Cardinal encourages pilgrimages to the Holy Land, CathNews 7 Apr 2004

Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud has called for Catholics adopt an attitude of "prudent determination" in the face of danger, and travel to the Holy Land.

He told Vatican Radio on Tuesday that trips to the Holy Land can bring hope to the Christians living there. He said Palestinian Christians are tempted to emigrate because of the violence and discrimination that surrounds them, and they "face the future with uncertainty."

He argued that the world's Christians should come to their aid, because "we must not resign ourselves to the prospect of a Holy Land without Christians."

Cardinal Moussa Daoud had been asked by Vatican Radio to comment on the annual appeal for financial help for the Church in the Holy Land, an appeal that is traditionally made during Holy Week. He replied that financial help was useful, but visits by Christians from other countries would be an even more powerful form of help.

The Syrian cardinal said that Israeli and Palestinian authorities recognise the importance of religious tourism, which furnishes a large portion of the revenue for some towns in the Holy Land. He pointed out that "for the security of pilgrims, some guarantees have been made by the parties to the conflict."

Those guarantees have not always been honoured. Vatican officials have sharply criticised the Israeli government in recent weeks for barring pilgrims from shrines on Palestinian territory - allegedly on grounds of "national security."

Prelate urges pilgrimages to the Holy Land , Vatican, Apr. 06 (CWNews.com) Catholic World News

Vatican, Apr. 06 (CWNews.com) - The prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches has called for more pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

While acknowledging that many Christians are fearful about a visit to the volatile region, Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud said that the faithful should plan pilgrimages "with prudence but with determination." Trips to the Holy Land, he said, could bring hope to the Christians living there.

Speaking on Vatican Radio on April 5, Cardinal Moussa Daoud reminded listeners that the Christians of the Holy Land are tempted to emigrate because of the violence and discrimination that surrounds them, and they "face the future with uncertainty." He argued that the world's Christians should come to their aid, because "we must not resign ourselves to the prospect of a Holy Land without Christians."

Cardinal Moussa Daoud had been asked by Vatican Radio to comment on the annual appeal for financial help for the Church in the Holy Land-- an appeal that is traditionally made during Holy Week. He replied that financial help was useful, but visits by Christians from other countries would be an even more powerful form of help.

The Syrian cardinal said that Israeli and Palestinian authorities recognize the importance of religious tourism, which furnishes a large portion of the revenue for some towns in the Holy Land. He pointed out that "for the security of pilgrims, some guarantees have been made by the parties to the conflict." Those guarantees have not always been honored. Vatican officials have sharply criticized the Israeli government in recent weeks for barring pilgrims from shrines on Palestinian territory-- allegedly on grounds of "national security."

"The Christians of the Holy Land are asking for help to overcome the isolation that pressed upon them," the cardinal said. He praised the Italian Catholic community for continuing to organize pilgrimages, and remarked that other countries could do the same, planning pilgrimage on a diocesan or national level.

The Christian population of the Holy Land has been dwindling steadily since the creation of the Israeli state in 1947. At that time, Christians represented about 28 percent of the population; today they make up barely 2 percent.

Holy Land procession draws fewer pilgrims in era of intifada NEWS BRIEFS Apr-6-2004, By Catholic News Service

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Although the annual Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem attracted a smaller crowd than in the years before the intifada, several thousand pilgrims were able to participate in the annual trek. Israeli police flanked the April 4 procession, while Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah brought up the rear. Several groups of pilgrims from Germany, Italy, France and Hong Kong participated in the procession; their music and song intertwined with the Arabic hymns sung by local Catholics. In past years, the procession attracted some 10,000 people, including many foreign pilgrims. "This is the land of the Bible; it is the land of Jesus," said Ortrua Kniezel, 68, a Catholic from Cologne, Germany. "This is not the first time I have come here, so I am not afraid."

Papal nuncio urges Christian pilgrims to visit Holy Land NEWS BRIEFS Apr-5-2004, JERUSALEM (CNS)

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- The papal nuncio to Israel and the Palestinian territories is urging Christian pilgrims to visit the Holy Land as "disciples of Christ, witnesses of peace and agents of human solidarity." "Come to the Holy Land, the Christians here are waiting for you; the Israelis and Palestinians are waiting for you," said Archbishop Pietro Sambi during an April 1 reception hosted by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. The archbishop said a pilgrimage to the Holy Land would be "a gift for the Palestinian and Israeli people" and a "great gift" for those making the pilgrimage. "There is such spiritual elevation for (pilgrims) ... only at the end of the pilgrimage can they realize how enlightening it was," Archbishop Sambi said. The archbishop said that during the Easter and Passover seasons, Christians and Jews should "join energies" to bring about peace in the Holy Land.