On the morning of Thursday 22 May, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land gathered in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to celebrate a Thanksgiving Mass for the election of the new Pope, Leo XIV.
The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and concelebrated by Mons. Adolfo Tito Yllana, the Apostolic Nuncio in Israel and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine, and by Fra Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land.
Numerous representatives of the local Oriental and Protestant Churches also attended the celebration, expressing in this way their fraternal closeness to the Latin Church and the new Pope. Various representatives of the European diplomatic corps were also present, evidence of the bond between the Christian community in the Holy Land and the international community.
The Nuncio’s words: receive the Pope’s teaching with an open heart
During the homily, Mons. Adolfo Tito Yllana wanted to emphasize the importance of accepting, willingly and trustingly, the ministry of the new Pope, exhorting the people of God to recognize in his voice that of Christ himself:
“All of us, people of God, priests, the consecrated and even bishops, are simply asked to receive his teachings with an open heart, generously committing ourselves to follow his indications as pastor of the Universal Church. It is the Lord Jesus Christ himself who speaks to us through him, Peter’s successor.”
The heart of the Gospel: the love of God
The Nuncio then recalled what is at the core of the Christian faith, as Pope Leo XIV himself stressed in his first public statements:
“We thank the Pope for having brought us back to the simplicity of this fundamental truth: everything originates from the love of God in Jesus Christ.
This is the heart of the Gospel which we are all called to announce with missionary zeal to the ends of the earth.”
A land loved by the Pope
Mons. Yllana concluded with words of hope and comfort for the Holy Land, recognizing the attention and love that Pope Leo XIV has already shown for this region:
“For us who live in this Holy Land, it is deeply consoling that the Holy Father knows and loves this blessed land. In addition, he has recalled several times the tragic situations in Gaza, invoking the gift of peace and beseeching the powerful of the world to help the poor. He loves this land no only as the place where the story of salvation took place, but also as a land where a living Christian faith continues to exist.
United in prayer for the people of Gaza, in particular for our Christian community, we entrust to the cry of our supplication the desire that they can obtain peace and safety, especially the weakest, the most fragile and all those who are suffering.”
Prayer for the Pope and the final hymn
At the end of the celebration, before the final blessing, the Patriarch recited a special prayer in Latin for Pope Leo XIV. The liturgy came to an end with a solemn hymn by the cantors of the Custody, as a sign of joyous gratitude and communion with the new Bishop of Rome.
By Lucia Borgato | custodia
Source Link: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/pope-leo-xiv-thanksgiving-mass/
