Faithful gather in Nazareth from all over the world to mark the end of the Year of Faith

Nazareth - More than 7,000 people came together in Nazareth on Sunday to mark International Day of Faith. The Mass that was held was attended by clergymen and believers from Catholic communities from across the Holy Land, Palestine and Jordan. Representatives of the Latin, Melkite, Maronite, and Syro-Antiochian Churches were present, as were many Filipino families who came to Nazareth to pray in memory of the victims of the Typhoon Haiyan.

Led by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Mgr Fouad Twal, the celebration was one of the last events of the Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. The year itself will comes to a close this Sunday with a solemn Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St Peter's Square.

At Sunday's gathering, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, read a personal message from the pope extolling the primacy of the Holy Land in the Christian faith.

"The history of our faith," the pope wrote, "finds its origins in the very land where you celebrate. Before we can understand our own personal history of faith and our need for God's mercy, we must all turn to that place and time when Jesus himself walked among us."

In his homily, Mgr Twal spoke about the great tragedy of the Syrian War, which drove 500,000 people to seek refuge in Jordan and Lebanon, many of whom supported by Christian charities and families.

"The importance of faith is much more than intellectual acceptance of God's truths," the patriarch said. "It is about freely and fully accepting [them], as a child does with his parents."

Source: asianews.it (Nov. 20, 2013)