Catholic bishops from all over Europe are meeting in the Holy Land for what has been described as “a pastoral and ecclesial gathering, rooted in prayer, reflection, and attentive listening to the Christian communities and peoples of the Holy Land”.
The annual visit concludes on Wednesday. As well as bishops from a host of European countries, delegates are also joining from the US. At least one Anglican bishop is also attending as part of an “annual pilgrimage to the Holy Land”.
The visiting bishops are there to provide pastoral and other support for Christians living in the Holy Land, sometimes referred to as the “Living Stones”.
Following the Gaza war, concerns have been raised about the conditions of the Christian minority in the territory, while the treatment of Christians in the West Bank by Israeli settlers has also become an issue.
The visiting bishops planned to hold an online meeting with Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of Gaza’s only Catholic church. Father Romanelli was reportedly injured when an Israeli shell hit the church during the conflict last year.
Sunday Mass was celebrated in Christ the Redeemer church in the West Bank settlement of Taybeh, the only predominantly Christian town in the area and reportedly subject to an attack by Israeli settlers.
One of the visiting bishops, Bishop Paul Dempsey, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin, said, “Our visit is pastoral in nature and seeks to offer confidence and reassurance to the Christian communities of the Holy Land by way of prayer, pilgrimage, presence and dialogue.
“We also hope to remind Catholics across the world to remain attentive to the conditions under which their sisters and brothers live, and worship, in the land of Christ’s life, death and resurrection.
"We are particularly looking forward to meeting the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa OFM, who visited Ireland in July 2024.”
