Sawt Falasteen - Pope Leo celebrates first Easter amid Middle East war

Holy Week began with a clash in the Holy Land as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Italian Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was denied entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by Israeli authorities in what he called a first "in centuries".

On Tuesday, Leo said he hoped that US President Donald Trump was "looking for an off-ramp" to end the war, as he called for an end to the violence.

"We are in Holy Week, Easter is coming, and it should be the holiest, most sacred time of the whole year," but the world was witnessing "so much suffering, so many deaths, even of innocent children", Leo told journalists.

"We continually appeal for peace, but unfortunately many people want to promote hatred, violence, and war."

Against this tense backdrop, Rome is preparing to welcome thousands of worshippers for the Easter celebrations, the most important feast in the Christian calendar, which commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Among Catholics, the memory of the late pope Francis will loom large.

Last year, Holy Week was the setting for the Argentine pontiff's final public appearances, during which he appeared frail and short of breath.

He died on Easter Monday, following a final tour around St Peter's Square in his popemobile to greet the crowd. Leo was chosen as his successor on May 8.

Eagerly anticipated this year will be the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and the World") blessing, which Leo will deliver on Sunday at noon from St Peter's Basilica -- usually a message as political as it is spiritual.

The 70-year-old US-born pope has so far shown diplomatic caution and has not directly condemned his home country's role in the turbulent Middle East region.

On Sunday, during the Palm Sunday Mass marking the beginning of Holy Week, he expressed regret over "Christians of the Middle East who suffer the consequences of a terrible conflict and and in many cases cannot fully live the rites of these holy days".

- Sombre Easter in Mideast -

Easter celebrations are shaping up to be sombre for Christians in the Middle East. In southern Lebanon, where Israel is stepping up its bombardment of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, Christian villages are on the front lines.

Many are "afraid to leave and not be able to return to their homes, given Israel's intention to occupy this area," said Hugues de Woillemont, general director of L'Oeuvre d'Orient, an association that helps Eastern Christians.

"If Christians were to disappear in large numbers, it would also mean the loss of educational and healthcare services in many of these countries -- in Lebanon, but also in Syria and elsewhere," he told AFP.

In Rome, the Easter celebrations will begin Holy Thursday, April 2, with mass in the morning at St Peter's Basilica and another in the afternoon at the Basilica of St John Lateran, one of the four major basilicas in the Italian capital.

On this occasion, Leo will return to tradition by performing the traditional "washing of the feet" of 12 Roman priests.

Pope Francis had performed this ceremony, which re-enacts Jesus's gesture toward his apostles, among marginalised people, whether prisoners, migrants or the homeless.

- Carrying the cross -

On Good Friday, the pope will preside over the liturgical celebration of the Passion, then attend the traditional Way of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome, a ceremony that draws thousands of people each year to the illuminated amphitheatre.

The pope will personally carry the cross through all 14 stations retracing Christ's journey, from his condemnation to his crucifixion and to his burial, according to Vatican sources.

The carrying of the cross was performed by John Paul II during the first part of his long pontificate, which lasted from 1978 to 2005, and then by Benedict XVI on a more limited basis.

But Francis had not resumed this tradition, largely for health reasons.

On Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil will be held in the atrium of St Peter's Basilica.

Leo's first Easter as pope comes just ahead of his first major international tour, in which he will visit Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea from April 13 to 23.

Z.AlNajjar--SF-PST