A Prayer for Peace in the Holy Land*
From the OFM Communication Office
SHALOM
Lord, the one God,
God of our life, of our very world, of our common future
With our Brothers and Sisters of all religions,
we raise up our prayer to you.
We feel ourselves united especially
to those people and religions
that hold the Sacred Places in the Holy Land.
You created us all in your image and likeness:
we all are your living image.
You have infused hunger and thirst for justice
and a deep desire for peace
In all who truly seek you.
All – Muslims, Jews and Christians –
are grieved by the death of the victims of hatred and violence.
And all are called, in your design,
To build a new world and to be instruments of dialogue and peace.
We ask you, therefore,
Grant a durable peace to the Near East and the Holy Land.
Have the forces of pardon defeat the forces
of hatred and vengeance.
Cause hearts to open and firearms to grow silent.
Have a secure homeland for all emerge.
Have all those of good will from all religions
Dismantle the mountains of misunderstanding,
Fill in the chasms of hatred and level the paths
that lead to a common future.
Have justice engender peace:
Shalom without differences for all!
And bring it about that we begin in,
with and through ourselves.
-Hermann Schalück, OFM
*Br. Hermann Schalück, in the name of "Missio", composed an "ecumenical" prayer for peace in the Middle East and the Holy Land. The prayer has been recited by many Fraternities of the Franciscan Family, by other religious communities and by many parishes (Catholic and non-Catholic) since the 3rd week of April, 2001. Courtesy of the OFM Communications Office.
 FI
Statements on Peace at the United Nations:
Franciscans International, as an NGO with General Consultative
Status with the Economic and Social Council, delivers
official written and oral interventions before United
Nations forums in New York and Geneva, Switzerland. Listed
below are Franciscans International statements on Peace:
2005
"Summary Report." A written statement presented at the
Commission on Human Rights (61st Session) 2005. (2005-04-22)
2004
"Human Rights in Occupied Iraq (oral statement)." An oral statement presented at the
United Nations,
Commission on Human Rights,
60th Session, UN Geneva,
15 March – 23 April 2004, . (2004-03-26)
"The Israeli Security Wall (written statement)." An oral statement presented at the
same meeting. (2004-03-26)
"Impact of the Israeli Security Wall in the Holy Land (oral statement)." An oral statement presented at the
same meeting. (2004-03-24)
2002
"Special Debate - Current Situation in the Holy Land." A written statement presented at the
UN Commission on Human Rights, Fifty-eighth Session. (2002-04-05)
"Item 4: Special Sitting on the Situation in the occupied Palestinian territory ." A written statement presented at the
same meeting. (2002-03-01)
2000
"Item 13: Rights of the Child, The Human Rights of Children in Iraq ." An oral statement presented at the
UN Commission on Human Rights, Fifty-sixth session. (2000-03-20)
" Item 13: Rights of the Child: The Human Rights of Children in Iraq." A written statement presented at the
same meeting. (2000-03-20)
"Summary of Our Interventions Concerning Iraq." A summary of our interventions at the
UN Commission on Human Rights, Fifty-sixth session. (2000-03-20)
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