Sunday, June 08, 2014

THE PEACE PRAYER SESSION AT THE VATICAN TODAY

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER

REVELATION 17:1-2
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)

EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18

REVELATION 13:11-12
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he (FALSE RELIGIOUS LEADER) exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).

Pope Francis wades into Mideast peace-making-Jewish, Muslim, and Christian supplications make up a ceremony intended to stay clear of politics-By Nicole Winfield June 8, 2014, 5:41 pm Updated: June 8, 2014, 8:31 pm-The Times of Israel

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis waded head-first into Mideast peace-making Sunday, welcoming the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to the Vatican for an evening of peace prayers just weeks after the last round of US-sponsored negotiations collapsed.Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas embraced in the foyer of the Vatican hotel where Francis lives, joked together and shared a minibus with Francis and the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians for the quick trip across the Vatican to the garden ceremony.There on the lawn, Francis sat between the two presidents, with the Israeli and Palestinian delegations and Vatican cardinals flanking them, as a string ensemble played.Vatican officials have insisted that Francis has no political agenda by inviting the two leaders to pray at his home other than to rekindle a desire for peace between the two parties. But the meeting could have significance beyond mere symbolism.“In the Middle East, symbolic gestures and incremental steps are important,” noted the Rev. Thomas Reese, a veteran Vatican analyst for the National Catholic Reporter. “And who knows what conversations can occur behind closed doors in the Vatican.”The meeting will also cement Francis’ reputation as a leader unhindered by diplomatic and theological protocol who is willing to go out on a limb for the sake of peace. The enormously popular pope is the first pontiff named for the peace-loving St. Francis of Assisi.The unusual prayer summit was a feat of diplomatic and religious protocol, organized in the two weeks since Francis issued the surprise invitation to Peres and Abbas from Manger Square in Bethlehem.It is taking place in the lush Vatican gardens in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica, the most religiously neutral place in the tiny city-state, and will incorporate Jewish, Christian and Muslim prayers, delivered in Hebrew, English, Arabic and Italian.The prayers focus on three themes common to each of the religions: thanking God for creation, seeking forgiveness for past wrongdoing and praying to God to bring peace to the region.Francis, Peres and Abbas are also expected to deliver brief remarks, shake hands and plant an olive tree together in a sign of peace. Also on hand is the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, to give a united Christian front.Vatican officials have described the prayer evening as something of a “time-out” in political negotiations, merely designed to rekindle the desire for peace through prayers common to all the main faith traditions in the Holy Land.But even Francis’ secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has said the power of prayer shouldn’t be discounted for its ability to change reality.“Prayer has a political strength that we maybe don’t even realize and should be exploited to the full,” he said at the end of Francis’ Mideast trip. “Prayer has the ability to transform hearts and thus to transform history.”That said, no concrete results are expected: Peres has no formal role in peace negotiations, holds a largely ceremonial post and leaves office at the end of the month.But Nadav Tamir, a political adviser to Peres, said Sunday the Israeli government authorized the trip and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in “constant contact” with Peres. Speaking on Israeli Army Radio, Tamir stressed the meeting was not political, even though he said Peres and Abbas were expected to discuss political developments when they meet in private after the prayer.Netanyahu had urged the world to shun Abbas’ new unity government which took office last week because it is backed by the Islamic militant group Hamas. His pleas have been ignored by the West, with both the US and the European Union saying they will give the unity government a chance.Peres’s participation thus undermines Netanyahu’s attempts to isolate the Palestinians and instead adds to the growing isolation of Netanyahu’s hard-line position. Netanyahu’s office has declined repeated requests for comment about the Vatican summit. Nevertheless, Tamir stressed that the meeting had a different aspect to it.“The government of Israel decided not to hold political negotiations, but we aren’t talking about political negotiations. We are talking about a different gesture, a spiritual gesture, an act of public diplomacy,” Tamir said.Abbas, for his part, told Italian daily La Repubblica that Francis’ invitation was “an act of great courage.”“Nothing should stop us in the search for solutions so that both of our people can live in their own sovereign state,” he was quoted as saying in Sunday’s editions.

