The inspiring rite of the Holy Fire in the Holy Sepulcher

Orthodox Christian communities in Jerusalem witnessed an ancient ceremony on their Holy Saturday, thousands gathering for the event.

The Orthodox Christians celebration of Easter in Jerusalem was long awaited. According to the Julian Calendar, kept by most Eastern Churches, the Resurrection of Christ was celebrated this year on April 8th. In days leading up to the feast, the faithful of various origins, keeping various rites, commemorated the Passion of Jesus, culminating on Holy Saturday inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher with the ceremony of the Holy Fire.

In a centuries-old tradition, it is believed that an angel;visits the Aedicule, housing the tomb of Jesus, and ignites a lamp alternately flaming for minutes before the ceremony.

Each year, differing rites are celebrated in turn by Coptic, Syrian and Armenian clerics in the presence of thousands. There are processions of local Christians accompanied by choirs, drumming and the sounds of other instruments.

Then the Greek Orthodow Patrirach, Theophilus III makes his solmen entrty, and having processed around the aedicule three times, he enters the tomb in subdued lighting, for the great event.

The silence is broken by a joyful cry as the surrounding crowd acclaims the kindled fire.

Within seconds, the fire spreads from candle to candle throughout the church and, even throughout the World, for the Easter celebrations.

"Christòs anèsti - alithòs anèsti" / Christ is risen! – he is risen indeed!

Easter Message of the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem 2018

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1.3)

We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, jointly send our Easter greetings and joyful proclamation of the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour to all people everywhere. From Jerusalem, the place where Christ was raised from the dead, we offer our blessings to the faithful who are celebrating the Feast of the Resurrection at this blessed time.

For over two millennia pilgrims have been following the footsteps of Jesus and streaming to Jerusalem to behold the empty tomb. The Resurrection of our Lord was an historic event which encompassed the whole cosmic order and renewed the face of the entire creation. This is the time where the Christian Family worldwide remembers God’s redeeming work in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jerusalem, the City of Hope and the Resurrection, remains a sacred symbol of God’s salvation and a reflection of the heavenly Jerusalem that is yet to come. In fact this sacred, communal, and spiritual character of Jerusalem continues to be a beacon for hope, peace, and life for the people of this region and the entire world. We pray that we here in the Holy Land may continue unhindered to fulfil our sacred duty as manifestations of the living Gospel to serve the poor, seek justice and walk in the light and love of the risen Christ.

The Holy Gospel tells us that before Jesus Christ ascended to joy he suffered pain, and before entering into glory he was crucified. We pray to almighty God that people who are walking in the way of the cross may find it the way of hope, peace, and life. We hold in our prayers all those who are suffering in our region and throughout the world, and also, all those who are suffering in silence; for refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced people, for those who live under oppression, for those in want and deprivation, for all victims of violence and discrimination, and for all who strive for justice and reconciliation.

The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is a constant reminder that the powers of evil and death will not overcome life, instead life has victory over death and darkness. God has reconciled us to Himself in Jesus Christ and called us to the ministry of reconciliation. May the risen Lord strengthen us with His Holy Spirit in order to go forth in his risen life to love and serve and bring the good news to all.

Christ is risen. Alleluia! He is risen, indeed. Alleluia!

+Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate

+Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Patriarchate

+Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator, Latin Patriarchate

+Fr. Francesco Patton, ofm, Custos of the Holy Land

+Archbishop Anba Antonious, Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, Jerusalem

+Archbishop Swerios Malki Murad, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate

+Archbishop Aba Embakob, Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchate

+Archbishop Yaser AL-Ayyash, Greek-Melkite-Catholic Patriarchate

+Archbishop Mosa El-Hage, Maronite Patriarchal Exarchate

+Archbishop Suheil Dawani, Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East

+Bishop Ibrahim Sani Azar, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

+Bishop Pierre Malki, Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

+Most Rev. Krikor-Okosdinos Coussa, Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

From Calvary to the Holy Sepulcher

The traditional funeral procession on Good Friday that commemorates the placing, anointing and burial of Jesus in the Sepulcher. A celebration that takes place only in Jerusalem.

On the evening of Good Friday, in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, the Franciscans, together with local Christians and pilgrims, recalled the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus. From Calvary to the Sepulcher. 

(John 19:16-19)

After these events, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a secret disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate permission to take away the body of Jesus.

Pilate granted it. Then he went and took Jesus' body [down from the cross].

He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about one hundred pounds.

They then took the body of Jesus and wrapped it, with aromatic ois, in strips of linen: this was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

The Custos of the Holy Land, Br. Francesco Patton, together with the authorities, the priest and the pilgrims, recalled the anointing of Jesus' body by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. 

After the final prayer in the Tomb of the Holy Sepulcher, everyone left silently.

