Mideast Christians pray for pope of peace
AFP
Date: 04-02-05
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AFP) - Christians prayed for the dying pope around the Middle East, where the pontiff is revered for his long dedication to peace and his efforts to bring reconciliation to Christians, Jews and Muslims.
Prayers were especially intense in Jerusalem and Bethlehem as John Paul has repeatedly called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work closely together to bring peace to their troubled lands.
Under a light drizzle, a small group of Palestinians gathered in the square in front of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus.
Praying at the church was one of the highlights of the pontiff's millennium visit to the West Bank and Israel five years ago.
Nesrine Jaqaman, a 24-year-old secretary, said she is preparing "for the worst."
"I have already dressed in black to express my deep sadness," she said.
"Just like all other Christians in town, I never stop watching the television anxiously or listening to the radio. But as long as John Paul II is alive, there is hope."
Jaqaman said she has already prepared a black flag to hang from her window, "as soon as the pope has left us."
The town of Bethlehem has already announced plans for a period of mourning.
"We intend to place black flags on public buildings if this misfortune befalls us," a municipal official told AFP.
In a candlelit and incense-filled chapel at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a dozen priests, joined by around 50 seminarians studying in the holy city, held special prayers for the pope's health.
At the entrance, two young Palestinian Christians were absorbed in meditation.
"We pray for the soul of him whom the Palestinian people loved and appreciate," said Tamara Alamat, a 23-year-old student from Bethlehem.
Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, also expressed his respect for John Paul, who came to the Holy Land in March 2000.
He said the pontiff is "very appreciated by the Palestinian people, who have not forgotten his visit, not only to Bethlehem, but also to Dheisheh -- the first official who had the courage to visit a Palestinian refugee camp.
"He shared the sufferings of the Palestinian people ... We will miss him."
Deputy Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres also recalled the visit of the pope, calling him "a genuine spiritual leader who knows how to value the good that is common to all humanity.
"He has pleaded everywhere for peace and for the love of others. He impressed me in every one of our meetings by his rare mixture of a sense of history and personal charm."
In violence-torn Iraq, meanwhile, Christians in Baghdad's eastern Karrada district expressed their solidarity with the pope, who opposed the US-led 2003 war and was critical of the trade sanctions slapped on the country before that.
"We always hope that the pope will regain his health because he always asked for peace for the world," said Umm Yusuf, 35, waiting to pick her son up from school.
"And he always asked for peace for Iraq. And he did not accept the occupation of Iraq. We always pray for him, This the very least we can do for him."
Sabri Yohanna, 43, said: "We always pray for the pope. This man did so many things for the world. Except for prayer, we can't do anything. The pope supported Iraq always. And he has repeatedly called for peace. Now it is our role to ask God to help him."
Father Jubrael Gurgis of the Chaldean Church in the southern Dura district said a special prayer would be said for the pope during Sunday services across Baghdad.
In Lebanon, a spokesman for Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, Father Michel Awi, said: "We are waiting. God could intervene at the last minute. He could live on for years. We are waiting."
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