The year of Saint Paul

Reverend Parish priests,
Religious men and women,
Dear faithful lay people,

Peace and blessing from God our Lord.

The Holy Father, Benedict XVI, has asked to all the Catholic Churches spread all over the world to consecrate one full year, from 28th of June 2008 to June 2009, to Saint Paul the apostle of the nations, to meditate his life and teaching.

All of us, we know that Saint Paul has lived, has studied and has learned to love the Word of God here in our Holy Land. In Jerusalem he has been brought to the civil courts and has met with the opposition of the religious chiefs of his time for he proclaimed his faith in Jesus, Christ and Lord, who died for the salvation of humanity and he rise victorious of the death and the sin. Here Saint Paul has beared so many difficulties because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ before he proclaimed him in the several countries of the Roman Empire. In Rome he was put into jail and he suffered the martyrdom with Saint Peter, the chiefs of the Apostles, offering his life to whom he had believes in.

The Holy Father will open the year dedicated to Saint Paul on the 28th of June 2008 in the Basilica of Saint Paul out of the walls. For that …

- We invite the Parish priests and the Religious institutes to underline the opening of the year of Saint Paul in communion of the Holy Father.

- In the same day, at the diocesan level and eparchy, some celebrations will take place in Jerusalem, in Galilee, in Jordan and Paphos (Cyprus). Your respective Ordinaries will duly inform you about the places and hour, where the celebration will take place in the honor of Saint Paul.

- We invite the Parish priest s to inform the faithful and to participate. To the opening of the year of Saint Paul, the character of Saint Paul will be the central theme of the homely of the 29th of June, the feast of Saint Peter and Paul, even if, this year on that day, several parishes will celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi.

- The Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries has asked to H.E.Msgr Elias Chacour to prepare, with the help of the Commission for pilgrimages which depends of the Assembly itself, a schedule with details of the activities about Saint Paul which will extend during all the year.

The proposed program will be communicated in time to the Parishes and Religious Institutions which are present and operating in our Dioceses.

Let us ask God, through the intercession of Saint Paul to grant to every one of you grace and blessing.

+ Michel Sabbah
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

+ Elias Chacour
Greek Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Akka

+ Yaser Al-Ayyash
Greek Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Petra and Philadelphia

 + Paul Sayyah
Maronite Archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land
Maronite Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem , Palestinian Territories and Jordan

+ Fouad Twal
Coadjutor Archbishop of the Latin Patriarchate

+ Sélim Sayegh
 Latin Patriarchal Vicar General for Jordan

+ Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo
 Latin Patriarchal Vical General for Israel

+ Pierre Melki
Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem, the Holy Land and Jordan

Archim. Joseph Saghbini
Greek Melkite Catholic Patrarchal Exarch of Jerusalem

P. Pier Battista Pizzaballa, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
Patriarchal Vicar General for the Hebrew-Catholic Community

Mgr Rafael Minassian
Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem

P. Paul Colin
Patriarchal Vicar for Chaldeans

+ Pierre Muallem
Former Greek Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Akka

+ Kamal Bathish
Former Auxiliary Bishop of the Latin Patriarchate