Many Christians celebrated Easter Sunday in the Holy Land. The highest Catholic dignitary in the Holy Land, Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, celebrated the traditional Easter Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. However, the celebrations were overshadowed by recent tensions in the region and deadly attacks in Tel Aviv and the occupied West Bank.
“We have a difficult time of violence, distrust, tensions behind us, political, religious and social,” said Pizzaballa in a greeting at Easter. “On this day, however, we receive a message of love and life. Jesus is the reason. Jesus – our life – lives and brings us a message of joy.”
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem’s Old City, stands on the spot where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus died and rose once more. It is considered the holiest place in Christianity and a center of Christian Easter celebrations.
Pope Francis said in his Easter message: “On this day, Lord, we entrust to you the city of Jerusalem, the first witness to your resurrection.” He said he was “extremely concerned regarding the attacks over the past few days, which threaten the climate of trust and mutual respect that is needed for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians to resume, so that in the Holy City and throughout the region peace reign”.
Christians have recently had to suffer more and more hostility, especially in Jerusalem. At the beginning of the year, a Protestant cemetery was badly damaged by two Jewish teenagers. Church leaders in Jerusalem have appealed to the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of believers at Easter. Christians are a very small minority in Israel, making up just under two percent of the approximately 9.7 million citizens.
