"Do not keep quiet in front of violence and injustice, and promote reconciliation". This is the spirit on the eve of the departure of the thirty bishops of the delegation of the Council of European Bishops Conferences (Ccee) and the US Bishops Conference, who from tomorrow (to January 19th) will be in the Holy Land for a visit which is by now a tradition. These were the words of mgr. Patrick Kelly, vice-president of the English and Welsh Bishops Conference, who is the coordinator of the work of the delegation: "The events of the Holy Land are an integral part of our current history. Great changes are under way. Ariel Sharon might have to leave the political scene, and this could have deep repercussions, and uncertainty about the Palestinian elections are also a cause for worry. The way all these events affect the fate of the Middle East will drive us to Jordan as well, this year. I recommend the Holy land to everybody’s prayers. May we be guided by Jesus’s lesson".As announced by SIR Europa (1/2006, old.agensir.it), the delegation will start its mission by meeting the young people of Ramallah’s Caritas. Then, they will meet Palestinian and Israeli authorities, local communities, young priests and seminarians. One of the most long-awaited events will be the public mass, celebrated in the Basilica of the Nativity in Betlehem on Monday 16th January. The bishops will go to Amman, where the delegation is due to meet the King of Jordan for the very first time. There, they will discuss the situation of the country and the situation of the different Christian churches that are based there. The visit will end on Thursday 19th January in Jerusalem, with meetings with Israeli and Palestinian authorities, a press conference and a celebration with the Melkite community.
