News

		Search the site:

Home

Welcome

About Us

Events

News

Newsletter

Activities

Publications

The Holy Land

10th Conference

Projects & Programs

Support HCEF

Light a candle for peace

Links

Contact Us

Site Map

Site Search

Holy Land Days and Holy Land Gift Sales

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land/January

Shrine of St. Jude Living Stones Pilgrimage Itinerary April 27 – May 11, 2009

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land/May

Child Sponsorship Program

"To such as these does the Kingdom of God belong!" Matthew 19:14

News

Media Section

Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

NEWS SECTIONS

Show All

Press Releases

Media

News

• Pilgrims Visit Bethlehem on Christmas Eve

25-Dec-04 Zenit,

BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Several thousand pilgrims flocked to the traditional birthplace of Jesus on Christmas Eve -- crowds that were bigger than in the past few years.

Christian worshippers made their way to Manger Square, next to the Church of the Nativity, on Friday. Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem celebrated Midnight Mass in the adjacent St. Catherine's Church. Hundreds of people packed the church, the Associated Press reported.

(Read more here)

• "Peace in the Holy Land Means Peace Elsewhere": Reflection by Apostolic Delegate in Jerusalem

24-Dec-04 Zenit,

The apostolic delegate in Jerusalem wrote this reflection for Christmas, noting that the birth of Christ and the faith of Christians and pilgrims are a source of optimism and peace. This reflection was first published by AsiaNews, an agency of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions.

(Read more here)

• Palestinian Leaders Allowed Into Bethlehem

24-Dec-04 Zenit,

BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Hundreds of pilgrims and a new Palestinian leadership came to Bethlehem for Christmas as the town of Jesus' birth celebrated the festival with hopes for peace following Yasser Arafat's passing.

Israel had barred Arafat, who died last month, from Midnight Mass in Bethlehem during Christmases past, accusing him of fomenting bloodshed -- allegations he always denied.

Reuters said that Israel allowed Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie into the West Bank town.

At Bethlehem's Paradise Hotel, owner George Abu Aita said occupancy was 20% for Christmas. "It's better than last year,'' he said.

(Read more here)

• A Sad New Carol: Go Ye From Bethlehem

23-Dec-04 NY Times, Greg Myre,

In the town where Christians believe Christ was born, the Christians are leaving.

Four years of violence, an economic free fall and the Israeli separation barrier have all contributed to the hardships facing Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem, one of the largest concentrations of Christians in the region.

An estimated 3,000 Christians in the Bethlehem area have moved abroad since the Palestinian uprising began in 2000, according to Bernard Sabella, an associate professor of sociology at Bethlehem University who has tracked the issue. While some others put the number a bit lower, there is a consensus that 10 percent or more of the Christian population in Bethlehem and two adjoining towns has departed.

(Read more here)

• Planned wall around Rachel's Tomb may divide families, residents say

23-Dec-04 Catholic News Services, Judith Sudilovsky,

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) -- For now, it takes Amjad Awwad one minute to cross the street from his home to the minimarket where he works.

But if Israeli plans to construct a wall around nearby Rachel's Tomb materialize, it could take the 37-year-old an hour to get to work. In such a case he would be forced to go to his store via the Israeli checkpoint a few yards away at the other end of the street.

"We will be living in a prison," said Awwad, a Greek Orthodox.

Awwad's longtime customers, the Bandak family, also live across the street from the store and often run out for last-minute purchases.

(Read more here)

• Christians to visit suffering church in Bethlehem for Christmas

06-Dec-04 Ekklesia,

Christians working for peace and nonviolent solutions to conflict are to express solidarity to Christians in Bethlehem by visiting them this Christmas.

Members of Pax Christi, a Catholic organisation, will also meet with members of the Muslim and Jewish communities who are working for peace and human rights in the region.

In recent years, Bethlehem has been under curfew at Christmas and the Church of the Nativity was involved in a siege in Bethlehem in 2002.

At Easter Christians in the West Bank were prevented by Israel's security measures from visiting the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion to celebrate Easter.

(Read more here)

• Israelis and Palestinians Aim to Promote Pilgrimages

05-Dec-04 Zenit,

Israeli and Palestinian officials signed a joint statement to announce that they will collaborate in promoting pilgrimages and tourism to the Holy Land.

In the text, signed by Gideon Ezra, Israel's minister of tourism, and Mitri Abu Aita, Palestinian minister of tourism and antiquities, they thank the Pope for his efforts in this respect.

The statement was a result of a meeting both ministers held Nov. 24. It explains "that tourism is not only a major economic force, and an important tool for nations' prosperity, but also a means of bringing peace and building bridges of confidence between peoples of the Middle East."

(Read more here)

• Vatican Radio Starts Arabic Edition on Internet

03-Oct-04 Zenit,

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 3, 2004 - Vatican Radio has inaugurated on Internet its news program in Arabic, which is updated daily.

"A commitment of high technical and editorial quality has been necessary to put into operation a system that integrates, image, sound and written texts in completely different alphabets," the papal broadcasting station announced in a statement.

(Read more here)

• Caritas Jerusalem: Main Findings of the Survey on the Impact of Israeli Measures on the Economic Conditions of the Palestinian Households

01-Oct-04 Caritas Jerusalem,

Caritas Jerusalem wishes to bring to the attention of all concerned individuals, governmental officials, religious leaders and donors the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe facing the Palestinian people. This issue was recently demonstrated again in a comprehensive survey of almost 3,400 Palestinian households in the West Bank and Gaza done by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

(Read more here)

• Holy See Reiterates Concerns for Holy Land, Iraq and Africa; Vatican Official Addresses Debate at U.N.

01-Oct-04 Zenit,

NEW YORK, SEPT. 30, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The conflict in the Holy Land, the war in Iraq, and the violence in Africa are sources of particular concern for the Holy See in the international scene. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, Vatican secretary for relations with states, expressed these concerns Wednesday when addressing the U.N. General Assembly.

(Read more here)

Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9