Pray Sunday 8th June: Pope Francis Gathers Israeli and Palestinian Leaders to Pray for PeaceCarla Harding - 6 Jun 2014

Sunday will be an historic day, as the leaders of Israel and Palestine, two nations long in conflict, will join with Pope Francis to pray for peace.  Will you join them and ask Jesus to bring lasting peace to this region?

Speaking from Bethlehem on a recent trip to the Middle East, Pope Francis said,

“Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment.”

Shimon Peres, the President of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, will be joining Pope Francis at his home in the Vatican.  The Pope has been quite clear that his intention is not mediation or negotiation.

“We’ll meet just to pray,” said Pope Francis, “and then everyone will go home. But I think praying is important…”

Sunday the 8th is Pentecost Sunday; the end of the Easter season and the day we remember when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the early Church in Jerusalem.   It’s a symbolic day to ask Jesus for another powerful move of His Spirit to bring peace between Israel and Palestine.

“Blessed are the peacemakers...” Jesus – Matthew 5:9

Hundreds (potentially thousands) of Christians around the world are committing to pray this Sunday as the Pope, President Peres and President Abbas meet.  If you want to join in this world-wide moment of prayer then add your amen in two ways:

1. This Sunday, wear your prayer on your hands – write Israel on one hand and Palestine on the other (you may need a little help!)  As you bring them together in prayer ask Jesus to:

• Guide Pope Francis as he helps to lead President Abbas and President Peres in prayer
• To heal the hurts, physical, emotional and spiritual, inflicted on both Israeli and Palestinian communities
• For Jesus to give the leaders and citizens of each nation the grace and strength to forgive

2. Register on the Pray With Them site – a call to all Christians to join with these three leaders to pray for peace, and show that you are part of a global prayer movement

The image of Pope Francis is used under a Creative Commons license Attribution-share Alike 2.0 generic and cropped from this image.  Attribution: presidencia.gov.ar