BETHLEHEM: ROMAN CATHOLIC PATRIARCH MICHAEL SABBAH WELCOMED
English/Nat
Thousands of Palestinians have crowded into the centre of Bethlehem to welcome the Roman Catholic Patriarch Michel Sabbah into the town just days after the Israeli troop withdrawal.
He led a special service at the Church of the Nativity while residents celebrated into the night.
Roman Catholic Patriarch Michel Sabbah was greeted by thousands of Palestinians when he arrived in Manger Square on Christmas Eve.
There was a carnival atmosphere to the gathering as the crowd was celebrating not only the birth of Christ but the birth of Palestinian self-rule.
The Patriarch, who makes the Christmas pilgrimage to the Church of the Nativity every year, was flanked by a Palestinian police escort.
His Israeli police escort, which had guarded him from Jerusalem, handed over responsibility at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the town.
The Mayor of Bethlehem and the head of the new Palestinian police formed part of the welcoming party
The Roman Catholics who look after the Church of the Nativity, recognised as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, also marched to Manger Square to welcome the Patriarch.
The Mayor had a special message of peace for all those visiting his town.
SOUNDBITE:
We convey our most sincere Christmas greetings to the world, to the people in the world wherever they live and the message of Bethlehem is peace.
SUPER CAPTION: Elias Friej, Bethlehem Mayor
The Patriarch led a special service in the Church of the Nativity. He will also take a service on Christmas Day.
Hundreds of worshippers and tourists joined in the service and visited the crypt to pay their respects.
Outside the celebrations continued in traditional Palestinian style, with the sound of gunfire, albeit friendly fire, echoing around the city.
A spectacular sunset heralded more partying with a fireworks display topping off the day's events.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
Papal visit bittersweet for Gaza Catholics
A small community of Catholics holed up in the Gaza Strip is forced to watch from their isolated enclave as Pope Benedict XVI visits the region. The pontiff is visiting Israel and Bethlehem in the West Bank, but Gaza's Catholics still hope that his message of peace will reverbate across the borders and through the region. An AFPTV report.
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (Arabic: بيت لحم Bayt Laḥm (help·info) or Bēt Laḥm, lit House of Meat; Hebrew: בֵּית לֶחֶם Bēṯ Leḥem, Modern: Bet Leḥem, IPA: [bet ˈleχem], lit House of Bread; Greek: Βηθλεὲμ, Vithleém) is a city located in the central West Bank and approximately 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people.[4][5] It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority. The economy is primarily tourist-driven.[6][7]
The Hebrew Bible identifies Bethlehem as the city David was from and the location where he was crowned as the king of Israel. The New Testament identifies Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. The town is inhabited by one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, although the size of the community has shrunk due to emigration.
The city was sacked by the Samaritans in 529, but rebuilt by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Bethlehem was conquered by the Arab Caliphate of 'Umar ibn al-Khattāb in 637, who guaranteed safety for the city's religious shrines. In 1099, Crusaders captured and fortified Bethlehem and replaced its Greek Orthodox clergy with a Latin one. The Latin clergy were expelled after the city was captured by Saladin, the sultan of Egypt and Syria. With the coming of the Mamluks in 1250, the city's walls were demolished, and were subsequently rebuilt during the rule of the Ottoman Empire.[8]
The British wrested control of the city from the Ottomans during World War I and it was to be included in an international zone under the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Jordan annexed the city in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Since 1995, Bethlehem has been governed by the Palestinian National Authority.[8]
Bethlehem has a Muslim majority, but is also home to one of the largest Palestinian Christian communities. Bethlehem's chief economic sector is tourism which peaks during the Christmas season when Christian pilgrims throng to the Church of the Nativity. Bethlehem has over thirty hotels and three hundred handicraft work shops.[9] Rachel's Tomb, an important Jewish holy site, is located at the northern entrance of Bethlehem
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Israel behind 'Christian exodus' from Palestine
Beit Jala, Palestine - The Israeli occupation of Palestine is the main factor behind the exodus of Palestinian Christians from the region, according to a new study.
The research carried out by the Dar al-Kalima University in the occupied-West Bank town of Beit Jala, concluded that only small percentage of Christians had left Palestine because of concerns over Muslim religious conservatism.
