At a time when the “third world war” is going on in different parts of the world, Pope Francis tirelessly calls for peace and strongly demands an end to the bloody conflicts. As another sign of his involvement in the suffering of people living in war zones, the Bishop of Rome has sent Cardinal Konrad Krajewski to the Holy Land.
Silvija Krivteža – Vatican
A statement from the Vatican Dicastery for Charity said the Holy Father is asking the faithful to accompany the special envoy’s journey with prayer to ask for the gift of peace for a land where the rumble of guns is still heard. The memorable event that took place in the Vatican Gardens on June 8, 2014, in the presence of Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is also mentioned. At that time, the Pope read a prayer that is relevant even today: “Lord, God of peace, hear our prayer! Give us peace, teach us peace, lead us to peace. Open our eyes and hearts and give us the courage to say: “To war – never! “; “War destroys everything!” Give us the courage to do concrete actions to build peace. Let the words “division”, “hatred”, “war” be erased from the heart of every person! Lord, disarm tongues and hands, renew hearts and minds , so that the meeting word is always “brother” and our lifestyle – “shalom”, “peace”, “salam”!
On December 24, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski will join the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the entire local Church to celebrate together the feast of the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of Peace, and to pray for peace.
As part of his visit, Cardinal Krajewski visited Bethlehem, where he met with young people who escaped from the Gaza Strip. A Vatican representative spoke to a girl who had lost twelve members of her family. The papal envoy adds that soon after arriving in the Holy Land, he heard “testimonies about what hell is currently reigning in Gaza.”
The Prefect of the Vatican Charity Dicastery will spend Christmas in the homeland of Jesus at the request of the Holy Father, who wants to show his closeness to people suffering from war in this way. Immediately after his arrival, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski went to Bethlehem, where he arrived at 2 in the night. In the morning he prayed at the birthplace of Jesus and then visited three orphanages. He was accompanied by Gabriel Romanelli, a priest of the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, who was in Bethlehem at the time of the attack in Hamas and is still unable to return to his parishioners.
“In the orphanage, the sisters take care of newborns abandoned on the street, as well as disabled children. When I arrived there, they had just brought two babies. We prayed together, and I also left them with specific material help from the Holy Father, because they live in need. For these people, my presence was like a gesture of tenderness from Pope Francis,” says Cardinal Krajewski.
He also visited the Theological Seminary of the Latin Patriarchate, where 38 seminarians are currently studying. The Vatican representative admitted that he also had a very difficult meeting. Four young men who had miraculously escaped from Gaza came to tell him “what hell this place is”. “They came because they wanted me to tell the Holy Father about the current situation. They told me that their relatives who stayed there are living without water and electricity and that almost 600 people have taken refuge in a Catholic church in Gaza,” says Cardinal Krajewski. He admits that praying with these young people was full of sadness, but not without hope.
The papal envoy also met with the bishop of the Greek Catholic Church. “We talked about how we could increase aid. Because this Christmas, without lights, without light that warms and guides the way, there is only proximity,” Cardinal Krajewski, who will visit several more communities in the coming days and pray for peace in the Holy of Holies, told Vatican Radio. In the country and around the world.
2023-12-23 21:12:19
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