Sunday, June 22. The doors of
the Holy Sepulcher open before His Beatitude Msgr. Fouad Twal for
his Solemn Entry as the
new Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
During the past two and a half years as Coadjutor, Msgr. Fouad
Twal has already had occasion to make solemn entries into the
Basilica of the Resurrection for various celebrations during the
liturgical calendar. But on this first Sunday of summer, the new
pastor of the Church of the Holy Land had very special sentiments.
A large crowd, whose joy and curiosity made it a little
undisciplined and noisy, came out to welcome him : their new
pastor, their old bishop, their son of Jordan, their cousin, their
friend, their brother, their new patriarch…
They crowded in from all over the world—the faithful,
acquaintances, civil and religious authorities from all
denominations and from many countries to see him enter and to
receive his first blessing.
For this entry was no less solemn for all the agitation
surrounding it, and all aspects of its solemnity were observed.
It started with an impressive cortège, preceded by the Scouts and
the Kawas, that started out from the Latin Patriarchate and
continued to Jaffa Gate and from there to the forecourt of the
Holy Sepulcher. The closed doors opened before Msgr. Twal, who
kissed the Stone of Anointing, and sprinkled the crowd with holy
water before listening to a warm welcome by the Custos of the Holy
Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who expressed "the joy of being a
Church, the people of God, a community of disciples of Jesus who
welcome you as their guide, the successor of the apostles chosen
by our Lord Jesus to announce the Good News here on earth in
simplicity and truth".
To him who recently declared, "I want to sow the joy of living,"
the Custos said in the Basilica of the Resurrection, "What would
be our faith without joy ?" And where is its source if not in the
Resurrection of the Lord, in the victory of Jesus who died for
love of us, who was crucified for the salvation of all people, the
joy that he has us obtain here, resurrected like Christ, living
forever and forever staying with us."
The cortège then preceded to the empty Tomb to the sound of the Te
Deum, stopping in front of it, where the celebration continued.
After the Gospel was read by the Custos before His Eminence
Cardinal Foley, Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher,
accompanied by an international delegation of Knights and Ladies ;
Msgr. Camillo Ballin, bishop of Kuwait and representative of the
Conference of Latin Bishops in Arab Regions ; the Catholic
ordinaries of the Holy Land, numerous priests, religious brothers
and sisters, representatives of all the Orthodox and Protestant
Churches ; the Consuls of Spain, France, Belgium and Italy,
representatives of civil and religious authorities, His
Beatitude’s family who came from Jordan, and a crowd of the
faithful and numerous journalists, was the reading of the papal
bull of his nomination by Msgr. Kamal Bathish. Then Msgr. Salim
Sayegh, Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese in Jordan addressed a few
words of welcome to the new Patriarch, who addressed the crowd in
turn. His Beatitude, Patriarch Fouad Twal’s message expressed his
trust. Trust in God, first of all : "Just as the distance from
Golgotha to the empty Tomb is short, so is, we know, the distance
from death to Resurrection. That is why there is no reason to be
afraid."
Then, trust in the Church of the Holy Land and its faithful : "My
confidence is also nourished by all the spiritual, human and
ecclesiastical riches of this diocese."
Before restating his faith in the Resurrection and confiding his
mission to the Virgin Mary, the Patriarch made three appeals
in his address : An appeal
to the Leaders of Nations in conflict : "Have the courage to find
just solutions, so that we may all live in peace and security."
An appeal to the international community : "So that, moved by a
sense of responsibility, courage and justice, it will help the
populations of the region to make just decisions."
An appeal to the faithful of the three monotheistic religions and
of the various Christian denominations in this holy city : "Let us
continue to deepen our dialogue, to reinforce our solidarity in
charity and to pursue our meetings in this spirit."
After the final benediction and the crowd’s ovation, the cortège
returned to the patriarchate, where everyone was able to pay
homage to the new Patriarch of Jerusalem in his apostolic seat.
His Beatitude Msgr. Fouad Twal’s motto is "Paratum cor meum", "My
heart is ready," from Psalm 108. A well-chosen motto for someone
whose given name in Arabic means "loving heart".
Marie-Armelle Beaulieu
