By Erika Anderson

Staff Writer

ROSWELL--In an effort to stop the Christian exodus from the Holy Land, Father Peter Vasko, OFM, president of the Holy Land Foundation, made a plea for prayer and financial support at a presentation on Nov. 11 at St. Andrew's Church.

Established in 1994, the Holy Land Foundation includes Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Presbyterians who work to inform and educate the public about the mistreating of Christians in the Holy Land. Inadequate housing, high unemployment and greatly reduced educational opportunities are causing widespread suffering and a mass exodus of the Christian population.

"According to the latest population figures, there are 7.4 million people living in the Holy Land, or Israel-- 4.6 million are Israelis, 2.8 million are Muslims and only 160,000 people are Christians," Father Vasko said.

In the 1950s, Christians represented 25 percent of the Holy Land population, and today they account for less than three percent.

"The church leaders are warning us that if we do not do anything about this, within 60 years, based on the population and the exodus, Christianity will completely disappear [from Israel]," he said. "We're not talking about the church, as the churches are just buildings. This is the living church here in this community. Without the living church there is no Christianity, and we're talking about the future of Christianity which are the young people."

Father Vasko said that the young people are being forced out because of economic and political situations beyond their control.

The Israeli government controls a border which keeps Palestinian Christians, who live in the West Bank and Gaza, from traveling into the remainder of Israel.

Because of the border control, millions of dollars are lost every day within the West Bank and Gaza because imports and exports are not permitted to come into or go out of these regions.

In 1997, unemployment among Palestinian Christians in Israel, largely due to forced closures and travel restrictions by the Israeli government, reached 70 percent in Gaza, while the majority of Palestinian Christians live, and 50 percent in the West Bank. The average annual income for a working Palestinian Christian is $3,000-4,000 a year, where the average Israeli in the Holy Land makes $22,000-23,000 per year, according to information provided by the Holy Land Foundation.

"I always say, the key to peace in the West Bank is economic stability," Father Vasko said. "And the Israelis won't allow that."

Father Vasko also said that many Palestinian Christians have died at the border trying to enter Jerusalem to receive medical attention.

"I cannot tell you how many old people have died...[or] how many babies were lost at the border because they were coming from the West Bank into Jerusalem," he said. "You will not hear about this in your newspapers because it's a very bad thing to talk about. No one wants to hear about it, but it's a cover-up. I've been there for 14 years. I've seen it happen."

In addition to his position as president of the foundation, Father Vasko also serves as the director of development for the Franciscan Custody. For the past 800 years, the Franciscan Custody has ministered to the Christians and maintained the holy sites and shrines in what is now the state of Israel.

He is actively involved in the international diplomatic community in Jerusalem, serving as the liaison and guide for the White House through the U.S. Embassy, as well as with the municipality of Jerusalem. He serves as the chaplain for the U.S. Marine Security Guard assigned to the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem.

Father Vasko is the author of "See The Holy Land," a photo essay of Israel, and has also completed a 75-minute video about the Holy Land entitled "On the Road to Christ."

Father Vasko has spoken on the Holy Land and the Middle East in Europe, Africa and throughout the United States.

He urged those attending his presentation to realize the gravity of the situation in the Holy Land.

"Without the church in Jerusalem, there'd be no church in Roswell, in Brussels, in Miami. If we do not have a sense of who we are as Christians, then we shouldn't call ourselves Christians," he said. "This is our origin, these are our roots, this is our heritage and it's dying."

Father Vasko and the Holy Land Foundation are working to stop the exodus of Christians. The goals of the Foundation include helping Christians to find employment through training, counseling and by creating new positions in schools, churches, parish centers and medical facilities. The foundation has also implemented a scholarship program which offers 75 scholarships a year to Christians who sign a contract agreeing to work in the Holy Land for three years.

The Holy Land Foundation has established a Community Housing Development Program to provide subsidized housing for Christians in Holy Land cities.

"We've just finished 42 apartments for 42 young families who were going to Australia, who were going to South America, who were going to Canada, who were going to the United States," Father Vasko said. "I want you to go over there and see their faces and see how thankful they are. They didn't want to leave. They were being pushed out, but the foundation is giving them hope."

Housing units are proposed for the cities of Bethlehem, Jericho, Bethphage and Nazareth, while 62 other units have already been built in Bethany and Beit-Hanina.

The foundation's goals also include construction of a medical clinic in Jericho to provide primary care for children, prenatal care, maternity care and limited emergency medical services.

The goals also include restoring the Tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at an estimated cost of $4.5 million.

Father Vasko believes that he has been called to inform the world of the plight of the Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land.

"When you let go and let God, you will have peace," he said. "This is God's mission. My job is simply to tell you what is happening and he will touch the hearts."

After the presentation, those in attendance were treated to a wine and cheese reception.

Karen Carroll, the Atlanta regional director for the Holy Land Foundation and a parishioner of St. Andrew's, said that she visited the Holy Land in the early 1990s and "fell in love with it."

"It's such a peaceful, holy land," she said. "You just feel a serenity and quiet peace among all the turmoil. You know there is terrorism, but you just feel the holiness."

Carroll also said that others need to be aware of the situations the Christians are facing in the Holy Land.

"When you go to the holy sites, you can't even take pictures because you are so moved. You can only cry and pray," she said. "We need to preserve the living Christians who worship there, not just who live there, but worship there."

Patti Graper, a St. Andrew's parishioner, has also traveled to the Holy Land. She said that she believes it is important to preserve it.

"If anybody believed in Christ, they'd want to go there, and if you weren't a believer, if you were to go there, there'd be no questions. All doubts are gone," she said. "Everything you read about in the Bible is right there. It's tangible. It is an important thing to preserve because others need to have that experience. If the Christians are gone, then there is not the vitality and that energy there that the living people bring to it."

For more information about the Holy Land Foundation, write to the Holy Land Foundation, c/o Amesbury Ltd., Peggy A. Gredington, 1724 Clarkson Road #350, Chesterfield, Mo. 63017, or call (314) 530-1510.