On Tuesday, March 20th / April 2nd, the Holy Grove Fellowship's visits to the Easter of the Western Churches took place.
Brotherhoods visiting:
А. Franciscan Order, i.e., the Custodia of the Holy Land in Jerusalem.
His Beatitude addressed to the Franciscan Order in the person of its Abbot, Fr. Francesco Patton, this is what I say:
"Your paternity, dear Father Francesco,
Dear members of our Fraternities,
Dear Fathers,
Christ is risen
We greet you, dear Father Francesco, and your Fraternity as you celebrate the Feast of Feasts, and remember the words of the Paschal Liturgy:
Come, receive the Light that never outshines the night,
and let us glorify Christ, risen from the dead.
We observe this sacred period of light and life during a time of deep darkness for our region and our world, and yet we do not hesitate to proclaim that Christ "trampled down death by death" and gave new life to the world.
Our spiritual mission is to keep the light of the Gospel alive even in the most difficult circumstances and the most hopeless situations. To this end, we firmly proclaim the message of salvation given to us and to all mankind in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. As our Lord said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die, will come to life."(John 11:25).
We are also grateful to remain united in our common conviction as Churches and Christian communities in the Holy Land, speaking out against all forms of violence, calling for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, the release of hostages, guarantees of humanitarian assistance. access to doctors and medical personnel, and a renewed commitment to a new way forward for our region that will lead us away from prejudice, violence and war to mutual respect, reconciliation and peace.
We wish to express our appreciation to you, dear Father Francesco, for your clear commitment to these goals, and we are encouraged by our fraternal cooperation. In the face of such a terrible conflict, the willingness of the Churches to unite for common witness and common cause is not only a sign of our strength; it is also a visible sign of hope for our peoples in the Holy Land and for all people of good will throughout the world.
We cannot fail to mention other issues that affect our mission. Once again, the Israeli municipal authorities are raising the issue of illegal and unfair municipal taxes on church property and have even decided to freeze our bank accounts. This will deprive us of the necessary resources that would allow us to operate our church, charitable, educational and other important services.
We encourage local governments to respect our historic and universally recognized rights so that we can carry out our spiritual mission unhindered and unhindered.
We are surrounded by dangers everywhere. Yet we are not afraid and we do not lose hope. For we are a community that believes in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As St. Paul reminds us, tribulation produces patience, patience produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not shame us, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Rom. 5:3-5).
ΜΑΥ, this joyous Easter holiday will be a time of hope for you, your Fellowship, and for all our peoples as we rejoice in the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death, and may this time usher in a new and tangible path to lasting peace in our region.
Christ is risen.
Thank you.'
Б. The government had room to visit the Pope's Vicar, the Patriarch of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
On this visit to His Beatitude, Our Father and Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem addressed the following speech to His Beatitude Pizzaballa and his clergy:
"Your Beatitude, dear Cardinal Pizzaballa!
Your Eminences,
Your Lordship,
Dear fathers,
Christ is risen
We are happy to rejoice with you, dear Cardinal Pizzaballa, as you and your congregations celebrate the great feast of Easter. As St. John Damascene wrote:
Encounter that which the heavens should rejoice,
and that the earth should rejoice.
and that the whole world, visible and invisible,
should observe a feast;
for Christ is our eternal joy.
(From the Easter Canon)
Even in the face of the terrible hardships we face in our region, we must not allow violence and war to rob us of the eternal joy of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is this hope that sustains us, our communities. , and peace.
The Resurrection, by which our Lord Jesus Christ destroyed sin and death, strengthens us in our determination to be witnesses of peace and reconciliation. We do not waver in our calls for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, the release of hostages, the effective delivery of humanitarian aid, safe access for medical personnel and supplies, and the adoption of a new resolution that will pave the way for a peace that promises a future for all those who call the Holy Land home.
These are not vain wishes: they are necessary actions that will bring back the life and well-being, and they agree with Scripture. When we read in the Book of Proverbs: Honor to settle a dispute (Proverbs. 20:3) and in St. Peter's First Letter, we understand that since, therefore, Christ suffered in the flesh, [we must] With the same intention we arm ourselves (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has made an end of sin) in order to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer according to human desires, but according to the will of God (1 Pet. 4). :1-2).
In addition to our shared commitment to peace, justice, and reconciliation in the current war, we remain determined to resist the expansion of conflict zones in our lives. As we did in 2018, today we most strongly urge the authorities not to exceed their jurisdiction in their attempts to impose illegal and unfair municipal taxes on churches that are contrary to our historic and internationally recognized position and rights. Stopping this issue in the current circumstances would add an unacceptable level of pressure on churches at a time when all people of goodwill in our region should be focused on rebuilding our society, its structures and communities. We also call on the authorities to immediately refrain from freezing all church assets so that the Churches can fulfill their mission of serving, teaching, healing and caring about those who come to us.
We remain grateful to you, Your Beatitude, for your steadfastness in pastoring our communities and for your dedication to our common endeavors within our Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches. Never has our mutual support and alliance been more important to the well-being and future of the Christian presence in the Holy Land. Our cooperation is one of the few signs of hope in our increasingly fractured and broken society.
May God strengthen you in your pastoral ministry, and may God sustain all of us as we strive to be faithful to our spiritual mission of proclaiming the joy and hope of the resurrection.
Christ is risen.
Thank you.'
В. Finally, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem, accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchus of Constantine, traveled to the Mount of Olives to visit the Vatican's representative in the Holy Land, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Illana.