Come, Holy Spirit - Pentecost in the Holy Land

Easter Message of the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem 2017

We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, join together in proclaiming the triumphant victory of our risen Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the dead. The message of Easter, which was first announced in Jerusalem, and has echoed down the centuries, now resounds again in Jerusalem, the city of the Resurrection.

This year we have witnessed the restoration of the Holy Aedicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, two centuries after the last renovation, and almost one hundred years after steel girders were installed to support it. The completion of this challenging work is testament to the support from around the globe involved in the project, and to thank them for their prayers and support.

The service to celebrate the unveiling of the restored Holy Aedicule was a testimony to our spirit of Ecumenism and a celebration of our unity in Christ. We stood together, as one body, one voice, around the empty tomb. We stood as Christians united in offering hope, perseverance and determination to transform this world under the banner of Christ who conquered all evil through his Resurrection. The sacred history of Jerusalem, and particularly of the Holy Sepulchre, is a constant reminder for the whole world that in this place and at a certain time, the Resurrection was proclaimed for all people and for all time. The Resurrection inspires a resolute steadfastness in the living stones (local Christians) as living witnesses in the Holy Land.

It is our prayer that the hope established through our risen Lord will enlighten the leaders and nations of the whole world to see this light, and to perceive new opportunities to work and strive for the common good and recognize all as created equal before God. This light of Christ draws the whole human family towards justice, reconciliation and peace, and to pursue it diligently. It draws us all to be unified and to be at harmony with one another. The power and resonance of the Resurrection permeates all suffering, injustice and alienation, bringing forth hope, light and life to all.

Through the Resurrection and the empty tomb, we need to remember that pain, suffering, and death do not have the final word, it is God – who has the first word, and the last. This was the message of the Easter angel, who challenged the first disciples – both women and men – “Why do you look for the living among the dead? [Jesus] is not here, but has risen” (Luke 24.5).

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!                                  

(Easter 2017)

+Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate

+Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Patriarchate

+Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator, Latin Patriarchate

+Fr. Francesco Patton, ofm, Custos of the Holy Land

+Archbishop Anba Antonious, Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, Jerusalem

+Archbishop Swerios Malki Murad, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate

+Archbishop Aba Embakob, Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchate

+Archbishop Joseph-Jules Zerey, Greek-Melkite-Catholic Patriarchate

+Archbishop Mosa El-Hage, Maronite Patriarchal Exarchate

+Archbishop Suheil Dawani, Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East

+Bishop Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

+Bishop Pierre Malki, Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

+Msgr. Georges Dankaye’, Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

The Tomb of Christ Reopened in Jerusalem

This morning, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, presided over the reopening of the shrine over the tomb of Christ within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, after many months of restoration work. (The shrine is known as the Aedicule, from the Latin “aediculum - a small building,” and is contained within a large rotunda which forms the back half of the church.)

New Liturgical Movement notes that The Jerusalem Patriarchate has a fairly active Youtube channel, with the video below; go to after about 30 minutes of milling around, when there is some nice music, and representatives of the various communities that use the church speak, including the superior of the Holy Land Franciscans.

The Easter Message of the Heads of Churches of Jerusalem

We the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, Convey our Easter greetings to all humanity and all creation, in the name of the Risen Lord- Jesus Christ.

Throughout our Lenten pilgrimage, the church invites us to join a journey of 'joyful sorrow'. During this time we travel a path of reflection, conversion, and preparation while we stand at the foot of the cross in anticipation of the light bursting forth, and turning sorrow into joy. This is the spiritual paradox of Holy Week, which draws us closer to God, and one another. Human suffering and agony are transformed into joy through the cross of Christ, where the divine and human realities meet and where Jesus overcomes death and suffering. Therefore the empty tomb here in Jerusalem is the embodiment of divine hope for all creation.

The Easter message is not exclusive to a specific race, people or nation. The day of the resurrection belongs to God because it is God's triumph over death offered to all creation, through the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This universal act of salvation invites our world today to look upon the suffering and pain of many people across the globe with compassion and mercy. This approach will not be achieved through building walls of alienation, intolerance, or rejection. Rather our world needs to build bridges so that acceptance, friendship and hospitality can become true realities for those who suffer and those whose human dignity is denied and are exposed to so many calamities.

These expressions of our faith need to become realities for millions of refugees around the world today who are strangers in foreign lands, people who are victims of violence, intolerance, and discrimination, while others live under oppression and injustice in their own homelands. The power of the radiant light of Easter we pray must shine in all these places, and opens the eyes and hearts of the whole world to these realities. Living the risen life, we are called to be light and hope in these dark places.