Peres Delivers Bilingual Speech and Prayer for Peace-IsraelNationalNews JUNE 8,2014

President Shim'on Peres appealed for peace, Sunday afternoon in a garden of the Vatican City. Quoting in Hebrew from Psalm 122, he asked those present to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem," saying that those who love the city shall prosper. Switching to English, he repeated what he said in Hebrew about Pope Francis carrying "a renewed inspiration to trust in heaven, to love the people, and to care for the earth. It is in that spirit that I have come here from Jerusalem, the cradle of the three monotheistic religions, and the vibrant heart of the Jewish People. In Hebrew, the word Jerusalem and the word for peace, share the same root – Shalom. And it is with that prayer in our heart and that call to action that we stand together. From Jerusalem, I have come to call for Shalom – Peace. Peace between nations. Peace between faiths. Peace between people. Peace for our children."Peres said the Bible "commands us to walk the path of peace. It demands of us to toil for its realization." He continued, “Whoever loves life and desires to see good days. Let him turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.” This is a command to pursue peace. All year long. Every day. We greet each other with this blessing. Shalom. Salam. We must be worthy of the deep and demanding meaning of this blessing. Peace does not come easy. It calls for sacrifice and compromise. Without peace, we are not complete. We have yet to achieve this mission of humanity. Even when peace seems distant, we must pursue it to bring it closer. And if we pursue peace with determination, with faith, we will reach it. And it will endure through all of us, as is written by Isaiah: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”Peres closed with the Hebrew, "May He who makes peace on high make peace on us and on all of Israel and on all of the world and let us say 'Amen'."

Pope Francis Hosts Peres, Abbas in Peace Prayer-'Prayer is all-powerful. Let us use it to bring peace to the Middle East and peace to the world,' tweets pope.By AFP and Arutz Sheva-First Publish: 6/8/2014, 7:01 PM-IsraelNationalNews

Pope Francis on Sunday hosts an unprecedented joint peace prayer in the Vatican with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in a symbolic gesture aimed at fostering dialogue.Abbas said he hoped the event in the Vatican Gardens at 5:00 p.m. GMT, which will include Christian, Jewish and Muslim prayers and the planting of an olive tree by all three leaders, would "help Israel decide.”"The pope's invitation was courageous," Abbas said in an interview with the La Repubblica daily."With this prayer we are sending a message to all believers of the three major religions and the others: the dream of peace must not die," he said.Peres, who is 90 years old and will be stepping down as president next month, was quoted by his office as saying on Sunday: "The spiritual call (for peace) is very important and affects reality."I hope the event will contribute to promoting peace between the two sides and throughout the world," he said, adding that the conflict is "both political and religious" and "religious leaders resonate.”He defined it "an unusual call for peace.”Tensions are running high between the two sides following the formation of a new Palestinian unity government backed by the Islamist group Hamas.Israel has since announced plans for building 3,200 new homes in Judea and Samaria and has said it will boycott what it denounces as a "government of terror.”Peres said the Palestinian unity government was "a contradiction that can't last very long" but Abbas defended it saying : "One should never reject a chance for dialogue, internally as well."The Vatican is being realistic about the ceremony, which is unlikely to have any immediate effect."Nobody is fooling themselves that peace will break out in the Holy Land," said Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the head of the Franciscan Order in the Middle East who is organizing the historic event."But this time to stop and breathe has been absent for some time," he told reporters at a briefing, adding: "Not everything is decided by politics."Francis made the offer to Abbas and Peres on his first visit as pontiff to the Middle East last month and ahead of the meeting on Sunday he reiterated his call for a Catholic Church able to "shake things up.”Speaking to thousands of followers in St Peter's Square, Francis pointed to the two colonnades around the plaza and said they were like "two arms which open to welcome but do not close again to imprison.”
Francis earlier admitted it would be "crazy" to expect any Vatican mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but said prayer might help.In a tweet from the pope's @pontifex account on Saturday, Francis said: "Prayer is all-powerful. Let us use it to bring peace to the Middle East and peace to the world."The Vatican has defined the meeting as an "invocation for peace" but has stressed it will not be an "inter-religious prayer", which would have posed problems for the three faiths.Peres is set to arrive at 4:15 GMT followed shortly later by Abbas, with Francis welcoming them outside St Martha's Residence where he lives in the Vatican.In the Vatican Gardens, the prayers will be recited in chronological order of the world's three main monotheistic religions, starting with Judaism, followed by Christianity and then Islam.The prayers from each of the three will focus on "creation", "invocation for forgiveness" and "invocation for peace" and will be read in Arabic, English, Hebrew and Italian, the Vatican said.Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Muslim professor Omar Abboud, two friends of Francis's from Buenos Aires who travelled with him and prayed together on his trip to the Middle East will also attend.The Vatican said the event, which has been carefully planned in detail, was "a pause from politics.”Friday was ruled out since it is a Muslim holy day and Saturday for the same reason for the Jewish community, while Sunday is Pentecost for Catholics – a day of celebration of the Holy Spirit considered appropriate for the event.The choice of the Vatican Gardens as a location is also significant since it was considered the most neutral territory within the Vatican City, with none of the Christian iconography that might be seen as offensive to the other two faiths.

