Holy Land prays for peace during Easter

Easter is being celebrated with great solemnity in the Holy Land, where the events of the Passion and Resurrection took place.

“We know that Easter the feast of our salvation,” said Bishop William H. Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem of the Latin Patriarchate. “Jesus saves us from the oppression of sin and from the slavery of the devil by his suffering, his death, and his resurrection.”

He told Vatican Radio the Church in the Holy Land participates actively in the liturgies leading up to Easter.

“Our Christian community is very attentive to the practice of Holy Week,” Bishop Shomali said. “I can say that 50% of our community comes to church during the Holy Triduum, the three days.”

Although Christians are now a minority in the region, Bishop Shomali said their prayers will help peace.

“I am sure that our prayer will help peace, because peace is a gift of God, and only God can give us what we cannot obtain by our own efforts, or the efforts of politicians,” he said. “We would like our prayer to give us hope, and our hope will lead to the gift of peace, and the gift of peace is linked to justice and reconciliation in the Holy Land.”

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