Ponte Tour returns to Jerusalem and the Holy Land with a group of priests and lay people for a spiritual retreat of great intensity
“They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. (Lk. . 24,13-35)”
The spiritual retreat organized by Ponte Tour ended on 9 February. It brought a group of priests and lay people back to the heart of Jerusalem, one of the oldest and holiest cities in the world, to pray for peace in the Middle East and to express concrete closeness to the local communities.
The group, personally led by Habib Sabbara, director of Ponte Tour, had an encounter with the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem that resulted in a very intense and profound experience of intercessory prayer for peace. An encounter with the millennial history, the vibrant spirituality of these places, and with the challenges of the present.
Through the streets of Jerusalem, the group walked in the footsteps of countless pilgrims and saints, seeking to fully understand the deep meaning of that holy place and the complex dynamics surrounding it. It was a time for prayer, personal meditation and celebrations at the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ at the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, inside the cave of the nativity in Bethlehem, and in many other holy places.
The pilgrimage was not only a time of contemplation and prayer, but also an opportunity to witness to the transformative power of faith and human solidarity, especially at this time. Through meetings with local communities, representatives of the Latin Church and the Custody of the Holy Land, the priests visiting the Holy Land manifested their determination to build bridges of peace and hope in a world marked by division and conflict.
The meeting with H.B. Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins, was a deeply inspiring moment for the whole group. The Patriarch explained the different implications of the current situation also for the Christians of the Holy Land and urged the pilgrims to return soon.
The Patriarch's appeal to encourage the return of pilgrims from all over the world to the Holy Land was not only an invitation to re-establish spiritual ties with holy places, but also a gesture of concrete support for local Christian communities. Indeed, religious tourism plays a crucial role in the economy of many families, whose livelihood depends to a large extent on the influx of visitors to the holy sites.
Therefore, the return of Italian pilgrims is not only a sign of renewed faith and devotion, but also a tangible support to local Christian communities living in a context of economic, political and social challenges.
The group also met Father Amjad, the Parish Priest of St. Saviour's Church in Jerusalem, who recounted the difficulties faced by many families in Jerusalem and the fundamental role of the parish at this time.
At the end of the trip, the group undertook to raise awareness and mobilize the Italian community to return to supporting Christian families in the Holy Land through religious tourism. In a world marked by divisions and conflicts, solidarity and mutual support take on even greater importance.
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