Bishops meeting in Holy Land urge Catholics to visit church there

Published: 2006-01-19

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- European and North American bishops called on Catholics worldwide to remember the church of the Holy Land in prayer and to come to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage. "We call upon the faithful in our nations to ... support generously the church's institutions here and to promote initiatives to bring peace and justice to all the peoples of the land," the bishops said in a statement released at a Jan. 19 press conference following the conclusion of their sixth annual meeting in Jerusalem. During the five-day meeting, the bishops expressed their solidarity with the church of Jerusalem and made pastoral visits to local Catholic parishes. The also met with members of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. Because of the upcoming Palestinian elections and the political situation in Israel following the brain hemorrhage of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the bishops did not meet with Palestinian or Israeli leaders this year. Instead, they traveled to Jordan and met with King Abdullah II to discuss the importance of the Christian presence in the region.

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