Pilgrims Mark Palm Sunday as Holy Week Begins

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and Christians around the world have celebrated the day with various different traditions. Even in the historical place of Jerusalem, pilgrims demonstrated their Christian faith despite the rising tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.

Biblically, Palm Sunday commemorates the day when Jesus Christ made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. He rode into the city on a donkey as followers spread palm branches in his path and was hailed by the crowds who waved palm branches.

Palm Sunday also marks the beginning of Holy Week, leading up to Good Friday, which marks the eventual betrayal and the crucifixion of Jesus, and Easter Sunday celebrating the resurrection. For the Roman Catholic Church, it is a time to call for renewal of faith.

Yesterday, tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square in Italy to wait for the blessings from the Pope John Paul II. Associated Press reported that the crowd of around 50,000 pilgrims erupted into lengthy applause as the 84-year-old pope, leaning to his right at his apartment window in his seat and in obvious difficulty, blessed them with a palm branch, which symbolises an annual renewal of Christian faith.

Unfortunately, the Pope was unable to give a public address for the day because of his breathing problems since his throat operation. The Palm Sunday ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Vicar of Rome.

The cardinal said the Cross on which Christ was crucified was a source of "ever-renewing energy...which today can be seen with a special clarity on the weary face of the Holy Father."

In Jesus' birthplace, Bethlehem, Palestinian Christians yesterday turned their Palm Sunday procession into a demonstration against Israel's West Bank separation barrier.

Last week, the final route of a barrier around Jerusalem was approved. It will cut East Jerusalem and the largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank on the Israeli side off from the rest of the West Bank, hence dividing Bethlehem. The Palestinians have said that the real intention of the Israeli government in constructing the barrier was to grab West Bank land and draw a final border without waiting for a peace deal. Christians are concerned that the movement will endanger the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Several hundred Palestinians yesterday began a march in Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity, marking the birthplace of Jesus. They set out for Jerusalem on foot, with a few riding donkeys. However, they know that they would get no farther than the separation barrier Israel is building between the West Bank and Jerusalem.

A large banner painted in pastels declared, "They will not stop us," referring to the barrier, reported Associated Press.

"As Palestinian people, we cannot move between our cities," complained Ahmed al-Aze of Bethlehem. "We cannot go to pray in Jerusalem" because of the barrier.

In fact, due to the ongoing violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2001, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism recorded that the number of Christian tourists visiting Israel has dropped by one-third. Security measures such as roadblocks and checkpoints have also restricted the route of pilgrims. Even though violence has dropped considerably since Mahmoud Abbas succeeded the late Yasser Arafat as Palestinian leader in January, the peace dialogue remains in deadlock.