Fr. Ben spent most of the Christmas Octave and the New Year in Israel. He was with the Philos Catholic group, an organisation devoted to Jewish/Christian understanding. Apart from visiting many of the holy sites and saying Mass and praying for Nasarean supporters and followers, there were encounters with Jewish scholars and ordinary people in their homes. There were also meetings with Hebrew and Arab Catholics. An important one was with Bishop Rafic Nahra, the Latin-Rite Bishop of Nazareth, to discuss the plight of Christians in the Holy Land. Sadly, because of the war, the economic struggle for Christians is getting very bad – there are no tourists or pilgrims, and many businesses are closing. The group also visited the Nir Oz kibbutz, where many people were massacred and kidnapped on October 7th, 2023. Society on both sides is traumatised and needs our prayers. One positive thing that should be considered is, when airline prices go down, encouraging parish pilgrimages again to support the Christian community.
