WRAP Pilgrims re-enact Christ's final journey; Gaza Christians gather at church
(21 Mar 2008) ++PLEASE NOTE MISTAKE MADE IN SOUNDBITE IN SHOT 19++ Old City of Jerusalem 1. Wide of pilgrims 2. Pan down to wooden crosses carried by pilgrims 3. Zoom out from sculpture of Jesus carrying the cross on a church to pilgrims in the procession 4. Soldiers watching the procession 5. Pilgrims carrying a wooden cross, walking 6. Pilgrims singing 7. Pilgrims praying 8. People carrying the cross in procession 9. Various of the re-enactment of the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross Gaza city, Gaza strip 10. Exterior of church 11. Gazan Catholics entering the church 12. Wide of church service 13. Mid of clergyman leading the service 14. Close up on figure of Jesus on cross 15. Mid of Gazan Catholics at the service, with girls in traditional cloth robes 16. Mid of people at the service 17. Tilt up from service to church's ceiling 18. Clergyman playing the organ 19. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Faud Ayyad, Gazan catholic Christian: "We are very happy today to celebrate the 'sadness of Friday' during the siege to show the enemy that even though you are putting a siege on us we are celebrating this day which is the Friday you killed Jesus 5000 (meant to say 2000) years ago." 20. Mid of congregation singing during the service 21. Pan from clergyman lying on the ground as part of the service to the figure of Jesus on the cross 22. Mid of nun among people praying 23. Clergymen getting up from the floor and walking away STORYLINE: Thousands of Christians from all over the world crowded the stone alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City to mark Good Friday, retracing the route Jesus took to his crucifixion. Some pilgrims carried large wooden crosses as they walked down the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, stopping at 14 stations that commemorate events that befell Jesus as he was led to his death. Many pilgrims prayed in the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally the site of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. Some chanted hymns, while others carried a wooden cross, as AP Television footage showed. Police said thousands of security personnel were deployed around Jerusalem because of Good Friday and the Jewish festival of Purim, which also falls this weekend. Jews celebrate Purim by dressing up in costumes and reading the Book of Esther, which recounts a victory by the Jews over their enemies in ancient Persia. Police are also on high alert because of fears of a revenge attack for the February assassination of a high-ranking commander in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Israel denied involvement, but Hezbollah threatened to avenge the death with an attack on Israeli targets. A police spokesman said the alert level on Friday was one below the maximum. Less than two weeks ago, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem shot and killed eight Israeli students at a Jewish religious school in west Jerusalem. Since then, tensions in the city have been high, and last Sunday, dozens of Jewish extremists tried to attack the Palestinian gunman's home. Israel imposed a closure on the West Bank because of fears that militants might carry out attacks, but the closure also meant many Palestinian Christians couldn't make it to Jerusalem. Other visitors in evidence in Jerusalem hailed from Spain, Poland, the Philippines, Brazil, and several African nations, some wearing traditional costumes. Meanwhile, Gaza's Christian community gathered on Friday in Gaza city's Catholic church to celebrate Good Friday. Good Friday marks the beginning of the Christian festival of Easter. About 3-thousand Christians live in Gaza, in a population of 1.5 (m) million people. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
