CWN - In his January 1 homily, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem said that “in the coming year, we will continue to pray for peace in our land, that Israelis and Palestinians lay aside the ways of violence and set out on the path of peace.”
“As we begin a new year, the global situation is disastrous,” Patriarch Fouad Twal preached on January 1 at the Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.
He continued: In this context, how can we not think of Iraq and Syria, where raging conflicts continue to claim innocent victims? How can we not talk about the dangerous situation in the Land of Jesus, where we fail to reconnect in truth, justice and mutual understanding, shattered by conflicts and sustained by unrelenting daily attacks and bombings in revenge? And what about the tragic phenomenon of terrorist violence, which seems to push the world toward a future of fear and anguish? It is true, we are afraid, everyone is fearful and the weapons we amass for defense are worthless!
“We ask the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, to sustain us in our hope and perseverance,” he added. “May she guide us in our prayers and reflections in this home where God is among us.”
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