Unfortunately the people in Jerusalem were not privileged to be on the streets to welcome Pope Francis . The Israeli Police closed all the roads that led to the areas which he was going to visit, and turned the city into a ghost town.
What a feather in the Zionist cap! A Catholic pope honouring Herzl the Zionist atheist! Francis’ rabbi friend, Abraham Skorka was spot on when he noted that it ‘could be understood as a nod to Zionism’. It was much more than a nod. For the gleeful Netanyahu gang, it was an imprimatur on the expansionism of Greater Israel negating Francis’ two-state solution.
Image above: Jewish men call on Pope Francis to stay in Rome, at a protest against his upcoming visit to Israel, Jordan, and Palestinian refugee camp.Photograph by: Ahmad Gharabli, Getty Images , The Associated Press
Ma’an - April 6, 2012
BETHLEHEM – A group of Christians from East Jerusalem on Sunday said that Israel’s restrictions on Palestinian mobility resulted in violations of religious freedoms.
The statement, signed “Palestinian Christian Organizations in Occupied East Jerusalem,” complained that Christians are often denied access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the Easter holidays.
by Finian Cunningham
The annual Christmas celebrations around the world conjure up a kaleidoscope of emotions, ranging from the sombre to the joyful, from pity to awe.
One thing often missing though from the celebrations is a connection between the original historical event – some 2,000 years ago – and how this story relates to present reality.
Long-suffering Gaza and Bethlehem communities ignored – “no effort to go to the heart of the issues”
by Stuart Littlewood
(London) Before he left for the Holy Land I telephoned Justin Welby’s office for details of his first visit as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, only to be told none were available in advance. So I emailed a list of questions….
