?From the Holy Land, Assisi and Montecassino – Olive branches for World Youth Day in Krakow

Olive branches from the Holy Land,
Montecassino and Assisi will be blessed by the Pope on Palm Sunday and will be
sent on to Krakow, where they will be given by the youth to civil and
ecclesiastical authorities involved in organizing WYD 2016.

The
initiative, sponsored by several Polish youth volunteers in cooperation with
the planning committee for World Youth Day, was inspired by a phrased used by
the Pontiff in the Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee: “Mercy is the force that
reawakens us to new life and instils in us the courage to look to the future
with hope” (Misericordiae Vultus, 10).

The
organizers, who are currently in Italy, explained that it is about fostering an
authentic spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation. These are the foundation of
mercy and instil peace in the heart. The purpose of the olive branch is to
symbolize the truth of mercy which cannot exist without forgiveness and
reconciliation. The youth volunteers want to emphasize that in order to deserve
the title “merciful”, everyone must overcome all divisions. The olive branches
will be delivered to representative of civil and ecclesiastical institutions
and to citizens of Krakow, inviting them to forgiveness, to reconciliation and
cooperation, in order to be worthy of experiencing the Holy of Mercy and to
give the best possible welcome to participants in WYD.