Bishops in solidarity with Holy Land's "suffering and vulnerable”

January 04, 2013 - Bishops from across Europe and North America will start visiting Syrian refugees in Jordan as also other suffering and vulnerable people and communities in the Holy Land, on Saturday. The visit is part of the 13th meeting of the Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church of the Holy Land and the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, taking place in Bethlehem, 5-10 January. The delegation will visit Jordan and then conclude the annual pastoral visit in Jerusalem. Delegates will be updated about the current situation in the Holy Land by Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem and by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto. There will be contributions from representatives of different Christian organizations and those who work with refugees, prisoners, Philippine workers and other vulnerable people. In addition to prayer and the daily celebration of Mass there will also be meetings with the local communities and Catholic prelates from different rites, students from Bethlehem University, representatives of civil society and with the local authorities.
The delegation is organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, with a mandate from the Holy See to offer support to the Christian Churches and communities of the Holy Land. It is made up of Catholic Bishops from across Europe and North America and Catholic organisations and agencies who join together with the Association of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land for an annual meeting every January. The visit will end on 10 January in Jerusalem with a celebration of Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre followed by a news conference for all media.