Rome, Italy, Sep 27, 2006 / 22:00 pm
“Let the pilgrims return. The Holy Land awaits them.” That’s the call made by Father Pierre Grech, secretary general of the Latin Bishops’ Conference of the Arab Regions, now that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has ended.
“All of the security conditions have been met for pilgrims to return,” he said in an interview with the SIR news agency. “Up until a few months ago, the streets and shrines were overflowing with devout faithful, later the war scared them away. Now things are moving, slowly but surely. We trust that things with get better in the coming months until Christmas,” he explained.
According to Father Grech, “the pilgrims are not only a source of income for Christians who live in the Holy Land, as many make their living from religious tourism, but also they are an opportunity for peaceful cohabitation. With their presence, they help our communities to stay here as well.”