Let us celebrate Christmas this year while praying for peace,” Cardinal Pizzaballa says

His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has said that during the Christmas celebrations, he will ask the Churches to lift up prayers for the end of the wars in Palestine and Lebanon, as well as for peace and justice to be achieved in the countries that are athirst for this.

This was reported during his recent meeting with the priests of the Latin Patriarchate in Jordan, where His Beatitude Cardinal Pizzaballa discussed the general situation prevailing in the region, especially in the Palestinian territories, in Jerusalem, and in other cities of the West Bank, as well as with prime attention to the Gaza Strip. He said that the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem spares no effort in calling for the attainment of ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and in trying by all means available to deliver aid to the residents of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City as well as to the neighboring families and homes. Praising the efforts exerted by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization through delivering aid to the afflicted people, he paid tribute to the cadres of the Jordan Arab Army who work in field hospitals, as well as the cadres of the Royal Jordanian Air Force who airdrop aid.

In response to a question directed by Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader, Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan about the form of Christmas celebrations this year, after having last year been confined to religious rites, Cardinal Pizzaballa said that he hopes that Christmas will be celebrated this year to the fullest especially in the city of Bethlehem and other cities in Palestine, as well as in the Churches of Jordan that follow the Latin Patriarchate.

Noting that he will ask the Churches to offer prayers and Christmas religious rites for peace and justice in Palestine and Lebanon, he said that this year’s celebrations may be associated  with firm solidarity with our suffering brethren, which can also instill a spirit of hope and optimism among them. He continued that there is no objection to holding charitable bazaars whose proceeds can be allocated to helping the poor, as well as holding Christmas carol evenings that essentially exude love and peace.  He added that with Christmas this year we will mark the start of the Jubilee Year coinciding with the 2025th anniversary of the birth of Lord Jesus Christ, an event that is of particular interest to us, the people of the Holy Land where Lord Jesus Christ was born, at a time when one of the most prominent celebrations in Jordan will be the inauguration of the Baptism Church at the Baptism Site, which will encourage religious tourism to this Holy Land.

Cardinal Pizzaballa, the most senior religious figure who visited northern Gaza since the start of the conflagration last May and stayed with the residents of the Holy Family Church for three days, added that the path for the attainment of peace is still long. He expressed hope that a ceasefire will be achieved so that everyone can enjoy a peaceful and calm life, whereby charitable organizations can ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the needy especially to the afflicted in Gaza Strip.