Vatican City (Vatican), 23 March (LaPresse) – “To the hardships of this time of war, which affect us all, is added today the further hardship of not being able to celebrate Easter properly and together. It is a wound that adds to the many others inflicted by the conflict. But we must not allow ourselves to be discouraged. If we cannot gather as we would wish, let us not give up on prayer.” So says Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, regarding the changes to Easter services in the Holy Land. The cardinal has issued a call to prayer and launched an initiative for a rosary for peace on 28 March: “We long for peace, first and foremost for our troubled hearts. Only prayer can grant it. I therefore invite you to join in prayer next Saturday, 28 March, reciting the Rosary to implore the gift of peace and serenity, especially for those suffering because of the conflict. We will do so with humble hearts, certain that our prayer, even if we are physically distant, is capable of drawing upon the strength of God’s love, which unites us in a spirit of hope and trust.”