Easter like many other Biblical events, has a special resonance for the people of this region. The empty tomb and its surroundings become the omphalos ('navel of the world'): reminding us of the permanent connection between God and his creation. The city of Jerusalem, as the city of the Resurrection, is the city of Hope for the region, and for the whole world. Today our hope lies in a just peace for the people of the Holy Land, and the whole of the Middle East, the city of peace deserves to live in peace through living together as people of God, who respect every human person. We believe that the light of Easter must surely shine on us all. God reconciled the world to himself in Jesus Christ, and we are called to the ministry of reconciliation as ambassadors for Christ in the world.
May the joy of Easter fill our minds with gladness, and banish sorrow from our hearts and from our lives. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

+Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
+Patriarch Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarchate
+Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Patriarchate
+Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, Custos of the Holy Land
+Archbishop Anba Antonious, Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, Jerusalem
+Archbishop Swerios Malki Murad, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate
+Archbishop Aba Embakob, Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchate
+Archbishop Joseph-Jules Zerey, Greek-Melkite-Catholic Patriarchate
+Archbishop Mosa El-Hage, Maronite Patriarchal Exarchate
+Archbishop Suheil Dawani, Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East
+Bishop Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
+Bishop Pierre Malki, Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate
+Msgr. Georges Dankaye', Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate
 

Good Friday 2016 at Golgotha

JERUSALEM – During the Easter Triduum, the Church relives the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. At Golgotha for Good Friday, the crowd gathers en masse to be closer to the location of the Cross in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Pictures of the ceremony of the Veneration of the Cross presided by His Beatitude Fouad Twal here.

“O Father, who willed to save mankind by the death of your Son on the cross, grant that we who have known on earth the mystery of his love, may be his witnesses, in our words and actions, in our daily lives,before all those whom you place on our path. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.”

Alleluia, Alleluia, Christ is Risen, Alleluia Alleluia - Easter Sunday again as the Orthodox Communities mark the Great Pascha

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA !!!! CHRISTUS RESURREXIT, RESURREXIT VERES  ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!!!

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!!!! CHRIST IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!!!

 Let everyone share this feast of faith; let everyone enjoy the riches of goodness. Let none lament their poverty; for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let none mourn their sins; for forgiveness has dawned from the grave. Let none fear death; for the Savior's death has set us free

- St John Chrysostom

This weekend the Latin church concludes the Octave of Easter - for eight days the Church has prolonged the joy and celebration of Easter Night so that liturgically we almost stop time to truly relish the joy of  the Lord's Resurrection.

It therefore seems appropriate somehow that our sister churches in the Orthodox and Coptic traditions celebrate their Easter ceremonies this weekend with the marking of Pascha when "entire congregations previously waiting in darkness and filled with anticipation will light up, their faces shining with joy and hope. Together they will all chant in numerous languages, depending on geography and culture, the triumphant hymn familiar to young and old: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and granting life to those in the tombs."

Patriarch Bartholomew

Read the reflection of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome and spiritual leader for the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians on this great Christian festival HERE.

Patriarch Kirill

You can read the homily of His Holiness, Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all the Rus, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church HERE. 





The Holy Fire ceremony from the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has taken place:

From Wikipedia:

Orthodox tradition holds that the Holy Fire is a miracle that happens annually on the day preceding Orthodox Easter, in which a blue light emanates within Jesus Christ's tomb (usually rising from the marble slab covering the stone bed believed to be that upon which Jesus' body was placed for burial) now in the Holy Sepulchre, which eventually forms a column containing a form of fire, from which candles are lit, which are then used to light the candles of the clergy and pilgrims in attendance. The fire is also said to spontaneously light other lamps and candles around the church.Pilgrims and clergy claim that the Holy Fire does not burn them. 

While the Patriarch is inside the chapel kneeling in front of the stone, there is darkness but far from silence outside. One hears a rather loud mumbling, and the atmosphere is very tense. When the Patriarch comes out with the two candles lit and shining brightly in the darkness, a roar of jubilation resounds in the Church. 

The Holy Fire is brought to certain Orthodox countries, such as Greece by special flights, being received by church and state leaders. 

The Orthodox hegumen Daniil (Daniel), who was present at the ceremony in 1106 AD, says that traditional beliefs "that the Holy Ghost descends upon the Holy Sepulchre in the form of a dove" and "that it is lightning from heaven which kindles the lamps above the Sepulchre of the Lord" are untrue, "but the Divine grace comes down unseen from heaven, and lights the lamps of the Sepulchre of our Lord." 

Thousands of pilgrims gather in Jerusalem to partake and witness this annual miracle.  

In 1238, Pope Gregory IX denounced the Holy Fire as a fraud and forbade Franciscans from participating in the ceremony.

 Information about Orthodox Easter Day and further information on the Orthodox celebration of Holy Week and Easter from BBC.

