The Easter Message of the Heads of Jerusalem Churches
Alleluia! Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed. Alleluia! We, the Heads of Churches
of the Holy City of Jerusalem bring you our greetings and our joy in the celebration
of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Christians find their
joy is secure in the hope of the promise of eternal life which our Lord has won for
all who believe. However, when we in Jerusalem, the city of redemption, see the suffering
of our Christian brothers and sisters in Egypt, Iraq and elsewhere in our region our
joy becomes more solemn. We find sadness competes with the joy of Easter as we witness
the violence which has erupted in the face of peaceful demonstrations by people throughout
the Arab world these past months. We Christians are watching in prayer the developments
in the Middle East. We also pray that the reforms would lead to modern civil society
where freedom of expression, freedom of religion, human rights – including the rights
of those who are considered being a minority in numbers – are respected. We call upon
all people of faith and good will to pursue peace while at the same time we recognize
that peace cannot be bought at the price of silence and submission to corruption and
injustice. The violence, when it erupts, reminds us that the cross of Christ is
ever present for the faithful followers of the Prince of Peace. The crucifixion is
an ongoing reality for many of our clergy and people who continue to seek to live
with mutual understanding and co-operation with their neighbors. We urge all Christians
to pray for reconciliation among people in the Holy Land, where the deteriorating
situation makes peace and justice seem further away than ever before. We ask the Churches
around the world to stand with us in giving voice to those who are silenced, in breaking
down walls that separate us from one another and in building bridges of goodwill between
people. We pray for the leaders of the nations, and for those who demonstrate for
change, to use wisdom and their best judgment to serve the needs of their people and
to promote peaceful solutions to change for a better future for all of God's children.
Our Lord died for the sins of the whole world that all people will see in his example
how violence only leads to death and destruction. In his resurrection we experience
his victory over violence and death and we embrace a vision of the future in which
all people live together in harmony. This vision gives us hope to renew our faith
in the face of despair. Christians all over the world celebrate the victory over death
which is ours as a gift from God who has compassion and mercy for all of his creation.
We share our joy in the resurrection with you. The cross is ever before us day by
day and the cross is empty. New life has come. Christ is risen. We are risen. Alleluia.
Thanks be to God. +Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch +Patriarch
Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch +Patriarch Torkom II Manoogian, Armenian Apostolic
Orthodox Patriarch +Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, Custos of the Holy Land +Archbishop
Anba Abraham, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch, Jerusalem +Archbishop Swerios Malki Murad,
Syrian Orthodox Patriarch +Archbishop Joseph-Jules Zerey, Greek-Melkite-Catholic
Patriarch +Archbishop Abouna Matthias, Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarch +Archbishop
Paul Sayyah, Maronite Patriarchal Exarch +Bishop Suheil Dawani, Episcopal Church
of Jerusalem and the Middle East +Bishop Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Jordan and the Holy Land +Bishop Pierre Malki, Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarch +Fr.
Rafael Minassian, Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarch (Easter 2011)