Pope originally wanted Peres-Abbas prayers in Jerusalem-Palestinian leader rejected idea, citing concern about checkpoints en route from Ramallah; Jericho and Jordan were also considered before Vatican session finalized-By Mitch Ginsburg June 8, 2014, 5:40 pm-The Times of Israel

THE VATICAN — The unprecedented summit at the Vatican on Sunday, joining Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in prayers for peace, was initially supposed to take place in Jerusalem during Pope Francis’ May visit to the Holy Land, The Times of Israel has learned.“That was the first spot,” said Henrique Cymerman, a Portuguese-born multilingual veteran Israeli journalist with close ties to the pope.Cymerman said that Peres was immediately open to meeting anywhere but that Abbas was less eager, ostensibly concerned he would be humiliated while passing through checkpoints from Ramallah into Israel.Cymerman, who initially met with the pope last June along with Rabbi Avraham Skorka of Argentina, described receiving an unidentified call on his cellphone several months before the pope’s historic visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. “This is Papa Francesco,” the voice said, Cymerman recalled on the flight to Rome Sunday.The reporter, who is close to Peres and the pope, nearly didn’t taken the call, thinking it a prank.Pope Francis, whom he described as a great friend of the Jewish people, urged Cymerman to set up the prayer summit during his visit in May and said he could extend his trip as necessary.Cymerman said the next venue offered to Abbas was Jericho, but that, too, was rejected. Next he attempted to set up the prayer on Mount Nebo, the hill in Jordan from which Moses was allowed to gaze into the promised land. This may have worked, he said, but Peres could not acquiesce because the pope’s visit to Jordan took place on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.Finally, after marathon talks, Cymerman said, the Vatican, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority tentatively agreed on a prayer for peace in Rome, and Pope Francis, with Abbas’s agreement in hand, quickly made the invitation public, sealing the deal.

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)

REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)


JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people(ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(UPROOTED ISRAELIS AND DIVIDED JERUSALEM)(THIS BRINGS ON WW3 BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED,WARNING TO ARABS-MUSLIMS AND THE WORLD).

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.

MATTHEW 24:37-42
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.(WW3)

ISAIAH 33:8
8  The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

GENESIS 25:20-26
20  And Isaac was forty years old (A BIBLE GENERATION NUMBER=1967 + 40=2007+) when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21  And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22  And the children (2 NATIONS IN HER-ISRAEL-ARABS) struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;(ISRAEL AND THE ARABS) and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;(ISRAEL STRONGER THAN ARABS) and the elder shall serve the younger.(LITERALLY ISRAEL THE YOUNGER RULES (ISSAC)(JACOB-LATER NAME CHANGED TO ISRAEL) OVER THE OLDER ARABS (ISHMAEL)(ESAU)
24  And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25  And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.(THE OLDER AN ARAB)
26  And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:(THE YOUNGER-ISRAELI) and Isaac was threescore (60) years old when she bare them.(1967 + 60=2027)(COULD BE THE LAST GENERATION WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AMOUNG THE 2 TWINS)(THE 2 TWINS WANT JERUSALEM-THE DIVISION OF JERUSALEM TODAY)(AND WHOS IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM TODAY-THE YOUNGER ISSAC-JACOB-ISRAEL)(AND WHO WANTS JERUSALEM DIVIDED-THE OLDER,ESAU-ISHMAEL (THE ARABS)

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

06/ 8/2014 -VATICAN INSIDER-Believers worldwide join Pope and Presidents of Israel and Palestine in praying for peace-The Pope at the Regina Caeli-Catholics, Christians and other believers across the globe are joining the Pope and the Presidents of Israel and Palestine in praying for peace in the Holy Land. In recent days, Pope Francis sent a letter to all the nuncios asking them to invite the local churches worldwide to join in this prayer-Gerard O’Connell