Reports on the Holy Fire from Jerusalem Post and Huffington Post

Holy Week in Jerusalem - Christian Media Centre from the Custody of the Holy Land

Easter Sunday Homily at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre - Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Easter Sunday Homily

Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre

+Fouad Twal

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

April 5, 2015

Dear brother Bishops and Priests,

Dear men and women religious,

Dear faithful of the Holy Land,

Dear pilgrims and faithful from around the world,

On this glorious day in this Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, we relive the joy of Easter, and the Risen Christ, truly He is risen who, “is going before us to Galilee” (Mt 28:7).

I wish you all a beautiful and holy feast of the Resurrection! Every day in the Middle East, we are witnesses of tragic events that make us even contemporaries of Calvary. But our joy and our faith in the Risen Lord, “no one will take away”(Jn 16:22), because the Lord invites us today, even in the midst of difficulties that are ours, to taste the first fruits of the Resurrection.

When the women followers of Jesus went to the Tomb with spices to anoint the body of the crucified Christ (Mk 16: 1-2), they found an open and empty tomb and saw a young man, clothed in a white robe saying “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified. He has risen, he is not here.” (Mk 16: 6-7) Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. (Mt 28: 8)

Today thousands of us who seek the face of Christ, His Word and His peace. And we struggle to find Him in this world, as nothing seems to quench our thirst, neither political discourses, nor the business world, even our surroundings sometimes. Like the women at the tomb, fear pervades us before this emptiness. Because this tomb, brothers and sisters, where thousands of people are seeking God every day, no longer contains the body of the Crucified.

God is not necessarily where we seek Him. It is not in obscure and isolated corners, it is right beside us, in our brother and sister, in our neighbor! Just like the disciples, standing in amazement in front of the empty tomb, we are invited to grow in our relationship with Jesus and become heralds and witnesses of the Good News, to finally understand that we will find God in our brothers and sisters, in spreading and sharing the joy of our salvation. Even when the darkness of Good Friday and of death overwhelm us and darken our hearts and our country, believe and sing: Christ is risen, Alleluia

To do this, brothers and sisters, we must live the first miracle of the Resurrection, a radical change of heart, a conversion, just as the Roman centurion at the foot of the Cross, “who saw how he breathed his last and said, Truly this man was the Son of God!”(Mk 15:39) There is the conversion of the soldiers, but also of the disciples gathered in the Upper Room and locked up in fear. The Resurrection transformed them and they became witnesses, joyful witnesses in suffering for Christ.

One day, we hope to sing our Alleluia and share eternal glory with all the saints, with our two holy Palestinian saints: Mariam and Marie-Alphonsine. Therefore, let us bury in the tomb of Christ our worldly inclinations, our contradictions, our religious divisions, our hostilities, our lack of faith and our fears. We must “put away the old self of our former way of life… be renewed in the spirit…and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Eph 4:22-24), believe in good, believe that peace is possible, that we “may have life and have it more abundantly. (Jn 10:10)

From this tomb emanated light and peace. And here today, from this battered Holy Land, light and peace must spring out again. Let us pray for the grace of God for the Holy Land and the whole world.

Brothers and sisters, let us equip ourselves with faith, courage and joy of our encounter with Jesus, to proclaim His resurrection and His victory. As Christians, we are called to the heart of the Middle East, shaken by wars and anguished by violence, to be signs of contradiction, signs of hope beyond everything. Our future in this region and in the world is uncertain and even incomprehensible, but do not be afraid, Christ assured us, He is “with us always until the end of time”(Mt 28:20).

Politics and the international community are less concerned of our freedom and fate. Personal interests prevail over the good will of those who desire and work for peace and justice.

Nevertheless, contemporary martyrs continue to bear witness to the Resurrection of Christ. Processions, the stones of Jerusalem, Iraqi and Syrian refugees who have lost everything for their faith, and prisoners in the name of Christ, are signs that our Lord is alive. With the intercession of Blessed Mariam and Blessed Marie-Alphonsine, we follow them that we become true witnesses for Christ

During this Year of Consecrated Life, dear consecrated brothers and sisters, let us rekindle the joy of our first call and return to God to be faithful disciples at the service of our Church of Jerusalem and our brothers and sisters.

Many come to the Holy Land in search for Christ, while trying to find or rediscover their roots. Our roots are here, in the Mother Church, on Golgotha and this empty Tomb. For this, we have a great responsibility, that despite the numerous adversities, we must persevere in hope for a life of joy. The living Christ always triumphs over evil.

Dear brothers and sisters; dear friends; the sick; the elderly and the prisoners; to you dear faithful refugees, who live a Good Friday with uncertainty for the future because of injustices and violence; to all who are deprived of the experience of the joy of Easter; to you who have come to the Holy Sepulcher to share and celebrate with us this feast – for you, I raise my prayer, in the hope that you enjoy the peace of the Resurrection. This peace will fill your heart with love, solidarity, by the power of the Risen Christ who wants us to rise with him. (Phil 3:10-11)

The Lord is risen! Go and proclaim this Good News to the world. Yes, Jesus is truly risen. Amen. Alleluia!

