” “"The situation and emigration of the Christians" were some of the subjects told today by the Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions (Celra) to Benedict XVI". It was said to SIR, during the visit ad limina of the Bishops in the Vatican, by the Secretary General of Celra, Father Pierre Grech. "The life of the Christians in the Arab regions is one of the key issues", explains the priest. "Bush’s visit to Israel and Cis-Jordan he states could bring the region out of its standstill. Never before had the president of the USA uttered such statements as he did during his visit. Bush could do a lot to find a solution, for example, to the problem of visas, taxes, the partition wall, the passage to Jerusalem. But such hopes must become a reality before all Christians have left the country". Finally, Father Grech speaks of Bush’s hugging an Iraqi nun at the Beatitudes: "he wanted the nuns to come down, despite security orders, and he greeted all of them, one by one, then he hugged an Iraqi nun. It was really beautiful". However, says the secretary of Celra, "the problems of the Christians are not limited to the Holy Land, they also concern Iraq and Lebanon in particular. The latter is a materially and spiritually destroyed country". (dnr)” “
