parishes, religious communities, associations and movements – in these days of preparation for the Solemnity of Pentecost, to dedicate a day of prayer and fasting for the peace of Jerusalem and that the liturgy of the day of Pentecost be dedicated to prayer for peace.
In Christ,
+ Pierbattista Pizzaballa
Apostolic Administrator