Brotherhoods visiting:
А. Franciscan Order, i.e., the Custodia of the Holy Land in Jerusalem.
His Beatitude addressed to the Franciscan Order in the person of its Abbot, Fr. Francesco Patton, this is what I say:
"Your paternity, dear Father Francesco,
Dear members of our Fraternities,
Dear Fathers,
Christ is risen
We greet you, dear Father Francesco, and your Fraternity as you celebrate the Feast of Feasts, and remember the words of the Paschal Liturgy:
Come, receive the Light that never outshines the night,
and let us glorify Christ, risen from the dead.
We observe this sacred period of light and life during a time of deep darkness for our region and our world, and yet we do not hesitate to proclaim that Christ "trampled down death by death" and gave new life to the world.
Our spiritual mission is to keep the light of the Gospel alive even in the most difficult circumstances and the most hopeless situations. To this end, we firmly proclaim the message of salvation given to us and to all mankind in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. As our Lord said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die, will come to life."(John 11:25).
We are also grateful to remain united in our common conviction as Churches and Christian communities in the Holy Land, speaking out against all forms of violence, calling for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, the release of hostages, guarantees of humanitarian assistance. access to doctors and medical personnel, and a renewed commitment to a new way forward for our region that will lead us away from prejudice, violence and war to mutual respect, reconciliation and peace.
We wish to express our appreciation to you, dear Father Francesco, for your clear commitment to these goals, and we are encouraged by our fraternal cooperation. In the face of such a terrible conflict, the willingness of the Churches to unite for common witness and common cause is not only a sign of our strength; it is also a visible sign of hope for our peoples in the Holy Land and for all people of good will throughout the world.
We cannot fail to mention other issues that affect our mission. Once again, the Israeli municipal authorities are raising the issue of illegal and unfair municipal taxes on church property and have even decided to freeze our bank accounts. This will deprive us of the necessary resources that would allow us to operate our church, charitable, educational and other important services.
We encourage local governments to respect our historic and universally recognized rights so that we can carry out our spiritual mission unhindered and unhindered.
We are surrounded by dangers everywhere. Yet we are not afraid and we do not lose hope. For we are a community that believes in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As St. Paul reminds us, tribulation produces patience, patience produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not shame us, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Rom. 5:3-5).
ΜΑΥ, this joyous Easter holiday will be a time of hope for you, your Fellowship, and for all our peoples as we rejoice in the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death, and may this time usher in a new and tangible path to lasting peace in our region.
Christ is risen.
Thank you.'
Б. The government had room to visit the Pope's Vicar, the Patriarch of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
On this visit to His Beatitude, Our Father and Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem addressed the following speech to His Beatitude Pizzaballa and his clergy:
"Your Beatitude, dear Cardinal Pizzaballa!
Your Eminences,
Your Lordship,
Dear fathers,
Christ is risen
We are happy to rejoice with you, dear Cardinal Pizzaballa, as you and your congregations celebrate the great feast of Easter. As St. John Damascene wrote:
Encounter that which the heavens should rejoice,
and that the earth should rejoice.
and that the whole world, visible and invisible,
should observe a feast;
for Christ is our eternal joy.
(From the Easter Canon)
Even in the face of the terrible hardships we face in our region, we must not allow violence and war to rob us of the eternal joy of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is this hope that sustains us, our communities. , and peace.
The Resurrection, by which our Lord Jesus Christ destroyed sin and death, strengthens us in our determination to be witnesses of peace and reconciliation. We do not waver in our calls for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, the release of hostages, the effective delivery of humanitarian aid, safe access for medical personnel and supplies, and the adoption of a new resolution that will pave the way for a peace that promises a future for all those who call the Holy Land home.
These are not vain wishes: they are necessary actions that will bring back the life and well-being, and they agree with Scripture. When we read in the Book of Proverbs: Honor to settle a dispute (Proverbs. 20:3) and in St. Peter's First Letter, we understand that since, therefore, Christ suffered in the flesh, [we must] With the same intention we arm ourselves (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has made an end of sin) in order to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer according to human desires, but according to the will of God (1 Pet. 4). :1-2).
In addition to our shared commitment to peace, justice, and reconciliation in the current war, we remain determined to resist the expansion of conflict zones in our lives. As we did in 2018, today we most strongly urge the authorities not to exceed their jurisdiction in their attempts to impose illegal and unfair municipal taxes on churches that are contrary to our historic and internationally recognized position and rights. Stopping this issue in the current circumstances would add an unacceptable level of pressure on churches at a time when all people of goodwill in our region should be focused on rebuilding our society, its structures and communities. We also call on the authorities to immediately refrain from freezing all church assets so that the Churches can fulfill their mission of serving, teaching, healing and caring about those who come to us.
We remain grateful to you, Your Beatitude, for your steadfastness in pastoring our communities and for your dedication to our common endeavors within our Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches. Never has our mutual support and alliance been more important to the well-being and future of the Christian presence in the Holy Land. Our cooperation is one of the few signs of hope in our increasingly fractured and broken society.
May God strengthen you in your pastoral ministry, and may God sustain all of us as we strive to be faithful to our spiritual mission of proclaiming the joy and hope of the resurrection.
Christ is risen.
Thank you.'
В. Finally, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem, accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchus of Constantine, traveled to the Mount of Olives to visit the Vatican's representative in the Holy Land, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Illana.
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