+Fouad Twal
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Ecumenical Easter Messages

Easter Message of the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem

“He has given us new birth into a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (I Peter 1.3)

We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, send our Easter Greetings and Blessings to all people everywhere in the name of our risen Saviour, Jesus Christ.

In the face of so much that threatens to devalue or diminish human life, the hope that springs from the Resurrection is rooted here in Jerusalem.   The message of Easter has shaped the very identity of this Holy City over many centuries.   Here is located the site of the Empty Tomb, the place where God’s sovereignty over death and the powers of darkness was manifested in the raising of Jesus from the dead. As a consequence of this reality, the location where the Resurrection took place is not merely an object of archaeological curiosity but remains a living focus of Christian worship.   It is a place where God’s grace has been manifested in numerous ways down the centuries and for that reason alone it deserves respect.

Along with all people of good will, we are deeply distressed by the level of violence still being falsely perpetrated in the name of religion in parts of the Middle East and elsewhere in recent times. Members of some of the ancient Christian communities in this region – especially in Egypt, Iraq and Syria – have been among those most directly affected, along with other minority populations.   There is no true religion which advocates violation of the human person or the victimization of minority groups in society and we condemn such actions in the strongest possible terms. Those who engage in such barbaric behaviour dehumanize not only their victims, but themselves.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we urge people everywhere not to fall into despair. The very existence of this city of Jerusalem is paradoxically a sign of hope that God’s kingdom of peace, love and justice will prevail. There are indeed signs of darkness around us which make this a painful time to live through, but the darkest part of the night is often shortly before the dawn. The joyful proclamation of the Resurrection at dawn on Easter Sunday assures us that the last word lies not with violence and inhumanity but with God’s purpose of love, justice and hope which runs like a thread throughout history and will find its ultimate fulfillment in the coming fullness of his Kingdom.

The Lord is risen!   He is risen indeed!

+Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
+Patriarch Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarchate
+Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Patriarchate
+Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, Custos of the Holy Land
+Archbishop Anba Abraham, Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, Jerusalem
+Archbishop Swerios Malki Murad, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate
+Archbishop Aba Embakob, Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchate
+Archbishop Joseph-Jules Zerey, Greek-Melkite-Catholic Patriarchate
+Archbishop Mosa El-Hage, Maronite Patriarchal Exarchate
+Archbishop Suheil Dawani, Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East
+Bishop Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
+Bishop Pierre Malki, Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate
+Msgr. Georges Dankaye’, Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

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Text of Archbishop Justin Welby's (Archbishop of Canturbury) Easter letter to partners and heads of other churches around the world.

“Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory! The risen Saviour, our Lord of life, shines upon you! Let all God’s people sing and shout for joy!”

These words of triumph are sung out across churches as Easter dawns. For centuries such sounds of joy at the Easter festival have echoed and continue to echo around the globe in a multitude of different tongues and cultural contexts, making a deep impact on the lives of Christians and Churches. With the confession of Jesus having conquered death we proclaim that we have been raised to new life in him.

In the 15th chapter of the First Letter to the Corinthian Christians, St Paul couples the resurrection of Christ with confidence in the resurrection of Christ’s people.

The Apostle clearly states that the resurrection of Christ is a beginning, and that the hope of our own resurrection can only be in Christ. He argues: if the dead are not raised, then Christ is not raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then his proclamation is empty and our faith is in vain.

Having laid out all the arguments that would dispose of the Christian claim to the risen Christ, he continues: "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." This is the faith that is also proclaimed in the Byzantine opening to the Easter Liturgy and which has been the confession of Christians down the ages.

The resurrection of Christ is the great hope, not only for each of us individually, but also for today’s troubled world - a world in which violence and violation of human rights describe the day to day context of people in many parts; a world in which moral and spiritual values often seem hopelessly inadequate against the forces of self-seeking gain in every sphere of life.

It is also a world in which our brother and sister Christians are still a beleaguered and even persecuted community in many places, as they have been at different times and places in history. We continue to remember the suffering Christians in the Middle East.

This year our remembrance is also focussed particularly on the Armenian people who a century ago were driven to their death and into exile because they were Christians.

It is into this world that the message of the Church at Easter remains constant over the centuries, proclaiming in the midst of hopelessness the hope of Christ, triumphant beyond death and the powers of evil; living and life giving amongst us.

In this resurrection faith we follow the saints and martyrs throughout the ages who have proclaimed the Risen Christ as their Lord and Saviour, who believe that in Christ there is abundant life and that death and suffering will not have the final say. The Easter faith strengthens us with the hope in life, here and now and in the world to come.

