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Skriven 2006-03-14 22:31:52 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
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                               VIS-Press releases

GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION FOR THE HOLY LAND

VATICAN CITY, MAR 14, 2006 (VIS) - In a letter sent to bishops throughout the
world, Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, prefect of the Congregation for the
Oriental Churches, invites ecclesial communities to support the Christians who
live in the Holy Land, especially by means of the annual Good Friday
collection.

"The Land of the Lord," the letter reads, "continues to be the scene of a
conflict that has lasted for decades and deprives Catholic communities and
institutions of the adequate means to maintain and promote religious,
humanitarian and cultural activities. This distressing situation leads to
poverty and unemployment, with serious consequences for families and for the
entire population. It also increases the disturbing phenomenon of the constant
exodus of Christians, especially young couples for whom there is no prospect of
a safe and dignified future.

"However, the presence of Christians in the Holy Land is more necessary than
ever for the peaceful future of the area, as it is also for the good of the
whole universal Church, which ought to find in the Holy Places living
communities that profess the Gospel faith."

In his letter, the prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches goes
on to recall Benedict XVI's audience with participants in the meeting of the
Assembly of Organizations for Aid to the Eastern Churches (ROACO) in June 2005,
during which the Holy Father "emphasized in any case that 'certain positive
signs in recent months strengthen the hope that the day of reconciliation
between the various communities working in the Holy Land will not be long in
coming; for this', he said, 'let us unceasingly pray with trust'. This is the
responsibility incumbent upon the universal Church with regard to the Mother
Church of Jerusalem, 'to which,' as the Pope said, 'all Christians have an
unforgettable obligation'."

"Thus, it is a duty of all Catholics throughout the world to accompany the
Christian communities of that blessed Land with prayer and concrete
solidarity."
CEO/GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION/DAOUD VIS 060314 (340)

SUMMARY

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