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Cardinal in Morocco Dedicates Advent Week I to Prayers, Fasting for Peace in Holy Land

Cristobal Cardinal Lòpez Romero during his presentation at the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in Accra, Ghana. Credit: ACI Africa

By Jude Atemanke

Rabat, 21 November, 2023 / 3:32 pm (ACI Africa).

Catholic Parishes of the Archdiocese of Rabat in Morocco are to mark the first Week of Advent praying for peace in the Holy Land, the Local Ordinary has said.

In a statement issued Tuesday, November 21, Cristóbal Cardinal López Romero urges the people of God in his Metropolitan See to intensify prayers for peace in the Holy Land.

As believers, Cardinal Romero say, “we have a duty to cry out to God” amid the violent conflict in the Holy Land. 

“On the first weekend of December, we enter the season of Advent, when we celebrate the coming of Jesus, the Prince of Peace,” he further says, adding, “We invite all Catholics to enter Advent with a day of prayer and fasting.”

The Archbishop of Rabat since his Episcopal Ordination in March 2018 directs that a time of prayer “be organized in each parish, and fasting be observed.” The spiritual exercise is “open to all,” Cardinal Romero further says.

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He goes on to decry the violent conflict that has gone on for weeks, saying, “Since October 7, violence has once again exploded between Palestinians and Israelis. Numerous articles and broadcasts analyze its causes and elements. The number of victims is multiplying. Conflicts and acts of violence persist in many other places.”

“It is up to States and international institutions to react. As citizens, we may feel powerless in the face of these outbursts of violence,” the Spanish-born member of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) says, and adds, “We must act.”

Since October 7, at least 1,200 Israelites have reportedly been killed with about 6,900 more being injured. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has reported that at least 11,240 people have been killed and another 29,000 injured in the neighbouring Gaza Strip.

Jude Atemanke

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.

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