For the first time in eight years, under 35-year-olds will finally be able to travel to Jerusalem for the celebrations at least. The Israeli authorities have issued 847 permits, granting 95 per cent of requests.
At the end of the dark tunnel of sad news this Easter, there is a glimmer of hope and it’s coming from Gaza. The Strip’s small Christian community has received an unexpected gift this Easter: for the first time in years, Israeli authorities have accepted almost all requests presented by Gaza’s Christians’ for permits to join the Easter festivities. 847 have been issued; that’s quite a few considering there are 1,500 Christians living in the Palestinian enclave on the border with Egypt. But the most important thing of all is that this time there are many young men under the age of 35 who have been allowed out of the Strip, a category which had been denied access until now. Having lived through the conflicts of 2009, 2012 and 2014 in Gaza, young Christians will finally have the chance to cross the Eretz crossing. Not just to visit the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem but also the West Bank, where many have relatives they have not seen in years. This partly explains why these young people posted photos of their permits on social networks.
This year the parish of the Holy Family was in charge of the procedures for issuing permits to Latin and Orthodox faithful (the majority). “We only had one day to present our request,” says the parish priest, Fr. Mario da Silva, on the website of the Latin patriarchate of Jerusalem. “And on that day, on 20 February, 890 people turned up to register for a permit. Many of them were young people who, without much hope, were applying again for an exit permit. About a dozen of us worked from morning till late at night to get all the necessary documents ready. We didn’t know how many permits would be handed out. We thank the Lord for the help he gives us.”
So there is a silver lining for the Holy Land this Easter, despite all its troubles. A procession was held on Palm Sunday in Jerusalem. There were 15,000 present, much fewer than in other years and there were solid security measures in place. “Today’s procession,” remarked the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, puts the emphasis on salvation: Jesus, the Prince of peace, enters Jerusalem, a city that has never known peace. Jesus overcomes fear with love, because perfect love drives away fear.” This is the attitude with which Jerusalem is preparing to relive the Paschal Triduum, the heart of which, as always will be the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. Only this year, alongside it, the Basilica of Agony on the Mount of Olives will also play a special role, as it has been chosen by the Patriarchate as the Jubilee church in this Year of Mercy.
