Categories
- Evangelization
- School of Prayer
- Worship
- Healing and Revealing
- Catholic Renewal
- Spiritual Warfare
- Apologetics
- Obstacles on the way to God
- Reading the Bible
- Sense of life
- Covenant with God
- Community
- Catholic Church
- Business and Christianity
- Family
- Witnesses of Faith
- Danger: Occultism
- Attention! Sects
In Gaza, Catholics anguished over lack of travel permits for Christmas
29-12-2009
JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Members of Holy Family Parish in the Gaza Strip received only 10 of the 300 travel permits Israel issued to Gaza residents over the Christmas period, said the parish priest, Father Jorge Hernandez.
Those who did not receive permits were anguished about not being able to travel, he told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview Dec. 24.
Among them were several cancer patients hoping to receive scheduled follow-up treatments in Israeli hospitals, he said.
"It is very sad for the people to celebrate Christmas in this situation. There is real anguish and a sense of impotence that they are unable do anything to change the situation," said Father Hernandez.
"In Gaza it is very important to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. Our faith and hope is only in him, and only in him do we find the strength to move forward," said the priest.
The majority of the travel permits, limited to those over age 35, were given to members of the Greek Orthodox Church, Father Hernandez said.
The travel permits are for the Dec. 25 celebration of Christmas as well as the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Christmas celebrations, marked Jan. 6 and 18, respectively.
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20091228.htm
