Fasting and praying for peace in the Holy Land ISRAEL – PALESTINE – HOLY LAND, 22 December, 2004, Jerusalem (AsiaNews)

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) – Today is a day of fasting and prayer for peace as called for by the Bishops' Conference of North Africa and the Conference of the Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions.

For the Churches of the Middle East and North Africa, “the instability of the Middle Eastern region is a threat to the security of their respective countries and the entire world”.

According to them, “Jews, Christians and Muslims have become incapable to put an end to ongoing conflicts. The peoples of Palestine and Israel are especially in danger of disappearing. This is true for the weak as much as the strong, for those who use violence as much as those who are waiting for a peaceful solution to the conflict”.

The conflict in the Holy Land “worries” Christians throughout the world. Churches “can do more” to bring about peace; they must make local governments and populations as well as the international community aware of what is at stake so that their action may become “a decisive factor in bringing peace, justice and reconciliation”.

The bishops are mindful that the Churches—fulfilling the Divine Will—must play a role in “reconciling Israelis and Palestinians, helping both sides to live in peace.”

Although people might be “powerless” to change the status quo, the bishops of the Middle east and North Africa can commend their intentions and hope “to God and his work”, confident that “in the end Good will triumph over the evil that is war” in the land where “He chose to be born”.

Day of Fasting Is Proposed for Peace in Holy Land JERUSALEM, DEC. 20, 2004 (Zenit.org)

Rome, Dec. 21, 2004 (CWNews.com) - The Catholic bishops of northern Africa and the Arabic world have organized a special day of prayer for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, on December 22.

Archbishop Henri Teissier of Algiers, speaking on behalf of the two episcopal conferences that joined in the initiative, has asked all of the world's Catholic bishops to promote the day of prayer. The proposal originated during a joint discussion, held in Rome in October, that brought together the bishops' conference of northern Africa (CERNA) with that of the Arab region (CERLA).

"It is a common appeal, addressed to all the bishops of the world during Advbent, for a moment when all thoughts will turn toward Palestine," Archbishop Teissier explained. He continued:

These two peoples, Palestinians and Israelis, are suffering. All the friends of the Holy Land must pull together, with all their strength, to allow these two peoples to work in peace. The appeal sent by CERNA and CERLA to the bishops' conferences of the world was originally drafted by the Latin-rite Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah. The initiative carried the endorsement of Cardinal Renato Martino (bio - news), the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. In their appeal, the organizers asked bishops to choose their own means of observing the day of prayer. In an interview with the Italian daily Avvenire , published on December 21, Patriarch Sabbah said that Christians have "a special mission" to play in bringing peace to the Holy Land. "We must make our contribution to ending the war between Palestinians and Israelis, and working to build a future of peace and common life," he said.

The day of prayer was suggested by 24 bishops from CERLA (a group that unites the bishops of the Holy Land, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Djibouti, and the Arabian peninsula) and CERNA (which includes bishops of Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Mauritania, and western Sahara. At their meeting in October, these bishops-- all of them representing small Christian minorities in predominantly Muslim societies-- said that the Israeli-Palestinian problem continues to threaten the security and welfare of their region.

Regretting that "blood is still being shed in the Holy Land," the bishops of CERNA and CERLA said: "We believe that the churches can always do more." They added: "If all the churches of the world joined in common and concerted action," urging their people and their government leaders to take action, "their intervention could be a decisive factor in winning peace, justice, and reconciliation for the Holy Land."

Day of Fasting Is Proposed for Peace in Holy Land JERUSALEM, DEC. 20, 2004 (Zenit.org)

JERUSALEM, DEC. 20, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Some Catholic bishops have appealed to Christians worldwide to observe a day of fasting and prayer Wednesday for peace in the Holy Land.

The appeal was made as a conclusion of last week's meeting of the conference of bishops of North Africa and the Latin bishops of the Arab Regions. The appeal was made in conjunction with Caritas-Jerusalem.

"The conflict in the Holy Land is the concern of all Christians who are aware that their spiritual roots lie in the land of Christ's redemption," the bishops said in a statement. The document was signed by 22 bishops of the region.

"Our Churches have received from the Lord a ministry of reconciliation," they added. "We do not call you to take one side against another. On the contrary, we want you to help both sides find the way to reconciliation."

A message sent to ZENIT by Caritas-Jerusalem said: "We hope that you will join with us in this important day of fasting and prayer for peace in the Holy Land."

For his part, the Lutheran bishop of Jerusalem, Munib Younan, has called on Lutherans worldwide to support this initiative of the Catholic bishops, Lutheran World Information reported today.

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