Rome (AsiaNews) – Unite the voices of the Christians in the Holy Land, make known to them the support of the Universal Church and encourage pilgrimages from all over the world: according to Msgr. Peter Fleetwood, member of the Council of European Bishops (CCEE), these are the main objectives which European and American bishops must pursue in each diocese.

Msgr. Fleetwood took part in the annual visit organised by the Episcopal Conference Coordination group in Support of the Church in the Holy Land, from January 14th to 19th .

In an interview with AsiaNews he said "It was very interesting, partly because of the many meetings which were held, partly for the many new experiences we had; I think all of those who participated in the visit were deeply moved, I certainly was".  Msgr. Fleetwood himself speaks of witnessing a deeply  "moving" experience last Saturday,  on the occasion of the Palestinian children's pilgrimage to Bethlehem.  "Together with my Archbishop, Msgr Patrick Altham Kelly of Liverpool, and another priest we gave out presents to the children after the pilgrimage: their faces really struck us, they were tired, some sick some malnourished.  The Israeli check points make entry into the city difficult, even for the youngest":

Regarding this topic, "all of the prelates who took part in the journey recognised the right of the Israeli people to security, but perhaps there are other ways to achieve this, even if the reality on the ground is complicated.  The Nuncio, Msgr Sambi, was very clear on this point, very firm":

The Vatican diplomat leaving soon for Washington took part in the visits: "We considered it a great honour that Msgr Sambi stayed on in the Holy Land to receive us" said  Msgr. Fleetwood "despite his new appointment".

Another "very touching moment" was the liturgy for Catholics celebrated in Hebrew last Saturday: "the custodian for the Holy Land, Fr. Pizzaballa is also the parish priest for this small group of Hebrew speaking Catholics: it was really very moving to participate in their liturgy, to see how they use the Hebrew symbols in the catholic liturgy.  You understand that you really are at the heart of our roots".          

The idea of the visit, however was not that of a "mission of charity" : " We shouldn't always be bent on achieving precise goals"- he explains- "sometimes it is enough just to be present there with them and this is what the Christian communities there told us.  The future projects are born when each of us returns to our home diocese: the Swiss bishop, for example, convinced his community to give the proceeds of a special collection to aid the Caritas children's hospital in Bethlehem.  These initiatives repeat themselves in each country."

Msgr. Fleetwood underlines that in the Holy Land the European and American bishops "have no right to make programmes.  The Patriarch and local bishops point out what is of greatest need and we adapt ourselves to this".

The overall impression is that the situation of the local Christian community "is much more complex than it seems: there are Hebrew speaking Catholics, Palestinian Catholics, apart from those who live in the complicated reality of Jerusalem.  For this reason all of the ordinaries in the Holy Land formed this association, to dialogue and remain in contact with everyone.  They work in close contact with the Holy See, through the Nuncio's office or through the Franciscan, custodian's for the Holy Sites of the Holy Land".  

King Abdullah II of Jordan himself wished to underline this aspect: "When we paid a visit to him he said that the division between Christians was not only a scandal, but that it made us all weaker.  This was very good advise, the ordinaries understand this as well, but it also needs to be expressed by the political leaders".

"Each of us returning to our own countries" concluded Msgr. Fleetwood, - "have the obligation to inform our brothers and sisters to find out more about how Christians in the Holy Land live.  We must encourage people to go there, to make pilgrimages to the places where Christ lived : no pilgrim has ever been touched by the conflict".