Catholic bishops from around the world in Israel this week to support Church of the Holy Land

The theme for the visit by the Holy Land Coordination is ‘A Land of Promise: Encounter and Dialogue with People of Hope’

Catholic bishops from episcopal conferences worldwide are visiting the Holy Land in and around Jerusalem until this Wednesday, having arrived on Saturday.

The visit, based daily Mass, prayer, reflection and listening to the Christian communities and peoples of the Holy Land, includes bishops from England and Wales, Italy, Germany, the Nordic countries, Ireland, France, the US, Scotland, Canada and Spain. There are also Comece bishops and representatives from Catholic organisations active in the region, along with some Anglicans.

The new Bishop of Plymouth Nicholas Hudson is moderating the group, who are meeting representatives of the local Church and other local communities. “A particular emphasis is placed on support, solidarity and care for the Living Stones – the Christians of the region,” the bishops’ conference said.

Visits include one to the Comboni Sisters who have an active ministry among Bedouin communities, for which they recently won a Caritas Internationalis “Weavers of Hope” award.

The bishops are also meeting the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Apostolic Nuncio to Israel, Archbishop Yilana, who is also Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine. There will be an an online meeting with Fr Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest serving the small Catholic community in Gaza that sheltered hundreds who lost their homes during the conflict.

They will meet the Parents Circle – Families Forum, a joint Israeli–Palestinian organisation of more than 800 bereaved families, all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the ongoing conflict. And they will celebrate Mass with the parishioners of Christ the Redeemer in Taybeh, spending the day in the village to learn about the challenges the people there are facing.

Representing Ireland is Bishop Paul Dempsey, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin and chairman of Trócaire as well as Seán Farrell, chief executive officer of Trócaire.

Bishop Dempsey said, “Our visit is pastoral in nature and seeks to offer confidence and reassurance to the Christian communities of the Holy Land by way of prayer, pilgrimage, presence and dialogue. We also hope to remind Catholics across the world to remain attentive to the conditions under which their sisters and brothers live, and worship, in the land of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. ”

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