Christians of Occupied East Jerusalem
سدقلا في ةّيحيسلما تاّيلاعفلاو تاسسؤلما
The Honorable Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto
Apostolic Delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine
08 May 2014
Our presence in Jerusalem has been a legacy since the resurrection
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended.
(Matthew 24: 9-10)
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended.
(Matthew 24: 9-10)
The Palestinian Christian community
in
occupied Jerusalem, represented by its community- based organizations and individuals, are seeking your support to protect our presence in the very city where our Lord Jesus lived, died,
and was resurrected.
On the eve of the visit to Jerusalem by His Holiness Pope Francis I and his meeting with His All Holiness the Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew I, we seek our legitimate right to greet our spiritual leaders.
We are aware that the
Holy Mass will be held in
Bethlehem for the
Palestinian faithful, yet we believe that as the indigenous Jerusalem population and descendants
of the first Christians, meeting our Fathers will be hindered in
Jerusalem. We see attempts by the Israeli occupation to impose a curfew on the streets including the Christian quarter
during
the
visit. The curfew
is
yet another attempt by the occupying power to deny our existence. It is unacceptable for the Pope to pass along the narrow streets of the Christian Quarter, yet find devoid of any signs of life and the faithful.
According to international law,
East Jerusalem is an occupied city, and we, as the local Church
communities, are the hosts of the Holy Fathers in our city. We do not want to be excluded from a historic religious event, and want to offer our good will and cooperation towards the
visit’s
success.
The local faithful of Jerusalem have every right to practice their faith freely, to welcome the Holy Father, and to pray together. In fact, we started making our preparations
and
we are confident that with God’s help
and your
support, we will
celebrate joyfully together
in
Jerusalem.
With this we bring to Your kind attention our concerns and entrust You as Local Church leaders to make sure this historic opportunity is not missed or made impossible by the Israeli Authorities.
With this we bring to Your kind attention our concerns and entrust You as Local Church leaders to make sure this historic opportunity is not missed or made impossible by the Israeli Authorities.
With love and all respect,
The Christian community of occupied East Jerusalem
Jerusalem Christian Organizations : Arab Catholic Scouts Group, Arab Orthodox Scouts Group, Arab Orthodox Society – Jerusalem , Caritas- Jerusalem , Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees- Middle East Council of Churches , Greek Catholic Lady of Annunciation
Association, International Christian Committee , Laity Committee in the Holy Land, National Christian Association ,Pontifical Mission Palestine, SABEEL – Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Seeds of Better
Life – Old City , Union of Arab Orthodox Club – Jerusalem, Young Men’s Christian Association –YMCA, Young W omen’s Christian Association –YW CA
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