Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) – Over 500 cities throughout the world and over 1.5 youth joined in prayer in the “International Day of Prayer for Peace in the Holy Land,” celebrated on January 31, which received messages of encouragement from the Holy Father Benedict XVI and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
The organizers were international youth movements active in the new technologies and Internet: “Papaboys” (www.papaboys.it), Eucharistic Prayer Groups (www.adorazione.org),Youth for Life (www.youthfl.org), and the Perpetual Adoration movement (www.adorazioneperpetua.it).
Prayers were said in the great world capitals including Rome, Jerusalem, New York, and Moscow. The prayer began in a symbolic manner in Jerusalem, with a Mass at the altar on Calvary, and enveloped the whole world for 24 hours in a row. The initiative received appreciation from the Holy See and the Church in the Holy Land.
The Holy Father Benedict XVI sent a message, through the Secretary of State, expressing his “joy at the response to his many petitions for prayer and his appreciation for the motives that inspired this initiative to implore light on consciences and conversion of hearts, as well as reconciliation and fraternal coexistence among the people of the Holy Land.” The Holy Father expressed his hope that “the encounter can inspire in everyone the profound desire to become witnesses of peace and support the efforts of those who work for it.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Excellency Fouad Twal, sent a message to the organizations who coordinated it on an international level. “I am grateful for the many young people who have responded to this call without hesitation,” he wrote, “and who gathered in the silence of prayerful adoration before Christ in the Eucharist, before the Prince of Peace, to make their desire known, aware that true peace must be lasting. On behalf of the entire community of Christians in the Holy Land, I thank all those who promoted this event, the various Congregations and those who on their own or in a group have given of their own time and prayer for this intention.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides 04/02/2009)
