The Prefect for the Oriental Churches of the Holy See, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, has made a appeal to help the Christians of the Holy Land with the annual Appeal instituted by Pope Paul VI. This appeal from the Vatican to the bishops and faithful of the dioceses is made in the name of Pope Francis.
"A must-have resource."
"This year the Collection has become 'an indispensable resource' after the pandemic, the almost complete interruption of pilgrimages and the small activities created, especially by Christians, around those, and the exile to which many have been forced," writes Cardinal Gugerotti, who recalls "the images of destruction and death."
"If we want to strengthen the Holy Land and ensure live contact with the Holy Places it is necessary to support Christian communities that, in their variety, offer to God-with-us a perennial praise, also in our name", continues the Cardinal Prefect. "But for this to happen, we absolutely need the generous gift of your communities".
To the bishops: "one of your priorities".
The Cardinal Prefect for the Oriental Churches appeals directly to the bishops of the whole world. "I would like you, my brother bishops, remembering the images of destruction and death that have constantly passed before your eyes in these times of the new Calvary, to become persuasive apostles of this commitment.
The Holy Land, the Holy Places, and the Holy People of God are your familybecause they are the patrimony of all of us. I beg you to make the Collect one of your pastoral priorities: at stake here is the survival of this precious presence of ours, which goes directly back to the time of Jesus".
Everyone has the right to live in peace
"Everyone, beginning with the children, has the right to live in peace and to have homes and schools again, to play together, without the fear of seeing the satanic smile of death again. This is true," the cardinal adds.
"For us Christians, the Holy Places have a particular value, they are the incarnation of the Incarnation. They have been guarded from the beginning by Christian communities, in the variety of their various traditions, and for centuries the Friars Minor of the Custody have cared for them with admirable fidelity," he continued.
Initiatives of great pastoral value
Initiatives of great pastoral value have sprung up around these places: parishes, schools, hospitals, homes for the elderly, assistance centers for migrants, displaced persons and refugees. And "this year, the Collection has become an indispensable resource".
The Cardinal's letter adds that "if we want to strengthen the Holy Land and ensure living contact with the Holy Places, it is necessary to support Christian communities that, in their variety, offer to God-with-us a perennial praise, also in our name.
But for this to happen, we absolutely need the generous gift of your communities".
"A truce in force, but fragile."
The cardinal recalls the "weeping", "despair" and "destruction" that have taken place in the Holy Land in these years of violence and conflict.
Although "our hearts are uplifted by the truce in force," we know that "it is fragile and, by its very nature, will not be enough on its own to solve the problems and extinguish the hatred in that area," he says. "But at least our eyes do not see new explosions and the anguish of the irreparable is not perpetuated in them."
The Cardinal also recalls that "the hope of seeing the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ our Lord, who showed the wounds of his passion alive on that very earth, returns to us".
Avoid parallel collections, and send directly to the Dicastery.
Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti finally asks: "prevent our Churches from promoting parallel collections for the same purpose, lest the meaning and efficacy of your charity, which responds to the universal initiative of the Successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, be compromised".
Everything you have collected can be sent directly to this Dicastery by the Commissariats of the Holy Land of your country, he points out.
Finally, he assures that "Pope Francis sends you all his Blessing: God will not forget, especially in this Jubilee Year of Hope, the one who has become a witness of His Providence and an instrument of His Peace. Our Christians in those lands are waiting for you. Thank you and I wish you a happy Jubilee pilgrimage".
