IRISH BISHOPS VISIT GAZA Bishop William Crean, Bishop of Cloyne, Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin and Éamonn Meehan, Executive Director, Trócaire were members of an international delegation which visited the Holy Land earlier this month. The Bishops from North America, Europe and Africa have called on international leaders to act immediately so people living in the Gaza Strip can have access to basic necessities. “Gaza is a man-made disaster, a shocking scandal, an injustice that cries out to the human community for a resolution. We call upon political leaders to improve the humanitarian situation of the people in Gaza, assuring access to the basic necessities for a dignified human life, the possibilities for economic development and freedom of movement,” they said in a statement. The bishops spent two days of their trip visiting Christian schools and social and health institutions in Gaza as well as meeting with parishioners. Their visit, known as the Holy Land Coordination, is an annual event that began in 1988 at the request of the Vatican. Each year they come at the invitation of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land and focus on prayer, pilgrimage and advocacy with the aim of acting in solidarity with the local Christian community. The tiny Christian community of Gaza is made up of about 2,500 Christians out of a total Gazan population of more than 1.5 million people. The majority of the Christians belong to the Greek Orthodox Church, with just under 200 Catholics living in Gaza. Israel has blockaded the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control in 2007, although it loosened restrictions in 2010. Egypt opened one border crossing to Gaza in 2011. “In the seemingly hopeless situation of Gaza, we met people of hope,” the bishops said. “We were encouraged by our visit to tiny Christian communities which, day after day, through many institutions, reach out with compassion to the poorest of the poor, both Muslim and Christian.” At least one bishop remarked on the destroyed buildings and pockmarked facades that remain from Israeli shelling of Gaza. In their statement, the bishops noted the warmth with which they were received in Gaza, and also the Christians’ request that they not be forgotten by the world’s Christians, whom they asked to pray for them and support them in whatever way they can. The delegation also visited Palestinian Catholic schools in Gaza, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, West Bank. Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, said he was impressed by the “efforts for education” at Bethlehem University, the Schmidt’s Girls College in East Jerusalem, and the Catholic schools in Gaza. “[These efforts] build a foundation which have a final impact on the interaction with different cultures and faith,” the bishop said during a visit to the German Catholic girls’ school, where some 500 girls study from nursery to secondary school. “Education offers a perspective that will hopefully give way to peace.” Rudiger Hocke, headmaster, told the bishops that several graduates of the school had already served in Palestinian governmental positions. He said while the school did not encourage emigration, it sees its mission as preparing its students for wherever life might take them. “Palestine is a country where children do not know where they will end up in 10 years. They must be able to function in all parts of the world,” he said. In addition, he said, he sees his charges as the future leaders of their society for negotiations and contact with the Israelis, and they must be able to function on an equal level with their Israeli counterparts.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 09:26:06 +0000