Bethlehem Light of Peace has arrived in Gibraltar

ON Friday December 16 at the City Hall, His Worship the mayor, Adolfo J Canepa OBE GMH MP, received the Bethlehem Light of Peace on behalf of the people of Gibraltar. The Light was presented by the Scouts’ Association (Gibraltar Branch) as has now become traditional, following its collection this year from the Movimiento Scouts Catolicos, Delegacion de Jerez de la Frontera.

Now in its 29th year, the Peace Light from Bethlehem campaign was originally organised by the Austrian Broadcasting Company – ORF (Linz) – and was part of a large charitable relief mission – Light into Darkness, for children in need in Austria and abroad. Since 1986, there has been a great deal of cooperation between Scouts and Guides in many countries which has allowed the light to travel throughout Europe, such that the light is passed on to 23 European Countries and for the past few years on to North America, Mexico and Canada.

Each year, a child from Upper Austria kindles a flame from the ‘Eternal Flame’ from the Nativity Grotto in Bethlehem where Jesus is said to have been born. The light is then flown to Austria from where it is distributed at a Service of Dedication to delegations from across Europe who take it back, with a message of Peace, to their own countries for use at ecumenical services throughout the Continent.

Scouts and guides have now taken the light on to other churches and places of public or cultural importance in Gibraltar as a message of light and peace message, which encourages everyone, but especially scouts and guides, to actively create peace in their environment by being tolerant towards people of different ethnic, cultural, political or religious groups.