Jerusalem Patriarch Sounds a Plea for Peace JERUSALEM, MARCH 27, 2005 (Zenit.org)

JERUSALEM, MARCH 27, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem proclaimed a message of peace for the region when he celebrated Easter Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

"Christ has truly risen! Rejoice!" the patriarch exhorted the faithful.

During Holy Week, especially for Good Friday's Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa, the Old City witnessed the return of tourists and pilgrims to the sites of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

For the past four years, since the start of the second intifada, few foreigners have been seen in the Holy Land. It is estimated that over the past few days, some 15,000 pilgrims visited the land of Jesus.

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Marathon to Promote Peace in the Holy Land ROME, MARCH 24, 2005 (Zenit.org)

ROME, MARCH 24, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Palestinians, Israelis and pilgrims from around the world will participate April 14 in a marathon-pilgrimage, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, to promote peace in the Holy Land.

The diocesan-run Roman Society of Pilgrimages is organizing the event.

"The message we wish to launch is, above all, a message of dialogue, a message of peace, a message of solidarity," said Monsignor Liberio Andreatta, administrator delegate of the group, at a press conference Wednesday.

The marathon course is restricted to those who live in the area, although pilgrims from abroad may follow the event, the monsignor said.

"With this marathon-pilgrimage we also want to make it possible for Israelis and Palestinians to pass through the Bethlehem check-point," he said.

Also on hand at the press conference was Cardinal Pio Laghi, retired prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education.

He said, "When the athletes run through those streets, they cannot but be conscious in mind and heart of the mysticism of those holy places for the three great monotheist religions."

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The joy of the Risen in the midst of the trials of the Mideast, says Patriarch of Jerusalem 23 March, 2005 HOLY LAND – ISRAEL – PALESTINE, Jerusalem (AsiaNews)

23 March, 2005 HOLY LAND – ISRAEL – PALESTINE

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) – Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, begins his Easter message by inviting Christians in the Holy Land to rejoice and live their lives to the fullest despite their present trials and tribulations because Christ has truly risen.

And Christians do face problems today, trials such as the incident in the Galilean village of Maghar where in February Druze residents attacked Catholics, and tribulations like the building of new Israeli settlements on Palestinian land which are but one of the many anti-peace measures Israel has taken.

Faced with situations like that of Maghar, “Christians [. . .] must surely find the means to survive, but without creating physical, psychological or sectarian or even political ghettos,” Patriarch Sabbah writes.

“Christians,” he tells the faithful, “must see in the commandment of love that Jesus Christ has given them a spiritual strength that helps them face their situation and find solutions, but without weakening or giving up their rights.”

If “Jesus’ Resurrection reminds us all that we need to resurrect to a new life,” he writes, “relations between different communities and religions are [also] in need of a new life”. What's more, “Christians, for their part, must realize that the way to the Resurrection is the cross.”

However, discordant voices can be heard. On the one hand, on the Palestinian side there are voices that are incapable of demanding their rights without recourse to violence. On the other, Palestinian hopes face insurmountable obstacles laid down by Israel: expanding Jewish settlements, Palestinian political prisoners ‘forgotten’ in Israeli prisons, besieged Palestinian cities that have become virtual prisons.

The Patriarch does acknowledge that “Israel’s security is a priority”, but so are “the security and the independence of a Palestinian State”.

The fate of the two peoples, he writes, is “interdependent. One cannot come about without the other.”

The head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land explains that “freedom must be the same for all, for the strong as well as for the weak”. For him, conflicts can be resolved without applying the principle that might is right, which “runs contrary to the dignity of persons or nations.”

Even though force can impose facts, he writes that “human dignity will [cry out] vengeance and remain a menace and a source of insecurity for the strong.”

That is why, it is time that Palestinians and Israelis “become convinced that neither party can live at the expense of the other.”(LF)

Israeli, Palestinian fates are linked, patriarch says Jerusalem, Mar. 24 (AsiaNews)

Jerusalem, Mar. 24 (AsiaNews) - In his Easter message, the Latin-rite Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem encourages Christians to realize that the Resurrection promises their ultimate triumph, despite current trials.

“Christians,” says Patriarch Michel Sabbah, “must see in the commandment of love that Jesus Christ has given them a spiritual strength that helps them face their situation and find solutions, but without weakening or giving up their rights.”

Alluding to the continued conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, the Patriarch says that the two are "interdependent." While Israel hopes for security and Palestine seeks an independent state, he says, "One cannot come about without the other."

Jerusalem Patriarch Sees Obstacles to Peace on Both Sides JERUSALEM, MARCH 23, 2005 (Zenit.org)

JERUSALEM, MARCH 23, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Peace in the Holy Land will come, not through force, but rather through resolving the causes of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, says the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem in his Easter Message.

In the text published today, Patriarch Michel Sabbah said: "These days we are experiencing a time of relative tranquility and witnessing an express desire to reach peace."

Yet, he sees problems to achieving peace, both on the Israeli side as well as the Palestinian.

The prelate criticized the Israelis for "the further expansion of the settlements rather than their being halted or abandoned, the continued siege of Palestinian cities which remain prison-cities, the political prisoners who seem to be forgotten, to say nothing of all the major questions that must be treated before a final accord can be reached."

"On the Palestinian side, discordant voices seem to be threatening the decision to demand rights without having recourse to violence," the patriarch added.

"The security of Israel is a priority, but so are the security and the independence of a Palestinian state. And the two are interdependent. One cannot come about without the other," he stated in the message.

"Freedom must be the same for all, for the strong as well as for the weak," Patriarch Sabbah continued. "The strong cannot seek, just because they are stronger, to eliminate the weak or to force them into a submission that runs contrary to the dignity of persons or nations.

"Force can impose facts; but, if it does, human dignity will seek vengeance and remain a menace and a source of insecurity for the strong. It is time to become convinced that neither party can live at the expense of the other."

"Moreover, it is useless to seek to make peace with the region before solving the core of the conflict, which is between Palestinians and Israelis," the patriarch stated. "Trying to make peace with the neighbors will only exacerbate the conflict in the Holy Land. This conflict must be resolved first because peace throughout the region depends on the peace of Jerusalem."

He added: "Christ has truly risen. Let us rejoice. Yes, in the midst of all of our present trials, we are invited to rejoice and to live our lives to the full."

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