800 children march for peace in streets of Bethlehem

Jan 15, 2009 / 18:07 pm

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal, led a procession for peace through the streets of Bethlehem with more than 800 children, who offered their prayers for the innocent victims of the conflict in Gaza.

According to a press release, bishops from the Holy Land Coordination of the Bishops’ Conferences of the United States and of Europe also participated in the procession, as they were in the region to promote “solidarity with local Christian communities and to share in the difficult pastoral life of the Church.”

At the end of the event, the Patriarch said, “In these days in which we are witnesses of the horror in Gaza, I say to all of you: violence, whatever its origin, and whatever its form, must be condemned.” “As we are gathered here in the name and in the spirit of the Prince of Peace, the Child who has been born to be the light of the world and the hope of all human beings, I want to condemn the violence in the Middle East, especially the attacks in the Gaza Strip,” he added.

Archbishop Twal later warned against the temptation of violence “because although it would seem it can resolve our problems,” it is only “a false hope.  This violence only brings complications in the search for a just solution to the conflict, which is ardently desired by the people of this land and of the world.”

If you would like to help the Christians in the Holy Land, visit the following website to learn about an initiative to provide assistance, education and jobs to Christians in the holy places: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/holyland/