altJERUSALEM – Bishop William Shomali, Latin Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem, preached to Anglican pastors at a spiritual retreat on February 19 and 20 at the Cathedral of St. George in Jerusalem.

The Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem Suheil Dawani last week invited Bishop William Shomali to speak to the Anglican clergymen of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem during a spiritual retreat on the theme of “Covenant in Sacred Scripture and in the lives of pastors”.

Thirty pastors of the Anglican Church participated. Six Jordanian pastors, however, were unable to attend, due to a failure to receive an Israeli entry permit into the Holy Land.

The retreat was the occasion for a concrete and positive ecumenical gathering, which took place in an atmosphere of openness and mutual listening. It also promised to promote mutual understanding between the Anglican and Catholic Churches.

Bishop Shomali, while he discussed several topics, focused on four major points: Lectio Divina, the Homily and its importance in the life of the pastor and his parish, Providence, and the Virtue of Faith.

This was the second time that the Archbishop Suheil Dawani invited a member of the Catholic clergy to preach a retreat to the pastors of the Anglican Church. Father Rafiq Khoury, Director for the Center of Catechetical Studies in the diocese of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, had notably been invited formerly.

By: Firas Abedrabbo- LPJ