Hope and solidarity: Austrian delegation in the Holy Land

Hope and solidarity: Austrian delegation in the Holy Land

Christianity in the Holy Land is under enormous pressure, and the latest delegation of the ecumenical council of the churches in Austria (ÖRKÖ), which visited Jerusalem and the surrounding area, was strongly shaped by this reality. High -ranking clergymen, including Bishop Manfred Scheuer and the reformed state superintendent Thomas Hennefeld, demanded more support from the West to strengthen the suffering Christian communities on site. The delegation found that pilgrims from the West are urgently necessary to give the Christians hope there. According to the Örkö, the holy sites can be visited safely, and the tourism sector could make a decisive contribution to stability, such as kathpress.at reported.

critical location for Christians

The report illuminates the concerns of Christians in West Bank, where fewer and fewer believers live. One example is the Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem, which is the only children's clinic in the region and is under increasing pressure, since many patients cannot be reached due to roadblocks. Solidarity could also show the worldwide Christian community by visiting the region from all over the world like recently British bishops. During their stay, these bishops emphasized that their mission is to support the Christians on site and to promote hope for peace, which they made clear in their message to the people in the Holy Land: "You are not alone", like aleteia.org reported.

In particular, vandalism, intimidation and negative representations of Christians in schools were addressed, which reinforces a feeling of isolation. The delegation offered support on site and documented the challenges with which the Christian community is confronted. The increasing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians endanger not only daily life, but also the existence of Christian identity in the Holy Land. Awareness of these questions should become a call to act, both locally and internationally, to save fragile civil society and to counteract the marginalization of Christians.

at a time when peace is fragile and everyday life is characterized by uncertainties, the call to return to the Holy Land is a necessary step to maintain hope and to promote a real dialogue.