Rome-Catholics, other Christians and other believer are joining Pope Francis and the Presidents of Israel and Palestine this evening in praying for peace in the Holy Land, asking God’s assistance where human efforts have failed over 66 years to bring a lasting peace there.Pope Francis, at midday June 8, recalled this when he told tens of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, including some waving Palestinian flags, that this evening he will be joined by the Presidents of Israel and Palestine, together with the Patriarch Bartholomew 1, to pray “for peace in the Holy Land, in the Middle East and in the whole world”.Speaking from the papal study window at midday on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, Francis made reference to his worldwide prayer effort of many Christians and other believers who are praying “personally or in community” for this peace-initiative.  He thanked them for this and urged them to continue.Earlier, at mass in St Peter’s Basilica he reminded believers how when the Holy Spirit came on the first community of believers – it was the birth of the Church; the Apostles lost their fear and began to speak out in a courageous way, surprising everyone.  Likewise today, he said the Church is called to surprise the world, Indeed, he said, “the Church is one that surprises us and stirs things up.”   Though he did not say so, this is certainly true of his prayer-for peace initiative.He convened this prayer gathering in the Vatican Gardens to invoke God to open the door to peace between Israelis and Palestinians after many human efforts failed, including the most recent effort by the US Administration.  And he has sought to involve the whole Church and other believers in this prayer, convinced as he is that “prayer can move mountains” and can change the minds of peoples and their leaders.With this conviction, Pope Francis in recent days sent a letter, signed by him, to all nuncios in different countries on all continents asking them to request the Presidents of their respective Bishops Conferences to join in prayer for this peace initiative.  The response has been immediate across the globe.The bells of all the Churches in the Holy Land will ring out as the hour of prayer-for-peace begins in the Vatican Gardens at  seven o’clock in the evening (Rome time). The Bishops of the Holy Land have invited their faithful in their homes and churches to join in this prayer, and invited “all people of goodwill to stop and pray in silence for two minutes as this prayer begins in the Vatican”.In the UK, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of Bishops Conference, asked every parish in England and Wales to join the Pope in praying for peace in the Holy Land, and to join in the prayer event in the Vatican Gardens on June 8 with the Presidents of Israel and Palestine.Cardinal Nichols also invited the Palestinian and Israeli Ambassadors to join him at his residence in London on Friday, June 6, and there the three of them spent some time together in prayer for peace. “They came in solidarity with the invitation of the Pope to their Presidents and to unite their prayers with those to be offered in Rome on Sunday”, Nichols stated.  As they prayed, a chorister from the Westminster Cathedral choir sang 'The Lord's my Shepherd'.   It was a most beautiful and prayerful moment.The churches of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are joining in this prayer for peace in the Holy Land, at the request of the Pope.  Cardinal Seán Brady, President of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, at Pope Francis’ request, invited all bishops, priests, men and women religious and laypeople in this green island to participate this weekend in heartfelt prayer.  He urged them to do so trusting in the Lord’s promise may be fulfilled: ‘I say to you, if two or three of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven’.”In Hong Kong (China), Cardinal John Tong Hon also asked Catholics in his diocese and elsewhere, as well as all people of good-will to join Pope Francis and the two Presidents in this heartfelt prayer for peace in the Holy Land.The churches in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei are also joining in this prayer, after receiving the Pope’s request through the Nuncio in Kuala Lumpur. So too are the churches in Timor.The US Bishops conference has issued a special prayer for peace on this day, “asking that the Holy Spirit guides Pope Francis and Israeli and Palestinian leaders as they gather in Rome to pray. May their shared prayers lead to a just and lasting peace for all the peoples of the Holy Land”.In South Africa, Cardinal Napier Fox, issued a similar call to Catholics in South Africa, inviting them to participate in this worldwide prayer for peace in the land where Jesus was born, lived, died and rose from the dead. “Let's prepare to join Pope Francis as he brings the Palestine & Israel Presidents together to pray for peace. Prayer and fasting are in order”, he said.In Italy, the Bishops conference has asked that prayers be raised in all churches across the country for peace in the Holy Land. Catholic associations and movements are joining in this prayer.  The Muslim community in Italy is also praying for the same intention.

