In Holy Land, Australian bishop urges prayers for Middle East peace

Published: 2007-12-10

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- While the situation on the ground remains dire in the Holy Land, the flame of hope from the Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Md., should be stoked to make sure it stays alive, said Archbishop Francis Carroll, retired archbishop of Canberra, Australia. "At least at the moment there ... has been a renewal of some hope (though) there seems to be a great deal of skepticism. We should be (sending our) prayers," he told Catholic News Service in a phone interview Dec. 8 during a weeklong visit to the Holy Land with Australian church leaders. He said the Australian church leaders would ask their government to do what it can to further the peace talks. The archbishop added that the delegation's mission was to bring the power of prayer to the peace process. "We would like to give greater support to the Christians," he said. "The No. 1 priority for the local church leaders is prayer, and they spoke strongly on the value of pilgrimage (to the Holy Land.)"

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