This hope is not an illusion, which turns out to be empty; rather, it is the tested cantus firmus over the ages for all Christians. Beyond human imagination, the power of the resurrection overcomes disparate, conflict-laden and destructive forces. We are called to proclaim God’s Good News in confidence and obedience to Christ to bring healing and reconciliation.

Christ’s resurrection, therefore, also compels us to ever closer bonds of Christian fellowship with one another – the saints in the here and now - to seek greater unity and work together with Christ, as his Body, in the newness of life already begun by him.

It is in this spirit that I greet you with this letter.

I will continue to pray that the hope and joy of the resurrected Christ will deeply move our hearts and souls, that it will heal relationships between individuals, communities and nations, and that it will banish fear, overcome suffering, broker peace and bring reconciliation.

I close with the Song of Zechariah (Luke 1:78): “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

I embrace you with brotherly love in the Risen Christ,

The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby
Archbishop of Canterbury
Easter 2015

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BELGRADE – Serbian Patriarch Irinej Friday sent happy Easter wishes to the leaders of all Christian churches who celebrate “the most joyous Christian holiday” on the Western Christian date for Easter Sunday. According to a release from the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej wished a happy Easter to Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Evangelical Bishop of Bavaria Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and dignitaries of other Protestant churches around the world.

Patriarch Irinej wished a most happy Easter to dignitaries and believers of traditional churches and religious communities in Serbia, including the Roman Catholic Church, Slovak Evangelical Church, Reformed Christian Church and Evangelical Methodist Church in Serbia.

The Serbian Patriarch also sent Easter greetings to ecumenical and denominational bodies and organizations – the World Council of Churches, Conference of European Churches, Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed Churches and other ecumenical bodies and organizations.

Easter Vigil at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre

Because of the Status Quo agreement which governs the operations of the liturgies in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre the Latin Christians of Jerusalem have already celebrated their Easter vigil on the morning of Holy Saturday which is in line with the timing of the liturgies prior to the reforms of Pius XII in 1955. 

You can read about the moving liturgy takes place in the spot where the glorious events we celebrate today here with photos.

Pope Francis apostolic visit to the Holy Land 2014 - "Ut unum sint"

 

Pope Francis is enroute to Jordan and the beginning of a very busy three day visit to the Holy Land, in a visit that will focus on Christian unity. As Catholic News Service put it recently:

The Vatican has emphasized that the pope’s main purpose on the trip is to meet in Jerusalem with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, considered first among equals by Orthodox bishops. The official logo for the papal visit is an icon of the Apostles Peter and Andrew, patron saints of the churches of Rome and Constantinople, joined in a fraternal embrace.

The pope will be visiting Jordan, Palestine and Israel and celebrate Mass in all three countries. He will meet a wide range of people, from heads of state and royalty to religious and refugees. It promises to be an extraordinary visit — in every sense of the term, a pilgrimage.

• Full schedule of the trip available here (and there will be links to speeches and addresses after the events at the same link)
• Missal of the Papal liturgies

The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (AOCTS) decided on the motto and logo for the Pope’s upcoming pilgrimage to the Holy Land at the meeting of the Assembly on March 11 and 12, 2014 in Tiberias. The motto for the pilgrimage is “So that they may be one”. The Holy Father has insisted that at the center of his pilgrimage will be the meeting with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the heads of the Churches in Jerusalem. This is to commemorate and renew the commitment to unity expressed by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople 50 years ago in Jerusalem.

 

This gives expression to the desire of the Lord at the Last Supper: “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23).

 

The logo also expresses this desire for unity, representing the embrace of Saint Peter and Saint Andrew, the first two disciples called by Jesus in Galilee. Saint Peter is the patron of the Church in Rome and Saint Andrew is the patron of the Church in Constantinople. In Jerusalem, in the Mother Church, they embrace. The two apostles are in a boat that represents the Church, whose mast is the Cross of the Lord. The sails of the boat are full of wind, the Holy Spirit, which directs the boat as it sails across the waters of this world.

 

The unity of Christians is a message of unity for all humanity, called to overcome the divisions of the past and march forward together towards a future of justice, peace, reconciliation, pardon and fraternal love.

 

 

 
Pope Francis (in what is becoming a personal tradition of this pontificate) made a private visit to the Roman Basilica of St. Mary Major on Friday morning to pray and entrust his Holy Land pilgrimage to Our Lady. After praying for 15 minutes before the image of the Madonna Salus Populi Romani, the Pope left a bouquet of roses in her honour.
 
