Lasallians hold global prayer gathering for peace in Holy Land

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Welcoming the Holy Father's appeals for peace in the Holy Land, the Lasallian community organized a large scale prayer gathering for peace in the violence-afflicted region on Wednesday.

The 18 October initiative was brought to life by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, in communion with the Lasallian communities in the Holy Land, and in partnership with the International Association of Lasallian Universities and the La Salle Foundation.

The prayer for peace, which took place at the Order's Generalate in Rome, was done with the Order's members' intention of uniting themselves to Pope Francis' prayer for an end of the Israel-Hamas war.

For those who were unable to be there in person, online participation was possible through the Lasallian Facebook account LaSalleOrg.

Prayer gathering in Rome

The prayer meeting took place with a video connection with Bethlehem University, which was entrusted to the Christian Brothers by Pope St. Paul VI since its foundation. Those present described it as a very touching moment, in which they prayed for peace, and in a special way for one of their students killed in the horrific conflict.

In a statement, the Lasallian Brothers said, "We are convinced that prayer is the meek and holy force to oppose the diabolical force of hatred, terrorism and war,” quoting Pope Francis' words at the Sunday Angelus on 15 October. "We must do everything in our power so that 'let no more innocent blood be shed' in the Holy Land, and 'humanitarian law is to be respected,' as the Bishop of Rome emphasized."

Moreover, the Lasallians reaffirmed their closeness to the victims of war, all suffering, and, in a special way, the Lasallians of the five communities in the Holy Land, composed of four schools and a university, whom they continue to accompany. 

LaSallian Superior General: Working for peaceful future

Brother Armin Luistro, the Superior General of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, originally from the Philippines, spoke to Vatican News' Fr. Adrian Danca, at the prayer vigil.

The Superior General noted how he had been in the Holy Land right before the violence erupted.

"I have just been visiting our communities in Jaffa, Jerusalem and Bethlehem two days before the 7 October attack," he said. "I was carrying with me many happy memories of the Church's ministry in the Holy Land. I was very, very happy, for example, to see that in one of our schools in Jaffa, we have Jewish students sitting side by side with Arab students, with Palestinians ... Russians sitting side by side with Ukrainians."

Recalling the peaceful coexistence, he noted, "they were studying and playing together, enjoying their company as young people. And I was filled with much hope."

"If you work with the young," he noted, "you can create a future of a world of justice and peace."

Need Christian presence to maintain peace

Brother Armin arrived in Rome three days later, and heard about the dramatic violent events that unfolded in the meantime.

"I really feared not only about the victims, the current victims, but how much, after this, the cycle of violence will continue in the next generations?"

He recalled that during his discussions in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, they highlighted "the need for the presence of the Church in these lands, not only because this is the land of Jesus, but also because it's the land of young people who now carry the potential to make the land 'holy' again."

"It's not only about the past, it's also holy today, because they believe in a world of peace."

Impact on world's young people

The Lasallian Superior General stressed that they organized the Global Prayer for peace for the Holy Land, given the tragic events in the region, are "affecting all young people in the world." 

The Holy Land violence, he suggested, is having a dramatic effect on the young people in the peripheries, noting that around the world, voices are uniting to appeal for peace.

"We want people of other faiths to join us because politicians, military leaders, should not be the ones creating our future," he said.

An invitation for all to join in prayer

Brother Armin concluded by expressing his conviction that if young people work together, "they will have many ideas on new pathways for peace."

"We need not just pray, but we need to have a space where young people and those who believe in, in a world of peace, can create a future," which leaders today are unable to envision, he said.

The La Salle Foundation has joined international calls "for an immediate cessation of hostilities" and "opposes the forced evacuation of the Gaza Strip, advocating the establishment of humanitarian channels for the care and protection of human life."