Vatican official calls Holy Land pilgrimages 'acts of courage'

Published: 2004-02-26

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- A Vatican official said pilgrimages to the Holy Land were "acts of courage and solidarity" that helped bring peace to the region. Msgr. Liberio Andreatta, director-general of Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, the Vatican's pilgrimage office, said pilgrims "can be protagonists for a common project of peace." He made his remarks during a plenary session of the Third Prime Minister's Conference for Tourism to Israel, held in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv Feb. 22-24. Pilgrims of all faiths with roots in the Holy Land should be free to visit their holy sites, Msgr. Andreatta said. "This is a land that belongs to God ... here every believer finds his culture and religion. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a duty and a right," he said. Despite the political conflicts, Msgr. Andreatta said pilgrims can travel to the Holy Land, but should coordinate their trips with Israeli and Palestinian authorities. Those pilgrims who have "overcome the threshold of initial fear" have had very meaningful and safe experiences in the Holy Land, he said.

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