| After his Ecumenical Meeting with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, the
Holy Father visited the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem,
where, according to tradition, Christ was crucified, buried, and
resurrected. After a short discourse by the Latin Patriarch of
Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, the Holy Father gave the following
address. Dear Friends in Christ,
The hymn of praise which we have just sung unites us with the angelic
hosts and the Church of every time and place – "the glorious company of
the apostles, the noble fellowship of the prophets and the white-robed
army of martyrs" – as we give glory to God for the work of our
redemption, accomplished in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Before this Holy Sepulchre, where the Lord "overcame the sting
of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers", I greet all
of you in the joy of the Easter season. I thank Patriarch Fouad Twal and
the Custos, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, for their kind greeting. I
likewise express my appreciation for the reception accorded me by the
Hierarchs of the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic
Church. I gratefully acknowledge the presence of representatives of the
other Christian communities in the Holy Land. I also greet the Knights
and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre here present, with gratitude for their
Order’s unfailing commitment to the support of the Church’s mission in
these lands made holy by the Lord’s earthly presence.
Saint John’s Gospel has left us an evocative account of the visit of
Peter and the Beloved Disciple to the empty tomb on Easter morning.
Today, at a distance of some twenty centuries, Peter’s Successor, the
Bishop of Rome, stands before that same empty tomb and contemplates the
mystery of the Resurrection. Following in the footsteps of the Apostle,
I wish to proclaim anew, to the men and women of our time, the Church’s
firm faith that Jesus Christ "was crucified, died and was buried", and
that "on the third day he rose from the dead". Exalted at the right hand
of the Father, he has sent us his Spirit for the forgiveness of sins.
Apart from him, whom God has made Lord and Christ, "there is no other
name under heaven given to men by which we are to be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Standing in this holy place, and pondering that wondrous event, how can
we not be "cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37), like those who first heard
Peter’s preaching on the day of Pentecost? Here Christ died and rose,
never to die again. Here the history of humanity was decisively changed.
The long reign of sin and death was shattered by the triumph of
obedience and life; the wood of the Cross lay bare the truth about good
and evil; God’s judgement was passed on this world and the grace of the
Holy Spirit was poured out upon humanity. Here Christ, the new Adam,
taught us that evil never has the last word, that love is stronger than
death, that our future, and the future of all humanity, lies in the
hands of a faithful and provident God.
The empty tomb speaks to us of hope, the hope that does not disappoint
because it is the gift of the Spirit of life (cf. Rom 5:5). This is the
message that I wish to leave with you today, at the conclusion of my
pilgrimage to the Holy Land. May hope rise up ever anew, by God’s grace,
in the hearts of all the people dwelling in these lands! May it take
root in your hearts, abide in your families and communities, and inspire
in each of you an ever more faithful witness to the Prince of Peace! The
Church in the Holy Land, which has so often experienced the dark mystery
of Golgotha, must never cease to be an intrepid herald of the luminous
message of hope which this empty tomb proclaims. The Gospel reassures us
that God can make all things new, that history need not be repeated,
that memories can be healed, that the bitter fruits of recrimination and
hostility can be overcome, and that a future of justice, peace,
prosperity and cooperation can arise for every man and woman, for the
whole human family, and in a special way for the people who dwell in
this land so dear to the heart of the Saviour.
This ancient Memorial of the Anástasis bears mute witness both to the
burden of our past, with its failings, misunderstandings and conflicts,
and to the glorious promise which continues to radiate from Christ’s
empty tomb. This holy place, where God’s power was revealed in weakness,
and human sufferings were transfigured by divine glory, invites us to
look once again with the eyes of faith upon the face of the crucified
and risen Lord. Contemplating his glorified flesh, completely
transfigured by the Spirit, may we come to realize more fully that even
now, through Baptism, "we bear in our bodies the death of Jesus, that
the life of Jesus may be manifested in our own mortal flesh" (2 Cor
4:10-11). Even now, the grace of the resurrection is at work within us!
May our contemplation of this mystery spur our efforts, both as
individuals and as members of the ecclesial community, to grow in the
life of the Spirit through conversion, penance and prayer. May it help
us to overcome, by the power of that same Spirit, every conflict and
tension born of the flesh, and to remove every obstacle, both within and
without, standing in the way of our common witness to Christ and the
reconciling power of his love.
With these words of encouragement, dear friends, I conclude my
pilgrimage to the holy places of our redemption and rebirth in Christ. I
pray that the Church in the Holy Land will always draw new strength from
its contemplation of the empty tomb of the Savior. In that tomb it is
called to bury all its anxieties and fears, in order to rise again each
day and continue its journey through the streets of Jerusalem, Galilee
and beyond, proclaiming the triumph of Christ’s forgiveness and the
promise of new life. As Christians, we know that the peace for which
this strife-torn land yearns has a name: Jesus Christ. "He is our
peace", who reconciled us to God in one body through the Cross, bringing
an end to hostility (cf. Eph 2:14). Into his hands, then, let us entrust
all our hope for the future, just as in the hour of darkness he
entrusted his spirit into the Father’s hands.
Allow me to conclude with a special word of fraternal encouragement to
my brother Bishops and priests, and to the men and women religious who
serve the beloved Church in the Holy Land. Here, before the empty tomb,
at the very heart of the Church, I invite you to rekindle the enthusiasm
of your consecration to Christ and your commitment to loving service of
his mystical Body. Yours is the immense privilege of bearing witness to
Christ in this, the land which he sanctified by his earthly presence and
ministry. In pastoral charity enable your brothers and sisters, and all
the inhabitants of this land, to feel the healing presence and the
reconciling love of the Risen One. Jesus asks each of us to be a witness
of unity and peace to all those who live in this City of Peace. As the
new Adam, Christ is the source of the unity to which the whole human
family is called, that unity of which the Church is the sign and
sacrament. As the Lamb of God, he is the source of that reconciliation
which is both God’s gift and a sacred task enjoined upon us. As the
Prince of Peace, he is the source of that peace which transcends all
understanding, the peace of the new Jerusalem. May he sustain you in
your trials, comfort you in your afflictions, and confirm you in your
efforts to proclaim and extend his Kingdom. To all of you, and to those
whom you serve, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of
Easter joy and peace.
Distributed by:
The Holy See Press Office
15 May 2009
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