Bethlehem (AsiaNews) – Today the ‘Co-ordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church of the Holy’ begins its annual visit to the Holy Land, with both US and European bishops. The group was set up at the request of the Holy See in Jerusalem in October 1998.

During the 2006 visit, Bishop William Kenney suggested that the Co-ordination focus its activities in terms of three "P's": prayer, pilgrimage and pressure.

All the participants join in prayer with local Christians, and almost all of them have become personally involved in particular projects to offer practical help—this is something bishops take back to their own dioceses and bishops' conferences.

Several of the bishops who take part in these meetings have themselves led pilgrimages to the land where Jesus lived, and where the number of pilgrims is slowly growing again.

Between annual visits the bishops work to solve practical problems facing Christians, by keeping open the doors to conversation—difficult though that might be—with Israeli diplomats in their home countries, and by asking their elected representatives to bring the fate of the people involved in the Israel-Palestine divide to the attention of European and international political institutions.

This year, there will be bishops from Canada, England and Wales, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United States of America, as well as the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) and the Commission of the Episcopates of the European Union (ComECE).

Caritas Internationalis, Catholic Relief Services, Pax Christi International, the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, the Pontifical Mission Society, Vatican Radio and the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation will also be represented.

The 2007 programme includes a visit to Bethlehem where participants will join a children's celebration and visit various institutions, for example the Bethlehem University and the Caritas Baby Hospital.

Some participants will also visit Gaza en route to Nazareth, where the whole group will gather to hear input from various speakers and will meet various Catholic groups.

A very important part of the time in Nazareth will be spent celebrating Sunday mass with local Catholic parish communities.

The final stage of the event will take place in Jerusalem—a smaller group of bishops hopes to see Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Ehud Olmert and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The whole group will then meet together to assess the visit and plan future activities.