Researchers interviewed more than a thousand people, roughly half of whom were Christian and half Muslim on their outlook on life and if negative, the causes of their pessimism.
The pressure of Israeli occupation, ongoing constraints, discriminatory policies, arbitrary arrests, confiscation of lands added to the general sense of hopelessness among Palestinian Christians, the study said.
Palestinian Christians: 'Jerusalem is for the three religions'
These conditions have put Palestinian Christians in a despairing situation where they can no longer perceive a future for their offspring or for themselves, it added.
Bernard Sabella, a member of Palestinian Legislative council and one of the authors of the study, said: It is not the fear of disappearance Palestinian Christians fear the most, rather losing their space in society.
He stressed that the conflict with Israel and the lack of political solution to the occupation of Palestinian territories served as the main causes for the reduction in the number of Palestinian Christians.
In Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Christianity, Palestinian Christians are rapidly disappearing under the current political and economic conditions.
Palestinian identity needs to be highlighted and emphasised, Sabella added.
The study also found that 50 percent of interviewed Christians and 54 percent of Muslims were optimistic that their situation will eventually improved and attributed their optimism to the belief that God is on their side.
This finding reflects the religiosity of the Palestinian people, said Varsen Aghabekian, another of the study's authors.
Only two percent of Christians attributed their pessimism to religious extremism, while the percentage among their Muslim counterparts was double that at four percent.
'No one can take us away from here'
A majority of Christians and Muslims said the political conflict with Israel made them feel unsafe.
I can say with a lot of certainty that the migration [of Palestinian Christians] was never caused by religious perception, said Aghabekian
Christian migration out of Palestine began in the Ottoman period and was mainly about seeking economic opportunities in North and Latin America.
But recent migration has been tied to regional instability and the conflict with Israel according to the study.
Between 1860-1914 Palestinian Christians were about 11 percent of Palestinian population of 350,000 people.
On the eve of World War I, the Palestinian population reached 616,000 of which 69 thousand were Christians.
Today Palestinian Christians in all of historic Palestine, which includes Israel, the West Bank and Gaza accounts for only 1.7 percent of the Palestinian population of six million.
Iskandar El Hinn, a Christian Palestinian whose family fled Yafa to Ramallah when Israel was founded in 1948, told Al Jazeera that he had never thought of leaving Palestine.
Instead he said that he encourages his children and grand children to remain steadfast and hold on to their lands.
As a Palestinian, I am living where I belong, everywhere I go here is Palestine to me and Jerusalem is its capital, he said.
We have been living here for thousands of years; no one can take us away from here.
Otwock Palestyna Gaza KRESY X Śmigasiewicz ratuje Życie Dzieciątka Jezus
- Czy Ksiądz Proboszcz jest Chrześcijaninem ? - Katolickie Parafie na terenie Palestyny w śmiertelnym niebezpieczeństwie Zastrzelić Gazę 2 Otwocki Proboszcz X Śmigasiewicz w akcji ratunkowej ? Ależ NIE ! A czemu jednak NIE ? ; A Message from Palestinian Christians . . . X Proboszczu - URATUJ Życie SEMITY Dzieciątka Jezusa :
Katolickie Parafie na terenie Palestyny ;
There are over 80,000 Catholics in the areas referred to as the Palestinian territories, mostly in the agglomeration between Ramallah and Bethlehem, including the West Bank suburbs of Jerusalem. Adherents are mostly Latin Rite, but there is also a small Melkite Rite community. There are two Archbishops of Jerusalem for each jurisdiction respectively.
Palestine = Holy Land
PALESTINE
Aboud: OUR Lady of Seven Sorrows
Pastor: Rev. Yousef Rizeq
Address: P.O.B. 3
Aboud
Tel.: (02) 286 45 26/3 (Scouts);
Fax: (02) 286 45 27
Mobile: 054 627 48 75
Email: fr_yousef@yahoo.com
Ain Arik: Annunciation
Pastor: Rev. Giovanni Cinti
Address: P.O.B. 20776
Jerusalem
Tel & Fax: (02) 290 50 13
Fax: (02) 286 45 27
Mobile:......................................
