Intifada impacts schools, but patriarchate determined to go on

Published: 2004-05-12

BEIT JALLA, West Bank (CNS) -- Schools in the Latin-rite Patriarchate of Jerusalem provide Islamic as well as Christian religious instruction in an effort to help educate all their students, a schools official said. "Our schools are an opportunity to give (Muslims) an insight into our values. We don't want them to become Christian, but we want to spread our peaceful values in a world where peaceful values are not accepted," said Father Majdi al-Siryani, director of the patriarchate schools in the Palestinian territories. "We ... need to educate them in their religion. We make sure they get the right teachings; otherwise, someone else will teach them the wrong Muslim teachings," he said. The Latin Patriarchate parish schools have come a long way since being founded 150 years ago in the Holy Land with a handful of students and a group of determined priests.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .