Originally published at The Crux
Read more...
During a recent visit to Palestine’s last remaining entirely Christian village, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem called for the Christian presence in the village to be preserved.
Located in the central Ramallah highlands of the Palestinian West Bank, Taybeh has been suffering increasingly violent incursions from Israeli settlers for more than a year.
Earlier this month, the Israeli military closed Taybeh to non-residents, a restriction that a military spokesperson said only applies to Israelis and had been enacted because of “several violent attacks by Israelis in the region.”
During a visit this weekend to the beleaguered village, Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, said he would do everything possible to ensure there was a Christian presence there.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to preserve the church’s presence here, at every level, throughout the Holy Land,” he said.
His visit was on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Aug. 15 and during Mass he expressed his support for the people of Taybeh.
“I may not have answers on a human or worldly level, but I believe in God.
