JERUSALEM: Nearly 1,100 pilgrims came from Egypt to celebrate Easter in Jerusalem, according to Coptic monk Andriwas Awad, despite a ban by Pope Shenouda III, head of Egypt s Coptic Orthodox Church and a fierce defender of the Palestinian cause.
I pray God gives me the means to make this pilgrimage again, said Amalia Numaan, 62, also from Egypt.
She was joined by thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world who descended on Jerusalem s Old City on Friday to retrace the path Jesus traditionally took to his crucifixion.
It is extraordinary. I hope I can come every year, said the tireless 81-year old Copt from the southern Egyptian city of Assiut.
Many shouldered wooden crosses as they made their way along the cobblestones Via Dolorosa, or Way of Suffering, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where tradition says Jesus was crucified and then buried.
Pilgrims sang hymns and read scripture beneath hazy skies as they visited each of the 14 Stations of the Cross. The scent of burning incense and candles wafted through the streets.
Representatives from two Muslim families, who have kept keys to the church since the 13th century to prevent squabbling between different Christian sects, opened the church s doors after dawn to larger than usual crowds.
The higher turnout is thanks to a lull in Israeli-Palestinian violence after over six years of uprising. Also, Catholics and Orthodox Christians are celebrating Easter on the same day this year, a rare coincidence.
I am thrilled to be here, to smell the Holy City, said Abraham Thayel, a 74-year old Indian pilgrim clutching a wooden cross in his hand.
In the crowded streets, Palestinian merchants busily sold olive wood crosses, hologram postcards of the Virgin Mary, and replica thorn crowns along with other religious trinkets and souvenirs.
Muslims with prayer rugs slung over their shoulders picked their way through the crowds of pilgrims on their way toward the Al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers.
Nearby, Jewish worshippers, in the midst of their week long Passover celebration commemorating the exodus from Egypt, swarmed to their holiest site, the Western Wall. Lodomila Vilasovich, 53 and bleary eyed, came from Ukraine along with 300 pilgrims to mark Easter.
I have not stopped crying all morning. I can feel Christ s suffering, she said.
The route trodden by the pilgrims is based on a devotional walk organized by the Roman Catholic Church s Franciscan order in the 14th century.
A monastery is built on the site where tradition holds that Jesus final journey to crucifixion began. It was there that the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, condemned him to death, but first ordered that he be scourged.
Watching the fervent crowds, Israeli police armed with M-16 rifles provided discrete security. A police spokesman said 300 police officers had been deployed throughout the Old City for the day s events.
Israel said more than 8,000 Palestinian Christians from the West Bank and 500 from the Gaza Strip had been allowed into Jerusalem to celebrate Easter, despite Israel blocking all West Bank crossings for the Passover holiday.
The Good Friday procession is part of a week of Easter festivities in the Holy City. On Thursday, the city s Christian leaders reenacted Jesus s washing the feet of his 12 apostles.