06/ 6/2014 -VATICAN INSIDER-The Pope, Peres and Mahmoud Abbas, distinct prayers and a cry for peace-Lombardi and Pizzaballa present the Peres-Abbas-Pope meeting-Presentation of the program for Sunday in the Vatican gardens. The time is from 18.15 to 20.45. “It will be a pause from politics, no representatives of the two governments will be present”.Iacopo Scaramuzzi
Vatican City-It will begin with three distinct prayers - Jewish, Christian and Muslim - the “prayer for peace” that will bring together, on Sunday evening in the Vatican gardens, Pope Francis, Israeli President Shimon Peres, the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. It will be a “pause from politics” and the delegations, which are still incomplete, will not include representatives of the respective governments.Jorge Mario Bergoglio invited the two Middle East leaders in his “home” during a recent trip to the Holy Land. Today in the Vatican press office the Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, and the Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, presented the program for the event which begins late Sunday afternoon with the arrival of the two presidents in the Vatican: Peres at 18.15 and Abbas, from Egypt, at 18.30.  Bergoglio will welcome them to his home, Santa Marta, for a brief talk, first with one and then with the other.  At approximately 18.45, in the lobby of the residence, the three will be joined by the  Patriarch Bartholomew who will have arrived in Rome the night before.   A vehicle will then take the four to “a beautiful triangular lawn located between the “Casina Pio IV”, the Academy of Sciences, and the “Vatican Museums”, said Lombardi, an area “that points towards the dome of St. Peter”.The public part of the meeting will then take place in the presence of the press: a musical opening, a brief introduction in English to explain the course of the event, and then three distinct moments of prayer in the three religions, first Jewish (in Hebrew), then Christian (in English, Italian and Arabic), and lastly Muslim (in Arabic). “We do not pray together, but we stay together to pray avoiding any form of syncretism” said Pizzaballa. “Some may observe that the two presidents are not religious, but they are believers:  it is not necessary to wear the religious habit in order to pray”, he said, noting that “Abbas knows the Quran very well and Peres the Jewish scriptures” and anyway,  the two presidents are present as “representatives of their people” and not religious leaders.  Bartholomew, on his part, will recite part of a Christian prayer. All three prayers will, however, have the same structure: a passage on creation, a request for forgiveness and a cry for peace interspersed with short musical passages. Lastly, the three interventions of the Pope, President Peres and President Mahmoud Abbas "who will recite the words they deem appropriate, and their cry for peace”.  The public portion of the meeting will end with “a gesture of peace, probably a common handshake” said Lombardi, and then the four protagonists will plant an olive tree, a symbol of peace.Ultimately, Bergoglio, Bartholomew, Peres and Abbas will go to the nearby building of the Casina Pio IV, home of the Academy of Sciences, they will stop for a final public photograph in the oval courtyard (the "Nymph") and will then enter  for a " confidential meeting, that will not be captured by cameras or journalists”.  This is the last leg of the meeting. With the departure of Israeli and Palestinian presidents, which is expected around 20.30 - 20.40, the “prayer for peace” terminates.“It is a pause from politics” said Father Pizzaballa. “The Holy Father did not want to get into political issues over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the details of which we are all aware of, from ‘A’ to ‘Z’.  It is a pause from politics: politics has its own dynamics, its own time, its own breath, more or less long or short, as you want; but the Pope's desire is to look up and go a little over the political aspect, inviting politicians to stop and pause as well”.For the Custos of the Holy Land “both Israeli and Palestinian media are very interested, a sign of a deep interest in their respective countries” and “although we cannot avoid a little skepticism, there is however “great expectation and a great curiosity”. More generally, “no one has the presumption to believe that after this event peace will break out in the Holy Land”,  but the intent is “to make a strong gesture”, “a very important initiative to reopen this road where everyone again feels the need for this peace” and “to hope and dream”, to “restore in political discussions that respite – that is a little lacking – of a vision from above and towards one another, also to have some impact on public opinion”.Both the Israeli and Palestinian delegations are still incomplete.  They will most probably be formed of fifteen to twenty people each.  It is expected that, with Peres, there will be a representative of the Italian Jewish community, such as the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, Renzo Gattegna.  There will surely be the two Argentine friends who accompanied the Pope to the Holy Land, Rabbi Abraham Skorka and the Islamic Omar Abboud.  In response to questions from reporters, Lombardi said that it is not expected that Pope Emeritus Joseph Ratzinger will be present, and that Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin did not have a specific role in the preparation of the event.  Have Hamas leaders just entered into coalition Palestinian government? “The intent of the event is religious” replied Pizzaballa, “there will not be any representatives of the two governments, but only of Israeli and Palestinian society. This is a pause from politics”.

ALLTIME