Perhaps it would be helpful to join in prayer for the successful and safe conclusion of this pilgrimage:
 

Prayer for the pilgrimage of Pope Francis to the Holy Land

 

Heavenly Father, you never tire of being compassionate and loving. The successor of St. Peter plans to visit the Holy Land sanctified by your Son’s birth, baptism, teaching, death and resurrection. Be with him, sanctify him, and bless him. Spread the mantle of your kindness over every stage of his pilgrimage among us, that one may see in him a believing pilgrim, a wise teacher, and a humble leader.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, who prayed for the unity of your Church, saying: “May they all be one”, make the meeting in Jerusalem between the Holy Father and the Ecumenical Patriarch an incentive to increase our efforts for the unity of your children.

 

Make the encounter of the Pope with the political authorities fruitful for justice and peace. Protect all the residents of this land and the adherents of the religions of the Middle East that they may be in accord, dialogue and cooperation for the achievement of full citizenship.

 

Good Shepherd, whose image Pope Francis carries on his pectoral cross, walking in the spirit of humility with which you have graced him deepen within us the awareness of our Christian identity, that as true disciples, we may bear witness to your Good News and your resurrection in our churches, our society, and all the world, especially by serving the sick, the poor, and the refugees.

 

Bless, Lord Most Holy, this fourth papal visit to our Holy Land, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, all the saints of the Holy Land, and the two new saints, John Paul II and John XXIII. Amen.

 

 

 
 You can follow the Pope's visit on the following sites:
 
Official website of the visit from the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries (Bishops) of the Holy Land - good site with a lot of information and background about the situation of Christians in the Holy Land
 
Official website of the visit by Patriarch Bartholomew

CNEWA (Catholic Near East Welfare Association) - Apostles of Unity in the Holy Land
 
Vatican News
 
Vatican Radio Facebook page
 
Rome Reports
 
Franciscan Media Centre and Terra Sancta News
 
Whispers in the Loggia
 
Catholic News Agency

The Anchoress

Easter Vigil at the Holy Sepelchre in Jerusalem

 

From Franciscan Media Centre:

The organ breaks the silence of the basilica, along with the church bells and the joy of the resurrection that fill the church. It is Easter in Jerusalem. Christ rises here and now. Today, just like he did two thousand years ago.


The Great Easter Vigil, the “mother of all vigils,” as the liturgy reads, takes place on Saturday morning at the Holy Sepulcher. This year, it is taking place at dawn, with the first rays of the sun penetrating into the shrine, and it will coincide with the Orthodox Easter, whose rites are celebrated in the same basilica.

[Blog Editors Note: Unlike in the rest of the Latin Church because the rules and timetable of the liturgies at the Basilica of the Holy Sepelchre are governed by the 1853 Status Quo, the Latin liturgies follow an older timetable. In this case pre-1955 when Pius XII reformed the liturgies for Holy Week and moved the Easter Vigil from Holy Saturday morning back to Holy Saturday evening. However in Jerusalem, the older timetable has to be maintained.]
The light for the Easter candle is taken directly from the Sepulcher. The deacon hands it to Latin Patriarch Archbishop Fouad Twal, who presides over the celebration. Then, from that flame, the lamps and candles in front of the shrine and those of all the faithful are lit.

After a long series of readings for the Easter Vigil, it is the patriarch himself who reads the Gospel of the Resurrection, right in front of the door where the Empty Tomb is located. In the account according to Matthew, the women are the first to receive the announcement of the resurrection.

“This is the most important place for the Church, where the Church was born, and with the presence of women, the word is spread. And even today, the first person they say saw him was Mary Magdalene and I'm happy about that.”

"There is a message: He is not here; he is risen. Jerusalem continually calls us to go beyond ourselves, to bring this message that is the heart of the Gospel to the whole world.”

In the baptismal liturgy, with the blessing of water and sprinkling of the faithful, there is a sign of hope for the Holy Land.

H.B. FOUAD TWAL
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
“It is my wish for peace: for the local church, for all the people who live in the Holy Land, peace for everyone! And I hope that the Universal Church feels committed to this peace, to this Christian community and to this joy along with us.” 

Another Pope Francis interview............

..........this time with Andrea Torneilli of La Stampa who is one of the main Vaticanista's.

"Never be afraid of tenderness"

In this exclusive interview, Pope Francis speaks about Christmas, hunger in the world, the suffering of children, the reform of the Roman Curia, women cardinals, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), and the upcoming visit to the Holy Land

For me Christmas is hope and tenderness...”.  

Francis talks to “La Stampa” and “Vatican Insider” about his first Christmas as Bishop of Rome. We’re in Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican; it’s 12:50 in the afternoon on Tuesday 10 December. The Pope receives us in a room next to the dining hall. The meeting lasts an hour and a half. Twice during the course of the interview, the peaceful look which the whole world has grown accustomed to seeing on Francis’ face fades away when he talks about the innocent suffering of children and the tragedy of hunger in the world.

