Cardinal Krajewski on Christmas visit to Holy Land

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski - Wiki image

Source: Vatican News

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Pope's papal almoner, has set out on a papal mission to accompany the people of the Holy Land through the celebration of Christmas, the Vatican announced today.

Cardinal Krajewski has frequently visited places of conflict to express the Pope's solidarity. He has personally delivered truckloads of humanitarian aid to Ukraine several times since Russia invaded in February 2022.

The official statement reads: "Pope Francis, saddened by the 'third world war fought piecemeal' that afflicts the world, prays every day for peace, calling for an end to the conflicts that stain the earth: in martyred Ukraine, in Syria, in many countries in Africa, and now in Israel and Palestine."

The Pope has therefore decided to offer "a tangible sign of his participation in the suffering of those who personally experience the consequences of war" by sending Cardinal Krajewski to the Holy Land.

The Polish Cardinal will spend Christmas with the local Church in the place of Jesus' birth.

"Cardinal Krajewski will join this great invocation for peace together with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the entire local Church, to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the prince of peace and the only hope of our world."

Pope Francis, it added, invites everyone to accompany the Cardinal's journey in prayer, "in order to obtain the gift of peace in areas where the thunder of weapons continues to roar."

The Dicastery for the Service of Charity recalled Pope Francis' encounter with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Vatican Gardens on 8 June 2014.

The communiqué concluded with a prayer he offered on that occasion, saying it remains relevant today amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

"Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: 'Never again war!' 'With war everything is lost'. Instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace… May the words 'division', 'hatred' and 'war' be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be 'brother', and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam!"