“The Holy Land cannot become a living museum of Christianity": this is the appeal made by card. Karl Lehmann, president of the German Bishops Conference, on 4th March, before coming back from the pilgrimage of the Permanent Council of the Bishops Conference in the Holy Land, the first one made by the bishops of the 27 German dioceses in the Holy Places. "We have come as pilgrims", stated Lehmann, who mentioned his meetings with the local Christians and his visits to their schools and facilities. “In the Holy Land, there is a Catholic Church which is vital not just for their spiritual life, but also for their social work”, commented the cardinal, who mentioned the Caritas children’s hospital in Bethlehem. "The extent of the contribution made by the Church in the Holy Land to social life through all sorts of schools and social facilities is impressive. We want to help Christians have a future here. We urge all believers to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land". Among the highlights of the pilgrimage, Lehmann mentioned the visit to the Holocaust Memorial in Yad Vashem: "it is essential for all Germans to face the Genocide of the Jews in the present as well as in the future”.
