Despite risk of attacks, Catholic pilgrims visit Jerusalem at Easter

Published: 2004-04-12

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Despite the persistent threat of terrorist attacks, Catholic pilgrims came to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter. "I am not afraid, but I know that a lot of people are," said Laura Aprati, 47, at an Easter Mass at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher. "I believe that if something will happen to me, it will happen anywhere," said Aprati, an Italian who was visiting a friend in Jerusalem. Aprati was among the several thousand Catholic pilgrims, foreign workers, diplomats and local residents who celebrated Easter Mass in the church at the site where tradition holds that Jesus was buried. Their number was augmented by several thousand Orthodox pilgrims and local Orthodox Christians who had come to celebrate the Orthodox Easter, which falls on the same date as the Catholic Easter once every four years. The numbers did not come close to the tens of thousands of pilgrims who used to attend Easter Mass prior to the outbreak of the intifada more than three years ago.

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