Flame of Hope Set to Shine Brightly in Bethlehem
- lawrencelefcort
- Oct 18
- 3 min read
Just weeks after the conclusion of the HOPE80 Japan pilgrimage From Hiroshima to Hope, the Flame of Hope traveled to Bethlehem, Palestine, to explore the possibility of installing an eternal Flame of Hope next to the Church of Nativity in the heart of the city center.
Ven. Ryokyu Endo, founder of the Flame of Hope and the HOPE80 global peace pilgrimage, met with Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati, to discuss the initial steps needed to turn the inspiring idea into a reality.
“Installing the Flame of Hope at the birthplace of Lord Jesus Christ would amplify the Flame of Hope's impact among the thousands of Christians who have already added their prayers and wishes into the Flame," says Ven. Endo. "An eternal Flame of Hope already burns brightly at the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini, Nepal. And we hope to bring it to Mecca in the very near future."
About 700,000 people worldwide have added their prayers and wishes for the world into the Flame of Hope; individuals of all faiths, beliefs, and nationalities.
Elias D’eis, Executive Director of Holy Land Trust, the Flame of Hope’s partner in Bethlehem, believes that bringing the Flame to Bethlehem — the birthplace of Jesus and the gateway to Palestine — carries a profound message for the world.
“From Bethlehem, the city where hope was born, the Flame of Hope will shine as a light for all humanity,” Elias says. “It reminds us that peace is not a distant dream but a shared responsibility. As people from different cultures, faiths, and nations gather here, we unite our spirits against injustice and violence — and together, we rekindle our faith in humanity.”
From Hiroshima to Bethlehem
The Journey to Bethlehem was inspired by the Flame of Hope’s recent tour across Japan. Entitled HOPE80: Yesterday’s Enemies are Today’s Friends, the descendants of World War II leaders came to Japan carrying the Flame of Hope, during a two-week peace pilgrimage across the nation.
In an historic moment ten years in the making, the grandson of U.S. President Harry Truman and the great grandson of Japanese WWII Prime Minister Hideki Tojo stood together in Hiroshima on September 13th, 2025 to honour the victims of the atomic bomb dropped on the city eighty years ago.
Their shared message to present and future generations was clear: take responsibility for today, and build the future you wish to see. Yesterday’s enemies can indeed become today’s friends. It is this vision that now guides the Flame of Hope’s journey to Bethlehem—a journey fueled by the world’s shared longing for peace, security, and human dignity in the Holy Land and beyond.
A Sacred Flame Inspires Thousands
The Flame of Hope was conceived in 2014 by Japanese healer and visionary Ryokyu Endo, after a transformative moment with a young Palestinian boy who had lost both legs in a bombing. Struck by grief, Ryokyu prayed that no child should ever suffer like that again. From this prayer, the Flame of Hope was born.
The Flame of Hope now contains embers from:
The Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Memorial Flame
The Eternal Flame of Jesus in Jerusalem
The Sacred Kiezu-no-hi Flame in Japan (burning for 1,200+ years)
The Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini
The Eternal Flame of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Eternal Flame of Mahatma Gandhi
And 10 other sacred peace sites
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