Urgent: from Our Discalced Carmelite Friars in Egypt

21 kwietnia, 2017

Holy Week in Egypt begins with the blood of martyrs. We were all celebrating Palm Sunday in our Basilica of Santa Teresa parish in Shubra (Cairo) when the news was received of an attack on a Coptic church in the city of Tanta. We did not want to communicate this to the people so as not to provoke fear. This is painful news that increases the number of martyrs in heaven and decreases the number of apostles on earth. A bloodbath that after a little while was prolonged in another church in Alexandria. A total of more than forty dead. A painful moment for Christians. We all ask ourselves: Why? How long? The Answer comes to us from the first martyr of Calvary, Jesus who gave his life for love and in love. Let us pray that the Father may forgive these people who know not what they do, and convert them to peace and love. We pray for all Christians and for all peacemakers that with their blood they may render fertile the dry and arid land of the human heart. Carmel in Egypt is united to the sorrow and pain of our brothers and asks for prayers from Carmel throughout the world. In a special way, we thank Father General Saverio Cannistrà for his solidarity and closeness in this moment to his confreres in Egypt.

Abuna Patrick, OCD General Delegate