A "sign of hope". Pilgrimages to the Holy Land resume at Easter, having been suspended since October 7, the date of the Hamas attack on Israeli territory which kicked off yet another war in the Middle East.
The announcement is made by Monsignor Remo Chiavarini, CEO of the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi which starting today has started collecting memberships for two pilgrimages in Israel and Palestine during the Easter period.
«We want to give a sign of hope and return to the Holy Land», says Chiavarini. "Several pilgrims have asked us to leave again, we will do so at Easter hoping that the conditions in those days are not such as to prevent the journey."
The two itineraries will have the name "pilgrims, messengers of peace in the Holy Land". Meetings with local communities are also planned.
«Pilgrims are part of our community and we need them - is the message of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa - first of all because we need to breathe with two lungs: pilgrims and locals. We need the embrace of the Universal Church to our church, the solidarity and the presence of pilgrims here.
I hope that pilgrims will soon return to enjoy the beauty and wonderful experience of pilgrimage to the Holy Land."
The first trip, from 21 to 28 March, coinciding with Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, includes stops in Galilee (Nazareth, Capernaum, Lake Tiberias) and then in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The second trip, from 28 March to 2 April, therefore right around Easter, includes stops in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
The hope, continues Chiavarini, is that «between now and Easter the situation will change and there will be peace. But we are still ready to leave if conditions are possible. It is not intended to be an illusory project but it is truly our desire to bring hope with our pilgrims."
(Unioneonline/L)