Message from His Beatitude, Theophilos III, Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem

His Beatitude Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III extends his blessing to all the young adults planning to come to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage organized by the Taizé Community in France in collaboration with the Tantur Ecumenical Institute.

By coming to the land where Jesus lived and taught, announced the Kingdom of God, was crucified and resurrected, you will have an opportunity to go to the very sources of your Christian faith.

The first witnesses to the Risen Christ lived here. The families and parishes of the Holy Land will be pleased to welcome you as you seek to strengthen your faith in the Risen Lord. Through this experience of hospitality and sharing you will come to more closely know the most ancient Church in the world.

May our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be with you as you prepare for this pilgrimage.

Message from Msgr. Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Dear Brother Alois,

I was very pleased to hear of your plan to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May 2022. The entire Latin Patriarchate shares in my joy at being able to welcome you and working towards the success of this pilgrimage.

Our parishes and our families will open their doors to you with joy. Hospitality is a fundamental reality in this part of the world, something the Bible mentions repeatedly. I am therefore not worried about finding room for everyone!

Your visit will be an opportunity to get to know not only places but people as well, the living stones of the Church. The faithful here will have an opportunity to get to know a different way of living out the faith and it will therefore be a very beautiful experience for them as well. We will pray together and together we will search for ways in which to be witnesses of Christ today by offering support to one another.

The ecumenical dimension of your community is a blessing for us and this event will help us to continue on our way of fraternity with other Churches.

Message from Msgr. Yousef Amer Matta, Archbishop of Galilee for the Melkite Catholic Diocese of Akka, Haifa, Nazareth and all of Galilee

Dear Brother Alois and all friends of Taize all over the world,
Dear beloved children of God,

I was so moved to know about the pilgrimage in May 2022 and the visit of the Youth from Europe and other continents to the Holy Land.

We are pleased and delighted to welcome you in the diocese, our parishes are open and ready to host you in the families so you get to know the living stones of Galilee, who are the successors of the disciples of Jesus Christ our saviour who walked among the villages in Galilee and performed many miracles.

You will not only be experiencing the power of the Living Word of God but more than that, you will know and touch closely the faith of these Christian youth who struggle but live their faith daily through the Good News of the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ is risen and defeated death.

So, do not be afraid, courage and we are looking forward to share with you this experience of faith.

Video message from the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, The Most Reverend Hosam E. Naoum