It is 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Holy Land High School in Jerusalem. The Holy Land Custody's educational institution, which houses hundreds of students between the ages of 12 and 17, offering them a well-rounded education to prepare them above all to face the most important challenge: building Peace in a Land that is filled with conflict. Along with them are the little ones from St. Joseph's Primary School. A sign of the educational mission that the Custody has been carrying out since time immemorial. Br Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land For centuries here in the Holy Land we have been trying to bring the spirit of St. Francis and the evangelical spirit of peace. The way we try to educate for peace is first of all to educate for mutual acceptance, coexistence. In our schools generally Christians and Muslims live together. In the Magnificat music school, Christians, Jews and Muslims. So what we try to put into practice, to put it in more current terms, is the spirit of Pope Francis' encyclical "Brothers All": trying to cultivate friendship between children and young people who are also of different religions, even of different ethnicity but who need to learn first of all to recognize each other. "Pray to breathe peace," says the Custos, "to bring peace and help everyone breathe an air that brings reconciliation and forgiveness: be peace-building children, boys and girls, young people who guard peace." Br Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land They will have to be within a difficult society like the Middle East tomorrow, they will have to be people who also make the choice of peace in their lives. The older kids display their posters in favor of dialogue and overcoming divisions and conflicts. While the younger ones, dressed as angels, tragically remind us of the too many innocent victims this war has procured. Songs and prayers in Arabic, English, and Italian follow one another, praying especially evoking the words of the Pope and always returning to the prayer of St. Francis. Br Ibrahim Faltas, Custodial Vicar of the Holy Land Every day we do the simple prayer of St. Francis, but today we did a prayer for peace. As you saw everyone participated, kids from 3 years old and up to 18 years old. Everyone against war, violence, hate...everyone said no more war, no more violence, no more blood...we want to live like children...we don't want this war. Look they did this painting of St. Francis and asked Pope Francis to help us for the ceasefire and to end this war...today they showed what the children want, they want peace. I am the director, but I was really surprised for all that the children said today...because they said it from the heart...and we really hope that the Lord hears us. This is about all the children of the Holy Land, children from Gaza, from Jenin from Nablus, from Tel Aviv...because right now all the children are suffering a lot. "We ask God to help us and the children of Gaza. Stop the war." "We Dream Security. We want peace and security in our country, living as normal children." "We want peace, we don't want hate but love." Read More