To All I want to wish you a very wonderful
Easter Season! May God be with you always.

Date: 2004-11-02

Why Pilgrims Are Crucial for Christians in Holy Land

According to Apostolic Delegate in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, NOV. 2, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The apostolic delegate in Jerusalem says that the resumption of pilgrimages to the Holy Land is crucial to ending the exodus of Christians.

Archbishop Pietro Sambi explained the situation in the Holy Land to a group of Spanish journalists who were in Jerusalem on an institutional pilgrimage.

"Christians in the Holy Land are a small minority, only 2% of the population," he said. "They feel themselves a minority in the face of the great Jewish majority, and the great Muslim majority."

"At the start of the second intifada, Jews worldwide organized themselves to help the Jews who are here," the archbishop said. "The Muslims of the Gulf and other parts of the world organized themselves to help the Muslims who are here. The Christians disappeared, and the few Christians who remained had the impression of being abandoned by the rest of their brothers."

"Material aid came from many other parts of the world, with which it was possible to help the schools to survive, and medical centers to continue to provide their services, but something was lacking: the presence of Christians," he added.

"Look, I am not afraid for the holy places," the apostolic delegate continued. "To say it in a rather brutal way, they bring too much money to the country and they will be respected. But these holy places will be living places, which help one to live, while there is a community around them that believes, loves and hopes. Without that community, the holy places would be cold museums, and no longer places of life."

"Pilgrimages are the most complete way to help the local Christians, the Mother Church of Jerusalem and of the Holy Land," he said.

"In the first place, it is a spiritual, psychological and human help," the prelate said. "Christians here look at pilgrims much more than the latter look at them, and this presence of pilgrims makes them say: Here we are few, but look how many brothers and sisters from many parts of the world come here. We are all part of a great family, the family of the disciples of Christ. It is a moral, human help of the first order."

"In addition to this," he added, "there is also the material help, because the majority of Christians of the Holy Land have specialized in the service of pilgrims: transport, guides, hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. And when there are pilgrims, there is also help for local Christian families."

    The handicrafts trade in the Holy Land has evolved as a cultural tradition of the Palestinian people over many centuries and has become an industry of significance to the local economy. Beautiful handmade souvenirs made from the native olive tree provide Christian pilgrimage. Olivewood artisans use only the pruned and discarded pieces of young olive trees and sprouts from the old, unproductive trees. The artistry of Mother-of-Pearl is a tradition traced to the earth 17th century and has evolved along with the olivewood trade. 

    The ancient crafts of olivewood and Mother-of-Pearl started in Bethlehem hundreds of years ago when Franciscan monks trained the local population in carving Crosses, Crucifies, and reproductions of the Nativity scene of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. The demand for souvenirs from the Holy Land can be traced to the early centuries of Christianity and the Tradition of relic hunters. For centuries, early Christians believed in the spiritual powers of relics, the most sought after being "The Holy Grail" - the name of a legendary sacred vessel identified with the chalice of the Eucharist, and the "True Cross", the actual cross on which Christ was crucified, believed to have been lost when carried into battle during one of the Crusades. Centuries later, Christians learned to Satisfy their hunger for relics with other artifacts from the Holy Land, including ordinary stones which have been transported to every part of the earth by pilgrims. Historical documents and writing of Christian pilgrims over the centuries tell of the beauty of olivewood souvenirs.

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