Watch this video to find out more about the situation in the Holy Land. To sign the petition visit www.acnuk.org/holylandpetition
Let us go to the House of God
"Palestinian seminarians are not able to attend the ceremonies in the Holy Sepulchre [which are held] on Saturdays in Lent," we were told by Fr Jamal when we visited Beit Jala Seminary near Bethlehem.Every time a Palestinian wants to travel to Jerusalem they need a permit to pass through the West Bank Barrier – a 420-mile structure ostensibly built to prevent a repeat of the attacks on civilians that occurred during the second intifada.
Permits can be difficult to obtain and while they are given out more freely for Easter and Christmas not everyone who wants a permit gets one, so Christians can be deprived of worshipping at the place where Life ultimately overcame death – even though they only live a few miles away.
And access to the Holy Places affects those on both sides of the security wall. While visiting the Holy Land, ACN staff were told about a Messianic Jew living in Israel who went to Bethlehem for Christmas celebrations – but was arrested upon his return, as it is illegal for Israeli citizens to visit certain parts of the Palestinian Territories.
Aid to the Church is asking you to sign our petition so that Christians can have better access to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where Our Lord Jesus Christ died and rose for our salvation.
Please pray that Christians can have their faith renewed by being able to visit more easily the place where Jesus triumphed over the tomb. Our Petition will be given to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, when Pope Francis visits the Holy Land in May 2014. Read about more reasons to sign the Petition
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