During the interview the Pope also speaks about relations with other Christian denominations and about the “ecumenism of blood” which unites them in persecution, he touches on the issue of the family to be addressed at the next Synod, responds to those in the USA who criticised him and called him “a Marxist” and discusses the relationship between Church and politics.
 

Continue reading HERE 

From Jerusalem, the call for an Extraordinary Action of Prayer by the Church for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace

On January 28 2012, Christians are invited to join again in a great intercessory prayer for our time held at the Coptic Orthodox Church of St Anthony, close to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

With Our Lord’s help, on January 28, 2012, at 5 pm Holy Land time, all Churches will join again via a four continent live broadcast by Christian channels in a great intercessory prayer for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace for our time, beginning from Jerusalem.

In a spirit of communion, the seventh Extraordinary Prayer of all Churches for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace coincides, as in January 2011, with the Jerusalem Week of Prayer for Unity. It also coincides with the start of the 4th International Intercessory Prayer Day for Peace in the Holy Land, an initiative that gathers prayer groups in over two thousands cities all over the world and is patronized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The Catholic Church, promoter of the latter initiative, chooses with this coincidence to be in communion of prayer with all the participating Churches.

In these times of change, more than ever, it is urgent and necessary to ask for Our Lord’s Mercy. May He, insistently requested to do so, touch our hearts and inspire in them the irresistible desire to convert and to renew our faith, to reconciliate, to unite, and to live in the interior Peace of Christ, both as single Christians and as Christian Churches.

The Coptic Orthodox Church, who has often and also recently given witness of her profound faith in Jesus Christ, up to martyrdom, will propose a simple and very intense celebration, reflecting her rich and profound tradition.

May the intense call of the Church to Our Lord and Father be heard! May He bless His sons and daughters, those who hear the Word, those who listen to the Spirit of Life.

***********************

Background to the Extraordinary Prayer by the Church for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace beginning and proceeding from Jerusalem

From Jerusalem, the call for an Extraordinary Action of Prayer by the Church for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace

On June 11, 2011, at 6 pm Holy Land time, the Latin Catholic Church will host the sixth Extraordinary Prayer of all Churches for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, beginning in and proceeding from Jerusalem. The prayer will be presided over by H.B. Mgr. Fouad Twal, the Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, from the Latin Patriarchate Church in the Holy City.

The coincidence of the sixth edition of this great intercessory prayer for our time called upon by the Jerusalem Churches with the Vigil of Pentecost - which this year all Christians celebrate on the same date – makes her a particularly joyful and solemn event. The Jerusalem Churches with one voice will call all Christians in the world to join in a communion of prayer for the intentions of Reconciliation, Unity and Peace


Extraordinary Prayer at Syrian Orthodox Church (Part 1) from eternal*light*webcast on Vimeo.

All Christian communities and all individual Christians are invited to participate in the extraordinary prayer of the Church for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, beginning in and proceeding from Jerusalem (Luke 24:47), with trust that these prayer intentions will then be realized in the entire world, in accord with the unique vocation of the Holy City: that of being the historic and symbol departure point of the most beautiful promises and prophecies of the Scriptures, and of being a place of particular grace for the human family (Is 2: 1-5).

For the Christian, the division of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, profoundly conditions the general lack of Peace. The Mother Church of Jerusalem calls, therefore, the whole Church to an extraordinary action of prayer for the grace of Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, beginning in the Holy City: an action of prayer which manifests, by its very nature, the adhesion to Unity that is requested thereby. The Mother Church of Jerusalem calls to a great intercessory prayer for our time, spontaneous and joyful, born in the heart of Christians inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The foundational principle is that all Christians pray together, at the same time, for the same intentions. If the union of prayer in the name of Christ comprises the promise of His presence with us (Matt 18:19-20), the communion of prayer of Christians truly prefigures Reconciliation and Unity in Spirit within the Church: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 35).
All Christians are strongly encouraged to further diffuse this prayer of deep and intense faith, in this spirit, so that the prayer of the whole Church might be fully realised.

The basic proposal is to practice one hour of prayer every Saturday between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the Holy Land, or between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time, throughout the rest of the world. For those who are unable to participate fully, a reduced participation (of even a few minutes!) is suggested, but preferably, at the indicated time.

« The more an epoch is submerged in the night of sin and distance from God, the more it needs people of prayer united to God. And God does not allow them to fail. From the most obscure night advance the greatest prophets and saints. For the most part, however, this river of mystical life which is formed remains invisible. To be sure, the decisive turning points of human history are essentially conditioned by souls who are addressed by no history books. And we ourselves will not know to whom we owe the decisive turning points of our personal life until the Day on which all that is hidden is revealed.»
Edith Stein

Learn more about the initiative and get further resources here.