wfn.org | Papal Message Reaches Jerusalem on Palm Sunday

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Youth Participate in Palm Sunday Procession in Jerusalem 

JERUSALEM, March 24 (Palm Sunday)--A group of Italian youth arrived here from 
Rome in time to participate in the traditional Palm Sunday procession down 
the Mount of Olives.  They carried a message of peace from Pope John Paul II.

The procession included local Christian leaders, including Patriarch Michel 
Sabbah, who received the message from the young people.  Also in the 
procession, as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinian Christians, was the 
(Anglican) Archbishop of Canterbury who walked alongside the Anglican Bishop 
of Jerusalem.  (See separate story.)

The Catholic news service Zenit quoted Fr. Giuseppe Pellegrini of the Italian 
Office for Missionary Cooperation among Churches as saying,  "We will take 
the message of Assisi to the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, 
represented by the peace lamps." 

"It is the gift of peace we will pray for, which we hope to take to the 
parties in conflict," he said.

The Italian youth were asked to go to the Holy Land with the message of peace 
by John Paul II himself. 

"We intend to reaffirm that the two nations must overcome the logic of 
terrorism and arms and enter that of coexistence and mutual acceptance". 
Father Pellegrini added. 

Father Pellegrini and Father Giacomo Ruggeri, of the National Service for 
Youth Pastoral Care, left Rome on Friday with a group of 25 people, who 
represent various dioceses, associations, groups and ecclesial movements. 

"To be in the Holy Land at this critical time means above all to witness to 
shared faith in Christ Jesus with Christians, in a minority, present in the 
holy places," Father Ruggeri said. 

The young Italian pilgrims will engage in real "dialogue with the Palestinian 
and Israeli authorities to express to them the commitment of the Church to 
peace and fraternity, founded on the word of Jesus: 'Blessed are the 
peacemakers,'" the priest said. "Lastly, they will visit some realities that 
give signs that are contrary to the atmosphere of war." 

The delegation will meet next Saturday with the community of Ramallah, and 
will visit a refugee camp and meet with a local parish youth group. 

On Palm Sunday, the delegation were expected to meet with youth in Bethlehem. 

On March 26, before returning to Italy, the youths will meet with the 
ecclesial community of Nazareth, in the presence of Bishop Giacinto Boulos 
Marcuzzo. 

"We wish to express our solidarity and closeness to the Christian communities 
we will meet, especially the youth," the organizers said in a statement. "We 
are well aware that Christians, especially young people, are obliged to leave 
the Holy Land for reasons of work." 

"Our presence is an expression of solidarity and hope, appealing to our 
Western Christian communities to banish fear and resume pilgrimages to the 
land of Jesus," they concluded.

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