Jerusalem Bishops Welcome UK Church Leaders' Pilgrimage to Bethlehem

The Catholic and Anglican Bishops of Jerusalem have welcomed the announcement by UK church leaders of their pilgrimage to Bethlehem, which will be spearheaded by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

Archbishop Williams and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor say the trip is in solidarity with Christians because of Israeli security measures there, namely that the town is "blocked in" by the Israeli security wall and checkpoints, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said.

Dr Williams has also warned of an exodus of Christians from Bethlehem and both have urged other Christians to visit Bethlehem.

The two archbishops will travel to Bethlehem with Bishop Nathan Hovhannisian, of the Armenian Church of Great Britain, and Rev David Coffey, of the Free Churches.

The group will arrive in the Holy Land and travel to Jerusalem on 20 December, returning to the UK on 23 December.

Speaking on behalf of all the Christian Churches of Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah, said: "The Patriarchs and Heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem look forward to welcoming to Bethlehem and Jerusalem this Christmas, the ecumenical delegation of our brother bishops and archbishops of England.

"At a time when our communities in these two Holy cities are separated by a wall and checkpoints the visit of the churches' ecumenical delegation is a reminder to us, to the Israelis and the Palestinians, and to the world, that the pilgrims' path of hope and love must remain open."

The Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, the Rt Rev Riah H. Abu El-Assal, says, "This historical and ecumenical pilgrimage to Bethlehem and Jerusalem demonstrates that the bonds of faith are stronger than any divisions between our churches. To Christians on the ground, it renews the hope that they are not forgotten, despite their current imprisonment behind walls and fences. This Christmas, we will pray alongside the distinguished pilgrims from Britain in the certainty that there is always hope in this world."

The visit has also been welcomed by Open Bethlehem, which campaigns to keep the city open to the world at a time when the Israeli wall and land annexations are causing hardship for its inhabitants.

Open Bethlehem's chief executive, Leila Sansour, said:

"We pray that this pilgrimage will help focus world attention on the challenges faced by our communities on the ground and that it will inspire Christians as well as people of other faiths to take an active role in safeguarding a two-thousand year old tradition that is shared by millions in the world. We hope that this visit heralds the rebirth of pilgrimage to Bethlehem, a city that has survived because it has been open to the world."

"The need to open Bethlehem to the world has never been more important. Bethlehem is witnessing serious waves of emigration due to the economic harshsip imposed by the system of closure and the practices of Israeli occupation. The emigration is particularly pronounced among the Christian community. Our failure to act now will have a devastating effect on the cause of open democracy in the Middle East and on Christianity world-wide. We want to remind the world that all of us are citizens of Bethlehem. In the New Year, we urge everyone to follow in the footsteps of these distinguished pilgrims and take up their citizenship by visiting our town."