London: Bishop to speak about impact of war on Christians in Holy Land

Source: Friends of the Holy Land

Bishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine will be speaking on how the war and ceasefire conditions are affecting the daily life of Christians in the Holy Land, particularly in his pastoral area, Jerusalem and Palestine on Monday, 31 March at 12pm at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8EP.

Bishop William said: "The Holy Land, without Christians, is poor. Our presence is in a moderating role, as also recognized by Jews and Muslims. But our devotees must rediscover that being Christians in the Holy Land is a call. So, we must not fall into the temptation, induced by our being few, to live segregated into a religious and cultural ghetto. Let's get out of the ghetto."

Bishop William will draw on his experience with local Christian Related Organisations (CROs) such the Latin Patriarchate and Friends of the Holy Land, as well as his Palestinian heritage, to share his thoughts where he believes there is hope for peace and economic recovery through the actions of this Christian community and answer your questions. These CROs among other projects operate 93 schools, universities, and vocational centres, 19 healthcare facilities, 47 social protection institutions, 77 cultural and tourism centres, 38 youth and 21 local and international development agencies delivering a variety of services to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians as part of their Christian identity, witness and culture. They have a track record of successful support developed over decades which has been ramped up to respond to the needs of the whole community during the war and current ceasefire; it is estimated that they have in some way reached almost 50% of the West Bank residents with their support since October 2023.

Bishop Shomali's visit is being hosted by Friends of the Holy Land.

Attendance is free of charge. As light refreshments will be provided, please register at: www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/forms/bloomsbury so the organisers can plan for numbers.