E-mail: fainarik1@gmail.com
Beit Sahour: Our Lady of Fatima
Pastor: Rev. Iyad Twal
Address: P.O.B. 22
Beit Sahour
Tel: (02) 277 27 33
Fax: (02) 277 43 30
Mobile: .............................
Email: iyadtwal@yahoo.com
Website: latinbeitsahour.net
Bethlehem: Saint Catherine
Pastor: Rev. Marwan Di'des, O.F.M.
Assistant Pastor: Rev. Haitham Yalda, O.F.M.
Rev. Rami Asakrieh, O.F.M.
Mailing address: P.O.B. 588
91001 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 274 33 72
Fax: (02) 274 01 03
Mobile: 059 891 89 99
E-mail: pscbet@palnet.com
E-mail: frhaithan@hotmail.com
Website: scbethlehem.org
Bir Zeit: Immaculate Conception
Pastor: Rev. Louis Hazboun
Address: P.O.B. 9
Bir Zeit
Tel: (02) 281 07 34
Fax: (02) 281 02 82
Mobile: 050 539 23 71
Mobile: 054 970 64 37
Email: abounalouis@latin.org.il
Gaza: Holy Family
Pastor: Rev. Jorge Hernandez, IVE
Address: P.O.B. 149
Gaza
Tel & fax (08) 283 71 55
Mobile: 059 822 91
Email: pjorgegaza@gmail.com
Jenin: Holy Redeemer
Pastor: Rev. Labib D'eibess
Address: P.O.B. 58
Jenin
Tel: (04) 250 40 71
Fax: (04) 243 03 37
Mobile: .............................
Email: ..............................
Satellite parishes: Birqin, Deir Ghazaleh, Jalameh, Kafr Qoud,
Sabah-el-Kheir, Ya'bad
Jericho: Good Shepherd
Pastor: Rev. Mario Hadchiti O.F.M.
Address: Good Shepherd Convent
P.O.B. 23 -- Terra Sancta
Jericho
Tel: (02)232 25 32
Fax (02) 232 60 62
Mobile: ...........................
Email: jerichoparish@hotmail.com
Jifna: Saint Joseph
Pastor: Rev. Firas Aridah
Address: P.O.B. 47
Jifna
Tel & fax: (02) 281 08 73
Mobile: 054 970 64 19
Mobile: 059 932 59 57
Email: aridah11@hotmail.com
Nablus: The Savior at Jacob's Well
Pastor: Rev. Johny Abu Khalil
(see Rafidia)
Address: P.O.B. 21
Nablus
Tel & fax: (09) 234 40 16
Mobile: 059 742 04 50; 054 970 64 75
Email: johnny_ak@latinpat.org
Rafidia: Saint Justin
Pastor: Rev. Johny Abou Khalil
Address: P.O.B. 21
Nablus
Tel & fax: (09) 234 40 16
Mobile: 059 742 04 50
Mobile : 054 970 64 75
Email: johnny_ak@latinpat.org
Satellite parishes: Tulkarem, Azzoun, Burqa
Ramallah: Holy Family
Pastor: Rev. Raed Abusahlia
Assistant Pastor: Rev. Farah Bader
Address: P.O.B. 47
Ramallah
Tel: (02) 295 60 26
fax: (02) 295 79 98
Mobile: 059 926 94 44 (Fr. Raed)
Mobile: 059 956 66 27 (Fr. Farah)
Email: farah84jr@yahoo.com
Email: taybeh@latinpat.org
Taybeh: Holy Redeemer
Pastor: Rev. Aziz Halaweh
Address: P.O.B. 2
Taybeh
Tel: (02) 289 80 20
Fax: (02) 289 81 60
Mobile:059 962 46 24
Email: aziz@halaweh.com
Email: abounaaziz@hotmail.com
Website: taybeh.info
Zababdeh: Visitation
Pastor: Rev. Nidal Kanzou'a
Assistant Pastor: Rev. Simon Hijazin
Address: Latin Church
Zababdeh
Tel: (04) 251 01 25
Fax: (04) 251 02 06
Mobile: 054 970 64 46
Email: nidal2001@hotmail.com
E-mail:simon_higazeen@yahoo.com
©Copyrights 2010 Catholic Church - Jerusalem
Delegation visits controversial wall extension site
(11 Jan 2016) WEST BANK BISHOPS
SOURCE: AP TELEVISION
RESTRICTIONS: MIDDLE EAST EXTRA CLIENTS ONLY
LENGTH: 3.17
SHOTLIST
AP Television
Cremisan Valley - 10 January 2016
1. Bishops of the Holy Land Coordination looking at area where new West Bank separation wall is due to be constructed in the Cremisan Valley
2. Palestinian homes on top of area where West Bank separation wall is due to be built
3. Tilt-up bishop member of Holy Land Coordination delegation
4. Group of bishops of the Holy Land Coordination delegation
5. Israeli border policeman climbing into police vehicle
6. SOUNDBITE (English): Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Archdioceses of Cape Town, South Africa:
Our fundamental purpose is one of solidarity with people who are suffering quite considerably here in the Holy Land. We are particularly concerned, of course, about the Christian community because they're such a small community and so vulnerable. But of course our hearts go out to all the people who are suffering in one way or another because of the political and economic and social conditions here in the Holy Land.
