Pilgrimage of Holot inmates

On Wednesday, a group of Eritrean asylum seekers from Holot visited Jerusalem. The preparations began a day before. In the apartment of the two African women supported by the Beer Sheba community, we cooked typical Eritrean food. It had to be vegetarian since according to the eastern tradition during the period of Lent one avoids meat and all animal products (eggs, cheese, milk, etc).

The next morning, the bus arrived in Beer Sheba from Holot filled with the young and middle age men. On the way, we picked up Father Medhin, the chaplain of the Ge’ez rite Catholic community, and then we arrived at the Mount of Olives. After a short explanation about the geography of the place and a prayer for peace, we moved down along the road that is taken on Palm Sunday. We visited the Dominus Fleviit Church and the Gethsemane Basilica, where we commemorated the most important events that preceded the Passion of Jesus.

During our entrance into the Old City, about fifteen members of the group received applause because they were visiting Jerusalem for the first time. The Eucharist was celebrated in the Flagellation Church, the beginning of the Way of the Cross. According to tradition, the stations were sung in Tigrinye. The festive and yet serious mood was not even broken by the sudden closing of the Holy Sepulcher Basilica for security reasons as US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting. We finished the Way of the Cross in the Monastery of Saint Savior.

Then there was time for lunch near the walls of the Old City and even a short moment for an afternoon siesta. We ate the Eritrean food prepared the night before. During the way back the pilgrims participated in a quiz with questions about the Holy City and the events from the Gospel connected to the Passion of the Lord. A few people also gave a very personal witness of the necessity of faith in their present situation as asylum seekers detained in the Holot camp.

Many thanks to all who helped organize this pilgrimage logistically and financially.