Mass Interrupted by Muslim Call to Prayer
BETHLEHEM, MAR 22 (ZENIT.org).- Today, the Holy Father travelled to Palestinian territory to celebrate one of the high points of the Jubilee: Celebration of the Holy Eucharist in Manger Square in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem has become a symbol of the complicated evolution of territorial claims in the Middle East. Thus, the Pope used this opportunity to remind his listeners of the urgent need for peace in this region and to reaffirm the «natural right» of the Palestinian people to «a homeland» and to «live in peace and tranquillity with the other peoples of this area.»
«No one can ignore how much the Palestinian people have had to suffer in recent decades. Your torment is before the eyes of the world. And it has gone on too long,» the Pope asserted.
Arrival John Paul II was received with every honor and courtesy by the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat. The Pope kissed a bowl of earth from Bethlehem upon arrival. This is a typical gesture of devotion, explained Holy See spokesman Joaquín Navarro-Valls, and should not be interpreted as an act of implicit recognition of the Palestinian State. «It would have been rather strange if the Pope had not kissed the land on which Jesus was born,» he explained.
«Do Not Be Afraid!» Afterwards, the Holy Father celebrated the Eucharist on Manger Square, near the Grotto of the Nativity. The celebration was a celebration for all the Christian communities of the Holy Land. The Pope called for renewed hope for the Christians of this land. Bethlehem, he recalled, means «house of bread» in Hebrew, where «God lies hidden in the Child; divinity lies hidden in the Bread of Life.»
From a stage dominated by a giant star, like that which guided the three Kings to the manger, John Paul II invited the 10,000 faithful gathered there, along with all the Christians of the region, to have no fear. «Today from Manger Square, we cry out to every time and place, and to every person, 'Peace be with you! Do not be afraid!'« he cried.
«Do not be afraid,» he repeated, «to preserve your Christian presence and heritage in the very place where the Saviour was born.» This very concrete message was directed toward the Arab Christian community, which has been leaving the Holy Land in increasing numbers, due to the few opportunities for work, political instability, and Islamic fundamentalism.
The Meaning of the Cross During the homily, the Pope recalled that this humble city «has known 'the yoke' and 'the rod' of oppression. How often has the cry of innocents been heard in these streets? Even the great church built over the Saviour's birth-place stands like a fortress battered by the strife of the ages. The Crib of Jesus lies always in the shadow of the Cross.»
However, this poverty and weakness has meaning in the light of the Gospel. «The Crib and the Cross are the same mystery of redemptive love; the body which Mary laid in the manger is the same body offered up on the Cross,» explained the Pontiff.
The Kingdom of Christ «is not the play of force and wealth and conquest which appears to shape our human history. It is rather the power to vanquish the Evil One, the ultimate victory over sin and death. It is the power to heal the wounds which disfigure the image of the Creator in his creatures,» continued the Holy Father.
Muslim Call to Prayer After the Pope's homily, the prayer caller in the minarette of the mosque located adjacent to the stage began to call the Muslim faithful of the city to prayer, by means of a loudspeaker, while the faithful in Mass were waiting in a moment of prayerful silence. The event disturbed many of those present, particularly Yasser Arafat.
Varying explanations were given for the call. Some thought it a provocation, while others felt it was an act of deference toward the Holy Father, because the caller had waited until after the homily was over. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, almost applauded. He explained that the prayer for peace of the Pope combined with the prayer of the Muslims provided joint testimony before God that Christians and Muslims wanted peace.
Meeting with Arafat Before Mass, the Pope met with Yasser Arafat in the Presidential Palace in Bethlehem. In his discourse, the Palestinian leader stressed that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Palistinian people, presumably in response to Israeli President Ezer Weizman, who yesterday called the Holy City the capital of the Jewish State.
A political cartoon in the «Harez» newspaper illustrates well the political overtones that various factions want to give to this pilgrimage. It shows the Pope, arms outstetched in a cross, with a Star of David pulling on one arm, and the Muslim crescent moon pulling the other. When he spoke about interreligious relations in Jerusalem, Arafat only mentioned the Christians and Muslims, omitting the Jews. Arafat ended his discourse quoting Jesus, «Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God!»
«The promise of peace,» responded the Pope, «made in Bethlehem, will become a reality for the world when the dignity and rights of all human beings created in the image of God are recognized.»
Refugee Camp The Pope also took the opportunity to visit a Palestinian refugee camp. He greeted the descendants of the shepherds who were present at Christ's birth to comfort them. «Dear refugees, do not think that your present condition makes you any less important in God's eyes!» he shouted. «Never forget your dignity as his children! Here at Bethlehem the Divine Child was laid in a manger in a stable; shepherds from nearby fields who were your ancestors were the first to receive the heavenly message of peace and hope for the world. God's design was fulfilled in the midst of humility and poverty.»
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