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June 24, 2014
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Pope tells presidents
only God can bring peace to Holy Land
By Francis X. Rocca
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Praying for
peace in the Holy Land alongside leaders of long-antagonistic nations, Pope
Francis called on God to act where
human efforts had failed, to end what
he described as violence inspired by
the devil.
“More than once we have been on
the verge of peace, but the evil one,
employing a variety of means, has succeeded in blocking it,” the pope said
June 8 at an evening ceremony in the
Vatican Gardens. “That is why we are
here, because we know and we believe
that we need the help of God.”
The pope addressed his remarks
to Israeli President Shimon Peres and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
during an “invocation for peace” in the
Holy Land, to which he had invited
them during his visit to the region two
weeks earlier.
“I was young, now I am old. I experienced war, I tasted peace,” Peres said.
“Never will I forget the bereaved families, parents and children, who paid
the cost of war. All my life I shall never
stop to act for peace for the generations
to come. Let’s all of us join hands and
make it happen.”
According to an official translation
of Abbas’ prepared Arabic text, the
Palestinian president said: “We want
peace for us and for our neighbors. We
seek prosperity and peace of mind for
ourselves and for others alike.”
The event, at which Christians,
Muslims and Jews prayed in each
UNDER THE DOME -- Pope Francis, Israeli
President Shimon Peres and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas attend an invocation for peace in the Vatican Gardens
June 8. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
GREETING -- Pope Francis looks on as
Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
embrace during an invocation for peace in
the Vatican Gardens June 8. (CNS photo/
Paul Haring)
other’s presence, was almost certainly
the first of its kind at the Vatican,
according to Jesuit Father Federico
Lombardi, director of the Holy See
Press Office.
Joining the group was Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, whom Father Lombardi had
described as one of the event’s “four
protagonists,” and Franciscan Father
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, custos of the
Holy Land and principal coordinator
of the event.
The five men rode together in a
white minivan to the site of the ceremony, a triangular swath of lawn
walled off by tall hedges along two
sides. The setting had been chosen,
according to Father Lombardi, because
of its “neutral” appearance, lacking in
religious imagery. Pope Francis and
the two presidents sat at the corner of
the triangle where the two hedges met.
Members of the Palestinian and
Israeli delegations and guests of Pope
Francis read a selection of Jewish,
Christian and Muslim prayers, in order
of their religions’ historical precedence. Each set of prayers praised God
for creation, begged forgiveness of sins
and asked for peace in the Holy Land.
Patriarch Bartholomew read in
English from the Book of Isaiah: “The
wolf and the lamb shall feed together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but
the serpent -- its food shall be dust.”
At the end of the ceremony, which
lasted about an hour and 45 minutes,
the pope, patriarch and the two presidents kissed each other on both cheeks,
then took up shovels and added dirt to
the base of a newly planted olive tree.
PLANT OLIVE TREE -- Israeli President Shimon Peres, Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople plant an
olive tree after an invocation for peace in the Vatican Gardens June 8. (CNS photo/Cristian
Gennari, pool)
Cardinal says invocation for peace
an example of pope’s openness to all
By Julia Willis
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Inviting the
Israeli and Palestinian presidents to the
Vatican and praying alongside them for
peace in the Holy Land does not insert
Pope Francis into the political process
but is another example of his efforts to
help all people, said Cardinal Theodore
E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of
Washington.
“This pope is absolutely transparent,” he said. “He is who he seems to be
... and is so obviously open and anxious
to deal with all the needs of the people
with great joy and great enthusiasm.”
Cardinal McCarrick made the comments two days before the pope’s “invocation for peace” in the Holy Land
with Israeli President Shimon Peres and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
at the Vatican.
The cardinal spoke to CNS before he
and other speakers gathered at a briefing room on Capitol Hill for a discussion titled: “Can Pope Francis change
the conversation between Israelis and
Palestinians?”
Led by Sean Callahan, chief operating officer at CRS, the U.S. bishops’
overseas relief and development agency,
panelists discussed the possible impact
of Pope Francis’ invitation to Peres and
Abbas and the first-of-its-kind event at
the Vatican.
Although doubtful the meeting
would be enough to foster peace between the two countries, Ronit Avni,
founder and director of Just Vision,
said Pope Francis has succeeded in his
mission by “sparking curiosity among
Catholic populations around the world.”
“This is a conflict where, like it or
not, the international community will
need to play a significant role,” said
‘This pope is absolutely
transparent. He is who he
seems to be ... and is so
obviously open and anxious
to deal with all the needs of
the people with great joy and
great enthusiasm.’
Avni. “The group that has more structural power will not cede that power
without pressure. We want that to be
nonviolent, with a rights-respecting lens
... and that pressure has to come from
people who have moral concern for the
two societies.”
Just Vision is an organization that
supports Palestinian and Israeli efforts
to end the Israeli occupation and conflict
without arms.
Discussing the role of the United
States in such efforts, Jesuit Father Drew
Chris ѥ