Delegation of EU Prelates on annual tour of Holy Land.
(Jan.13,2010): : The annual visit that European and North American bishops make to
the Holy Land is under way through Thursday. The five-day visit is being made by 26
prelates and representatives, including the Council of European Episcopal Conferences
general secretary, Father Duarte Da Cunha. "With this visit, the European bishops
want to express their desire to better understand and share the problems of the peoples
in those territories, and at the same time to offer a tangible sign of the closeness
that our Churches have towards the Christians of the Holy Land and their friendship
towards the Israeli and Palestinian peoples," said Father Da Cunha. The priest characterized
the visit as a time to listen with humility, to the joys and hopes, the needs and
difficulties, not only of the various Christian and Catholic communities present in
the Holy Land, but also of the Israeli and Palestinian populations. "The Church in
Europe needs this type of encounter to build bridges of solidarity and hope with the
Christian communities in the Palestinian territories and in Israel, and to better
determine the type of interventions in support of our Christian brothers and sisters,"
Father Da Cunha affirmed. The delegation began its visit in Gaza and the West
Bank. Their program also included the University of Bethlehem and Beit Safa Seminary.
Wednesday, they are scheduled to meet with President Shimon Peres and President Mahmud
Abbas. The visit concludes Thursday in Jerusalem with a celebration at the Holy Sepulcher
and a press conference.