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Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa during the Christmas celebrations in Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa during the Christmas celebrations in Jerusalem  (AFP or licensors)

Holy Land Co-ordination to visit Jerusalem in January

A delegation of the Holy Land Co-ordination is to travel to Jerusalem from 18-23 January for the annual pilgrimage of solidarity to the Christian communities in the Holy Land which didn’t take place this year due to the war in Gaza.

By Lisa Zengarini

The Co-ordination of Bishops' Conferences in Support of the Church in the Holy Land, better known as the Holy Land Co-ordination (HLC), is to resume its annual pilgrimage of solidarity to the Holy Land, which did not take place this year due to the tragic attacks of 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

A delegation of twelve bishops, including two bishops from England and Wales, is set to travel to Jerusalem from 18-23 January.

A pilgrimage of solidarity  with Christians enduring war in the Holy Land

Created in the late 1990s, the Holy Land Co-ordination is organised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) and brings together bishops from across Europe, North America and South Africa. Their action is focused on four Ps: Presence, Prayer, Pilgrimage, and Pressure.  “Pilgrimage” is the most important part of the meeting, in which the bishops sometimes also meet local political leaders. The bishops go to the Holy Land to let the local Christian communities know they are not forgotten; to pray with them; to encourage pilgrimage to their land; and to advocate on their behalf in their respective countries.

"You are not forgotten"

As the war between Hamas and Israel continues unabated with its toll of death and destruction, the bishops of the Coordination now feel all the more urgently the need to go and be in solidarity with Christians of the Holy Land and all who have suffered since October 7. “The devastation of war and suffering in the Holy Land is heart-breaking and the need for prayer, support, and to find ways to end the violence has never been more urgent,” explains Bishop Nicholas Hudson, the Chair of the CBCEW’s Department for International Affairs and the Moderator of the HLC.

“As Christians, we are called to be in solidarity with those who suffer and to say, ‘We are with you. You are not forgotten’”

Recalling Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa’s words during his recent four-day visit to London, Bishop Hudson highlighted the crucial role Christians can play to help bring about reconciliation and a longstanding peace in the region.

Working for reconcilation in broken communities

In his homily in Westminster Cathedral for the First Sunday of Advent, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem spoke of the special vocation of Christians in the Holy Land to work to bring communities back together and to rebuild relationships which have been broken by hatred and mutual fear.

“Our visit in January 2025 will bea time to reaffirm our bond of communion with the Church in the Holy Land, and with all who suffer and are without hope,” said Bishop Hudson who offered a special prayer calling for the Holy Spirit to guide its people into the ways of peace, truth and reconciliation.

“Heavenly Father, we pray this Christmas for all who suffer in the Land which your Son made Holy by his birth and life and dying and rising for us. May the Lord Jesus hold them in his Sacred Heart. Send forth again your Spirit to renew the face of the Holy Land and guide its people into the ways of peace and truth and reconciliation. We make this prayer through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.”

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30 December 2024, 13:06