VATICAN CITY – Pope John Paul II has summoned Catholic leaders to a summit December 13 to discuss the “future of Christians in the Holy Land,” the Vatican said today.
VATICAN CITY – Pope John Paul II has summoned Catholic leaders to a summit December 13 to discuss the “future of Christians in the Holy Land,” the Vatican said today.
John Paul, who visited the Holy Land last year a few months before the start of the Palestinian uprising against Israel, wants to confirm “his spiritual closeness” to Catholics in the region and “share the drama of their daily existence too often tested by violence and discrimination,” the Vatican said.
Christian influence has waned across the Middle East, especially in areas of turmoil. A majority 15 centuries ago, Christians today make up only 2 percent of the population in the Holy Land.
Catholic leaders in the Holy Land and heads of various bishops’ conferences from throughout the region will attend the Vatican meeting.
The Vatican said the meeting will show “the common commitment to the continuity” of the church’s long presence in the Holy Land.
