With Easter approaching, Vatican News interviewed Fr. Patton, custodian of the Holy Land. He said that while the holy land is still in a complicated political situation, pilgrims from all over the world are gradually returning as the pandemic gradually ends. He also appealed to believers from all over the world to continue to generously support the Holy Land, so as to help them protect the sacred mission of the Holy Land.
(Vatican News Network)“Jerusalem is a place of encounter, faith, prayer, joy, communion and unity, not conflict and division. It is not just a place of political and religious tension.” This is Pierbattista, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Pizzaballa’s words to encourage the faithful to attend the Palm Branch Procession held on Sunday, April 2. To this end, on the occasion of Easter, Vatican News interviewed Father Francesco Patton, guardian of the Holy Land. He emphasized that the way for Christians to resist violence is not to use violence to control violence, but to forgive, pray and call for justice.
Father Barton first said: “There is no doubt that some of us Christians are the descendants of the early Christians of the church. They are the witnesses of the faith, which has been passed on uninterruptedly in Jerusalem for two thousand years, even in today’s The same goes for times that have been much more difficult. I would therefore say that this responsibility should be seen as a calling, not a purely human effort, but a call from God: to be a holy place of Christ Christians. This is a mission rooted in the Gospel. The Gospel records that when Jesus said, ‘Little flock, do not be afraid, for the Father takes care of us’, he was not speaking to a large crowd like the church. So even though we In a minority environment, where we are a minority not only in Jerusalem, but in many other countries around the world, we must also find strength. This strength is not in a heroic sentiment, but in the Gospel of Jesus In the Word, in a relationship with Him. This relationship is called ‘faith’.”
Next, Father Barton talked about the local social situation in Jerusalem before Easter. He explained that Catholic Easter is very close to Eastern Church Easter and Jewish Passover, and it is also within the Islamic month of Ramadan, so many people hope to pray and celebrate the festival in Jerusalem. However, the priest points out that Jerusalem “is also caught in a peculiar political situation, because now there have been weeks of great tension, with street demonstrations every weekend, based on peaceful and democratic principles, demanding that the structures of the state cannot be Off track, the Supreme Court cannot be at the mercy of the government. Nevertheless, we Christians have a strong desire to be able to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord “.
Later, the custodian of the holy place spoke about the progress of the protection of the holy place, he said: “It is going very well because we have come out of a very difficult period, that is, the period of the pandemic, when we had almost no economic resources. Now , thank God, to be able to practice again that act of universal solidarity, the ‘Holy Friday Consecration for the Holy Land’…. Through this support we can take care of the Holy Land on the one hand and the pilgrims who come to the Holy Land on the other Or, more importantly, also take care of small local Christian groups, because these offerings also support pastoral and social activities, especially those related to education. This is because there are many Catholic schools that play a very important role, and then also There is social relief work. The Franciscan groups that guard the holy places are not only rooted in Israel and Palestine, but also in areas that have suffered for many years from wars, such as Syria, which has also recently suffered from earthquakes. Therefore, ‘Holy Friday’s dedication for the Holy Land ‘is an expression of solidarity and support of the Church of the Holy Land expressed by the universal Church through the Franciscan community that guards the Holy Land”.
Finally, Father Barton mentioned that with the end of the peak of the pandemic, pilgrims from all over the world are gradually returning to the Holy Land. He said excitedly: “Now most of them come from the United States followed by Poland, Italy, then Spain and Brazil. We have seen some return of pilgrims, which is also a very positive thing. The return of pilgrims, let We are very happy. I sincerely appeal to the pilgrims to come to the Holy Land to rekindle their faith and re-establish their connection with the Christians of the Holy Land and the Church of the Mother Jerusalem. Another appeal is to support us financially as there are still some large The work is going on. I am thinking of the restoration of the sanctuary of the Holy Sepulcher, which is going on, and there are many sanctuaries that need ongoing maintenance and repairs for the pilgrims to come and experience the faith.”
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