By: Aryeh Savir
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Monday hosted the traditional reception for the heads of the Christian denominations in Israel at his official residence in Jerusalem to celebrate the New Year, during which he invited the Pope to the dedication ceremony for the Land of the Monasteries project in 2020.
Israeli Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, the acting Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the representative of the Armenian Patriarchate, head of the Franciscan Order in Jerusalem, the Custos of the Holy Land, and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church Archeparch of Akko participated in the event.
“As guardians of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, the State of Israel is committed to religious freedom for all,” the president noted.
“As part of Israel’s commitment to ensure access to holy sites, I am happy to update you that we are about to finish clearing all of the mines from the Land of the Monasteries at the very beginning of the coming year,” he announced.
Rivlin has been leading in recent years the Land of the Monasteries initiative which includes the restoration of Christian religious sites along the Jordan River and the preparation of the area for pilgrims, primarily by clearing the area of land mines.
The number of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land has increased annually, with close to 900,000 pilgrims visiting the Land of Monasteries in the past year. Israel is working to complete the development of the entire area by the end of 2020.
Rivlin invited Pope Francis to visit Israel and participate in the official dedication ceremony of the site. He last visited Israel in May 2014.
“This project will be good for all – Christians, Muslims, and Jews; Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians. We must remember that we are not doomed to live together, we are destined to live together, and we, therefore, must advance initiatives which will benefit all of us,” the Israeli leader stated.
He further noted that “sadly, again this year, Christians were killed in the Middle East, simply for keeping their faith. Jerusalem must serve as a model for peace and harmony between religions.”
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) released a special Christmas 2019 report earlier this month that showed that around 177,000 Christians are citizens of Israel, comprising around 2% of the population. In 2018, the number rose by 1.5%, compared to 2.2% the year before.
The report on positive trends for Christians in Israel came as Christians in the Palestinian Authority (PA) complained of discrimination and persecution by the PA.
This month TPS reported on attempts by the PA to take over the land of the Greek Orthodox Church in Bethlehem.
11 institutions associated with the Greek-Orthodox Church had published a statement protesting the ongoing attempt by the PA to take control of the plaza in front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
The proclamation, which was initiated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, protests the harming of the Christian presence in Bethlehem, the forfeiting of their rights, the harm to the Church’s assets and the violation of their right to light Christmas trees on the plaza.
Deri vowed that the “freedom of worship and religion in Jerusalem, the Holy City, will be preserved for all and we will continue to preserve Jerusalem as the Holy City for all religions.”
(TPS)
