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Christian exodus from Holy Land hurts entire region, cardinal says
10-12-2009
OSLO, Norway (CNS) -- The presence of Christians in the Holy Land is a force for peace and harmony in the region, particularly because of the education and health care they offer to all, said U.S. Cardinal John P. Foley, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.
But Christians are leaving the Middle East in record numbers, he said during a conference Dec. 4 in Oslo. Cardinal Foley said that "60 years ago 20 percent of the population of the Holy Land was Christian. Now it is said that less than 2 percent of the population in the same area is Christian."
The Knights of the Holy Sepulcher support the church in the region and the Christians who remain.
Since 2000, the cardinal said, the order has given more than $50 million in assistance to Catholic, ecumenical and interreligious initiatives, but mainly to Catholic-run schools, hospitals and clinics.
Because the Catholic health, education and welfare agencies help all people -- not just Catholics -- and bring Christians, Muslims and Jews together, he said the Christian presence in the region is a "source of hope for understanding, peace and reconciliation."
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20091209.htm
