Rivlin sends Easter greetings to Pope Francis on Good Friday
The president wished the Pope and Christians around the world his greetings for the holy days of Easter.
By ZACHARY KEYSERFILE PHOTO: President Reuven Rivlin is seen meeting with Pope Francis.(photo credit: HAIM ZACH/GPO)
President Reuven Rivlin sent a letter to Pope Francis, wishing him happy holidays ahead of Easter.The president sent the Pope and Christians around the world his greetings for the holy days of Easter."From Jerusalem, the city of G-d, I send you my warm greetings for the holy days of Easter," Rivlin said in the letter.Rivlin noted the manner in which last Easter had to be celebrated amid the coronavirus pandemic.Only four priests were allowed to complete the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem last year on Good Friday. This year, however, the area was crowded with dozens of local faithful worshippers."Unfortunately, this is now the second year that we celebrate our holy days under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic," the president said in the letter. "This pandemic has proved conclusively that the borders between countries area artificial, as the sickness does not differentiate between nations or between the followers of different religions."The president notes that the unfortunate circumstances hold certain significance between faiths "of cooperation, of the values of brotherhood, humanity, mutual trust and help," the president said, noting the all the residents of the country - Jewish, Christian or Muslim - had the chance to be vaccinated.He also noted the cooperation with the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and the recent normalization agreements between Arab Gulf states and Israel."The Abraham Accords bring a lot of hope and a special opportunity for an era of peace, stability and cooperation to our region, and I hope our Palestinian neighbors would seize this unique opportunity as well," he said.Early last month, Pope Francis sent a message to Rivlin as he crossed over Israel en route to Baghdad from Rome on his four-day historic visit to the country - the first visit by a pontiff to Iraq.The Pope's flight was permitted to pass through Israeli airspace to reach its destination in Iraq.Air traffic control stations in northern Israel relayed the message recorded by Francis intended for Rivlin.“To His Excellency Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel. Entering Israeli airspace on my Apostolic journey to Iraq, I send warm greetings to you and the people of the nation," said the Pope. "Praying that almighty God will bless you all with His gift of harmony and peace. Franciscus Papa.”The air traffic controllers thanked the Alitalia pilot for relaying the dispatch, and promised to convey the message to the president."Your Holiness, may I say how much I valued the message you sent, via the pilot, as you flew over Israel on the way to your visit in Iraq, last month," Rivlin said in his Easter letter to the Pope. "May the gift of G-d for harmony and peace will reach all."And finally, as my term as president comes to and end soon, I hope we will have an opportunity to meet once again to reiterate my commitment to the connections of Israel and the Holy See to the freedom of religion in the Holy Land and to the advancement of the Land of Monasteries project," Rivlin concluded. "Please accept, Your Holiness, the assurance of my highest considerations.”
