The Christian community of Gaza was the focal point of this year's
visit to the Holy Land by Bishops from across Europe, North America and
South Africa in support of the local Christian communities and the
pastoral work of the Church at the service of all in the Holy Land.
The
visiting Bishops make up the Holy Land Co-ordination, mandated by the
Holy See, focusing on prayer, pilgrimage and advocacy for justice and
peace with the aim of acting in solidarity with the Christian community
there and sharing in the pastoral life of the local Church as it
experiences intense political and socio-economic pressure. This year it
met from 12 January to 16 January, 2014.
The Christian community of Gaza is made up of around 2,500
Christians, of whom Catholics number just under 200, out of a total
population of over 1.5 million.
After celebrating Mass with the Holy
Family parish in Gaza and meeting the parishioners, the Bishops met with
Religious Sisters and Christian agencies, visiting projects for the
disabled and deaf and vocational training of young people.
They also
offered their support to the Christian schools and hospitals at the
service of all in Gaza.
Time and again, the Bishops were thanked for their visit to Gaza as
the people urged Christians across the world not to forget them, to pray
for them and support them however they could.
In their final communique, (full text at the end of this piece) the
Bishops, called for an urgent resolution to the situation, describing
Gaza as a man-made disaster. They said:
"Gaza is... a shocking scandal, an injustice that cries out to
the human community for a resolution. We call upon political leaders to
improve the humanitarian situation of the people in Gaza, assuring
access to the basic necessities for a dignified human life, the
possibilities for economic development, and freedom of movement".
Following the two-day visit to Gaza, the Bishops met with
representatives of Israeli civil society in Tel Aviv before going on to
Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jerusalem. There they heard from senior
Palestinian negotiators on the peace process before meeting with
students from Bethlehem University.
There they listened to the young
people's experiences of day to day life in this divided land, following
the encouragement of the Mayor of Bethlehem to all Christians to come on
pilgrimage and meet Christian families, the 'living stones' of the Holy
Land.
On Wednesday, 15 January, the Bishops visited Schmidt School in
Jerusalem, which educates Palestinian girls, and heard about projects
focusing on youth empowerment. They also visited the Cremisan Valley
where the planned route of an Israeli security wall threatens the land
and livelihoods of 58 Christian families based in the Bethlehem area.
Families who will lose their land as a direct result of this wall,
called for urgent intervention with building scheduled to start
imminently. Their testimony brought home the fragility of their
continued presence in the Holy Land and the urgency of their pleas for
international support.
Following meetings with His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal and the
Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Mass was celebrated for
the Golden Anniversary of Catholic Relief Services. The Holy Land
Co-ordination concluded with a visit to the Armenian Patriarchate,
following prayers and Mass.
Statement of the Co-ordination of Bishops' Conferences in support of the Church in the Holy Land
As bishops from Europe, South Africa and North America we came to the
Holy Land to pray with and support the Christian community and the
cause of peace. In Gaza we witnessed the deep poverty of the people, and
the courageous presence of the small and vulnerable Christian
communities there.
Gaza is a man-made disaster, a shocking scandal, an injustice that
cries out to the human community for a resolution. We call upon
political leaders to improve the humanitarian situation of the people in
Gaza, assuring access to the basic necessities for a dignified human
life, the possibilities for economic development, and freedom of
movement.
In the seemingly hopeless situation of Gaza, we met people of hope.
We were encouraged by our visit to tiny Christian communities, which day
after day, through many institutions, reach out with compassion to the
poorest of the poor, both Muslim and Christian. We continue to pray for
and support the priests, religious and laypeople working in Gaza.
They
exercise a ministry of presence, care for disabled children and the
elderly, and teach the young.
Their testimony of faith, hope and love gave us hope. This is
precisely the hope needed at this moment to bring peace, a peace that
can only be built on justice and equity for both peoples. Palestinians
and Israelis desperately need this peace. For example, in the Cremisan
valley the route of the security barrier threatens the agricultural land
held for generations by 58 Christian families. The current peace talks
come at a critical time. Now is the time to ensure that the aspirations
for justice of both sides are fulfilled.
We urge public officials to become leaders of hope, not people of
obstruction. We call upon them to listen to the words of Pope Francis,
who recently said to the Diplomatic Corps: "The resumption of peace
talks between Israelis and Palestinians is a positive sign, and I
express my hope that both parties will resolve, with the support of the
international community, to take courageous decisions aimed at finding a
just and lasting solution to a conflict which urgently needs to end"
(13 January, 2014).
As we leave the Holy Land, the bishops and people of the local Church
remain in our hearts. They are not alone. Together with them we are
people of hope. We pray that the visit of Pope Francis to the Holy Land
will reinforce hope in the region. We believe a lasting peace is
possible.
The Co-ordination of Bishops' Conferences in support of the Church in
the Holy Land was formed in 1998 at the request of the Holy See. It is
more simply called the Holy Land Co-ordination. Each year they come at
the invitation of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land.
The Holy Land Co-ordination focuses on prayer, pilgrimage and advocacy
with the aim of acting in solidarity with the local Christian community
and sharing in the life of the Church as it experiences intense
political and socio-economic pressures.
The Bishops who took part in
this year's Holy Land Co-ordination were:
Archbishop Stephen Brislin, South Africa
Bishop Pierre Burcher, Scandinavia
Bishop William Crean, Ireland
Bishop Michel Dubost, France
Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher, Canada
Archbishop Patrick Kelly, England and Wales
Bishop William Kenney, England and Wales
Bishop Declan Lang, England and Wales (chair of the Holy Land Co-ordination)Bishop Denis Nulty, IrelandBishop Richard Pates, United States of AmericaBishop Thomas Renz, GermanyBishop Janusz Stepnowski, PolandArchbishop Joan Enric Vives, Spain