Caritas Jerusalem mourns the passing of the Holy Father

Caritas Jerusalem joins the rest of the world in mourning the passing of our spiritual shepherd, His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II was to us such a special example of the timeless virtues of Christianity: faith, hope and love. His steadfast and unwavering faith in God's power to touch the lives of all people in the whole world; his constant hope for a better tomorrow for all of God's children and his undying love for the whole world gave all of us, who were honored to have been a part of his holy ministry, a model of Christian action whose memory to us is indeed blessed. We also wish to recognize and thank the late Holy Father for his unwavering advocacy for the best of human virtues: reaching out to the poorest and most marginalized members of the human family; championing the causes of the defenseless, always advocating for the dignity of the human being, and calling for justice and true freedom for all of God's children. His example has been an inspiration to all of us. He has reminded us (through his own personal walk with Christ) of how we all should approach our Christian lives by walking directly with the Lord. Pope John Paul II showed us by his example that Christians should "walk, even as He (Christ) walked." (I John 2:6) His constant example by his actions to ''Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness" (Ephesians 4:1, 2) inspired us all. He chose to "walk by faith," (II. Corinthians 5:7) "in the light" (I John 1:7), "in love" (Ephesians 5:2), and "in the spirit." (Galatians 5:16) May we all learn from this special servant of God so that our world can be a better place for all of God's children. At this time, please join us in mourning the passing of this great champion of faith, hope and love and rejoice with us as we remember him and celebrate the miracle that was his life. With sadness, Claudette Habesch Secretary General Caritas Jerusalem Samuel Martin Communications Officer Caritas Jerusalem