Twelve bishops, including two bishops from England and Wales, will travel to Jerusalem from 18-23 January 2025 for the Holy Land Coordination.
The Holy Land Coordination, organised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales through its Department for International Affairs, is an annual meeting that is defined by four Ps – presence, prayer, pilgrimage, and pressure. The bishops go to be present to the Christians who remain in the Holy Land, to let them know they are not forgotten; to pray with them; to encourage pilgrimage to their land; and to advocate on their behalf at home.
As a result of the tragedy of the attacks on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent humanitarian disaster in Gaza that has led to death, suffering and displacement on an immense scale, the Holy Land Coordination could not take place in January 2024. The bishops of the Coordination now feel all the more urgently the need to go and be in solidarity with Christians of the Holy Land and all who have suffered since the escalation of violence.
Bishop Nicholas Hudson, the Chair of the Department for International Affairs and the Moderator of the Holy Land Coordination, said:
“As the visit planned for 2024 was not possible due to the outbreak of war, this upcoming Holy Land Coordination visit feels all the more significant. We look forward to returning, just weeks after Christmas, to the cradle of our faith, the land where Jesus was born and walked, died and was raised to new life, a land which will always remain of profound significance for all who form a part of Christ’s body.
“The devastation of war and suffering in the Holy Land is heart-breaking. The trauma felt in the region, especially that of children, is beyond measure; and the need for prayer, support, and to find ways to end the violence has never been more urgent.”
He added: “The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, emphasised to us, when he visited the United Kingdom last month, the particular vocation of Christians to help bring about peace. He stressed the need for prayer and the use of language which speaks of reconciliation. He spoke of the special vocation of Christians in the Holy Land to work to bring people back together. In times of war, he explained, hatred can often block out empathy and any understanding of the pain of the other. As Christians, we are called to be in solidarity with those who suffer and to say, ‘We are with you. You are not forgotten’.
“Our visit in January 2025 will be a moment to stand again alongside those who have endured unimaginable hardship. It will be a time to reaffirm our bond of communion with the Church in the Holy Land, and with all who suffer and are without hope.”
Bishop Hudson offered a prayer focussed on peace and reconciliation:
“Heavenly Father, we pray this Christmas for all who suffer in the Land which your Son made Holy by his birth and life and dying and rising for us.
“May the Lord Jesus hold them in his Sacred Heart. Send forth again your Spirit to renew the face of the Holy Land and guide its people into the ways of peace and truth and reconciliation.
“We make this prayer through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.”