7. Tilt-down from bishops delegation looking at area where new West Bank wall is due to be constructed
8. Bishops delegation during tour of area where West Bank wall is slated for construction
9. Cremisan Valley, where West Bank wall construction is slated to take place
10. Bishops delegation during tour, looking at Cremisan Valley
11. SOUNDBITE (English): Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Archdioceses of Cape Town, South Africa:
The spirit of the Catholic community is still very strong and it's amazing the amount of work that the Catholics are doing and other Christian denominations are doing in Gaza and in the Holy Land, because it's a very, very small, tiny minority. And yet there are five Christian schools in Gaza, three of which are Catholic and of course there are also children's homes and that sort of thing. And I believe that people are very, very strong in their spirit, but they're also concerned about their future because young people have no opportunities in Gaza and very limited opportunities in the Holy Land, and so so many young people aspire to leave.
12. Bishops delegation leaving Cremisan Valley area
AP Television
Beit Jala, West Bank - 10 January 2016
13. Bishops members of the Holy Land Coordination delegation arriving at the Latin Church of Annunciation for Mass
14. Faithful at church during Mass
15. Top shot Bishops celebrating Mass and worshippers
16. Faithful listening to Mass
17. Bishops presiding over Mass
18. Faithful singing during Mass
19. Bishop Declan Lang of the Clifton Diocese in England talking to woman outside of church
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Bishop Declan Lang of the Clifton Diocese in England:
We're coming as a sign that they are not a forgotten people because I think one of the problems with the media often is it goes from one story to another; and those people who once had their story told are forgotten. So we've come with a sense of remembrance and support for them and to find out what we can do to help them, which I think is important. We don't come with solutions, we come very much to listen and when we go home to see what we can do with the governments of our own countries to help Christians and other peoples within this part of our world.
21. Bishops coming out of church as band plays bagpipes and drums
22. Band playing bagpipes and drums
23. Bishops distributing sweets to faithful outside of church
24. Low angle view of church
LEADIN:
Catholic Bishops are making their annual trip to Gaza and the West Bank, paying a visit to Christian communities.
The annual pilgrimage by the 14-strong delegation includes bishops from South Africa, Europe and North America.
STORYLINE:
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
DIAK Tarnów Halina Szydełko AKCJa KATOLICKa Adoptuje Palestyńskie Dzieci ? Odwiedź Palestynę4_6
Adresy Parafii Katolickich w Palestynie - Boże wysłuchaj nas Bayt Saahoor - Beit Jala Palestine near Bethlehem ( West Bank ) - Dyskryminacja Katolików w Ziemi Świętej - Jeszcze będzie w Polsce GIT - polską szlachtą polski żyd . . . .
Christians suffer in The Holy Land
Israeli repression of Palestinian Christians - Remember Palestine -04-07-2012
The Holy See
Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the H.L.
