Christian exodus from Holy Land hurts entire region, Cardinal says

(Dec.10,2009): The presence of Christians in the Holy Land is a force for peace and harmony in the region, particularly because of the education and health care they offer to all, said U.S. Cardinal John Foley, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. But Christians are leaving the Middle East in record numbers, he said during a recent conference in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. Cardinal Foley said that 60 years ago, 20 percent of the population of the Holy Land was Christian. Now it is said that less than 2 percent of the population in the same area is Christian. The Knights of the Holy Sepulcher support the church in the region and the Christians who remain. The prelate said that since 2000, the order has given more than $50 million in assistance to Catholic, ecumenical and interreligious initiatives, but mainly to Catholic-run schools, hospitals and clinics. The diminishing percentage of Christians in the Holy Land's population, is not simply the result of Christians leaving, but is also due to the influx of Muslims into the Palestinian territories and Jordan because of the region's wars, said Cardinal Foley