Jerusalem's Latin-rite patriarch hopes Pope's May visit is 'cry for peace'
Jan.08,2014: Latin -rite Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem welcomed the announcement
of Pope Francis' May visit to the Holy Land and said he hopes the pilgrimage will
be a "cry for peace," particularly for Palestinians, Israelis, Syrians and others
beset by conflict. Pope Francis announced on Sunday his first trip as pontiff
to the Holy Land,May 24-26. His visit to Amman, Jerusalem and Bethlehem is planned
to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic visit by Pope Paul VI to the Holy Land
in 1964. Pope Francis is expected to celebrate Masses in the West Bank town of Bethlehem,
Jerusalem, and the Jordanian capital, Amman, where he will begin his trip. Speaking
to reporters in Amman soon after the Pope’s announcement, Patriarch Twal stressed
that Arab Christians are badly in need of the pope's encouragement, as their numbers
continue to decrease due to violence and economic hardship. “How great is his
concern for us. And our presence, I think is one of the aspects he will mention in
his speech to ask us to be courageous and to stay," the Jordanian-born patriarch said.
"To stay in this land, to live in this land, to die in this land: the Holy Land is
worthy to stay, to suffer and to die for," he said. Christians throughout the
Middle East represent the oldest such community in the world. But in their ancient
homelands of Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, they have
increasingly become targets of intimidation and killing in the midst of civil unrest
and war. Source: Cns