Easter celebrations in the Holy Land amid hardship and hope

By Lisa Zengarini

For the second running year Christians in the Holy Land will celebrate Easter amid ongoing violence and conflict along with increasing restrictions on their freedom of movement.

Permits granted to Christians in the West Bank

During the Easter period, Israeli authorities normally grant special permits to allow Palestinian Christians in the West Bank to visit Jerusalem.

According to a statement published by the Israeli Embassy to the Holy See, citing official data from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs  and the competent authorities, this year 9,770 * Christians have obtained permission to enter Jerusalem during the Holy Week,  on a total of over 50,000 living in the West Bank who would like  to celebrate their faith in the Holy Sites in this crucial religious period. It should be noted, that Christians have never been involved in incidents of violence.

Father Ibrahim Faltas OFM, the Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, lamented with Sir Catholic agency that  “Despite several high-level  meetings, we haven’t been able to obtain more permits,” recalling  that West Bank Christians face many restrictions on their freedom of movement during the year and wait for the Easter period to travel to Jerusalem to pray at the Holy Sites. 

The Franciscan friar remarked that the contradictions of Jerusalem  as both a Holy place for the three monotheistic religions and a focal point of conflict, starkly reflect  the contradictions of humanity: “Within just a few hundred square meters, the Holy Places for Christians, Jews, and Muslims echo with different yet similar voices, songs, and prayers—and at the same time, in this same city, hatred prevents the right to profess one another’s faith,” he said.

The coincidence of Easter and Pesach should serve as an opportunity to resume dialogue

This year’s religious calendar makes these contrasts even more poignant, as Easter (celebrated jointly by Catholics and Orthodox Christians) and Jewish Passover fall on the same day, April 20.  This rare coincidence, Father Faltas argued, should serve as a powerful opportunity for dialogue and mutual respect in this tragic moment for the Holy Land. “One cannot get used to the violence while having the beauty of the Holy Places before their eyes,” he said.

Desire to take part in the Easter celebrations stronger than fear

Meanwhile, in war-ravaged Gaza, the Easter celebrations continue to be overshadowed by the trauma of death and devastation. Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Latin Church of the Holy Family, spoke to Asianews agency about the atmosphere in these days of preparation for Easter which, he explained, is quite different from that of last Christmas when the possibility of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas gave some reason for hope.  

Now, the Israeli airstrikes and shelling have restarted, hitting civilians and vital infrastructure such as hospitals, as happened on Palm Sunday with a deadly strike on the Ahli Arab Hospital.

Nevertheless, said Fr. Romanelli, the desire to participate in the Easter celebrations, “especially among children and teenagers,”  is stronger than the devastation and fear. On Palm Sunday, the faithful gathered to celebrate Mass in an atmosphere of prayer, silence and meditation. Among them were also many Greek Orthodox faithful  who had been displaced from the neighbouring church of Saint Porphyrios.

Shared suffering uniting  Christians of different traditions in Gaza

“We all prayed together for peace, for all those who have died, for the release of all those who have been deprived of their freedom, the prisoners and the hostages,” he said. “Furthermore, this year, as we celebrated together, we asked for the grace of unity for all the Christians in the world: a unity of faith, hope and charity”.

The next few days will be punctuated by Masses, readings and celebrations as in the rest of the world until Holy Thursday and Good Friday but without outdoor services: “This year, “ he explained, “we were unable to prepare the re-enactment of the Passion of Christ, as we always do, because it is too dangerous. “

Fr. Romanelli: continue to pray for peace in the Holy Land

The Argentinian priest concludes the interview with a heartfelt appeal to Christians worldwide to continue to pray for peace, personal conversion, and an end to the war: We must convince the world, that it is possible to stop all conflicts, because war will not do any good, and the longer it lasts the more damage it will do” he said.   

He also expressed his deep gratitude to Pope Francis for his unwavering closeness to the parish community of Gaza: “He continues to call us and is always close to us even in these weeks of physical impairment.”

* This article was written with information available on 14 April and published on 15 April. It was updated on Wednesday 16 April with new data on the permissions granted by Israeli authorities to Christians in Palestine