Contact Us - Territorial Parishes PALESTINE
Aboud: OUR Lady of Seven Sorrows
Pastor: Rev. Yousef Rizeq
Address: P.O.B. 3
Aboud Tel.: (009722) 286 45 26/3 (Scouts);
Fax: (02) 286 45 27
Mobile: 054 627 48 75
fr_yousef@yahoo.com
Ain Arik: Annunciation
Pastor: Rev. Giovanni Cinti
Address: P.O.B. 20776
Jerusalem
Tel & Fax: (0097222) 290 50 13
Fax: (02) 286 45 27
fainarik1@gmail.com
Beit Sahour: Our Lady of Fatima
Pastor: Rev. Iyad Twal
Address: P.O.B. 22
Beit Sahour
Tel: (02) 277 27 33
Fax: (02) 277 43 30
Email: iyadtwal@yahoo.com
latinbeitsahour.net
Bethlehem: Saint Catherine
Pastor: Rev. Marwan Di'des, O.F.M.
Assistant Pastor: Rev. Haitham Yalda, O.F.M.
Rev. Rami Asakrieh, O.F.M.
Mailing address: P.O.B. 588
91001 Jerusalem
Tel: (02) 274 33 72
Fax: (02) 274 01 03
Mobile: 059 891 89 99
E-mail: pscbet@palnet.com
E-mail: frhaithan@hotmail.com
scbethlehem.org
Bir Zeit: Immaculate Conception
Pastor: Rev. Louis Hazboun
Address: P.O.B. 9
Bir Zeit
Tel: (02) 281 07 34
Fax: (02) 281 02 82
Mobile: 050 539 23 71
Mobile: 054 970 64 37
Email: abounalouis@latin.org.il
Gaza: Holy Family
Pastor: Rev. Jorge Hernandez, IVE
Address: P.O.B. 149
Gaza
Tel & fax (08) 283 71 55
Mobile: 059 822 91
pjorgegaza@gmail.com
Jenin: Holy Redeemer
Pastor: Rev. Labib D'eibess
Address: P.O.B. 58
Jenin
Tel: (04) 250 40 71
Fax: (04) 243 03 37
Satellite parishes: Birqin, Deir Ghazaleh, Jalameh, Kafr Qoud,
Sabah-el-Kheir, Ya'bad
Jericho: Good Shepherd
Pastor: Rev. Mario Hadchiti O.F.M.
Address: Good Shepherd Convent
P.O.B. 23 -- Terra Sancta
Jericho
Tel: (02)232 25 32
Fax (02) 232 60 62
jerichoparish@hotmail.com
Jifna: Saint Joseph
Pastor: Rev. Firas Aridah
Address: P.O.B. 47
Jifna
Tel & fax: (02) 281 08 73
Mobile: 054 970 64 19
Mobile: 059 932 59 57 aridah11@hotmail.com
Nablus: The Savior at Jacob's Well
Pastor: Rev. Johny Abu Khalil
(see Rafidia)
Address: P.O.B. 21
Nablus
Tel & fax: (09) 234 40 16
Mobile: 059 742 04 50; 054 970 64 75
johnny_ak@latinpat.org
Rafidia: Saint Justin
Pastor: Rev. Johny Abou Khalil
Address: P.O.B. 21
Nablus
Tel & fax: (09) 234 40 16
Mobile: 059 742 04 50
Mobile : 054 970 64 75 johnny_ak@latinpat.org
Satellite parishes: Tulkarem, Azzoun, Burqa
Ramallah: Holy Family
Pastor: Rev. Raed Abusahlia
Assistant Pastor: Rev. Farah Bader
Address: P.O.B. 47
Ramallah
Tel: (02) 295 60 26
fax: (02) 295 79 98
Mobile: 059 926 94 44 (Fr. Raed)
Mobile: 059 956 66 27 (Fr. Farah)
farah84jr@yahoo.com taybeh@latinpat.org
Taybeh: Holy Redeemer
Pastor: Rev. Aziz Halaweh
Address: P.O.B. 2
Taybeh
Tel: (02) 289 80 20
Fax: (02) 289 81 60
Mobile:059 962 46 24
aziz@halaweh.com abounaaziz@hotmail.com taybeh.info
Zababdeh: Visitation
Pastor: Rev. Nidal Kanzou'a
Assistant Pastor: Rev. Simon Hijazin Latin Church
Zababdeh
Tel: (04) 251 01 25
Fax: (04) 251 02 06
Mobile: 054 970 64 46 nidal2001@hotmail.com simon_higazeen@yahoo.com
Watch this video on our Website:
Follow our Facebook on:
Follow our Twitter on: