The Business of Life for Christians in the Holy Land is increasingly troubled. The Agony in the Garden and the Way of the Cross have become a way of life. I looked about, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that there was no one to lend support;
From Reuters In Bethlehem,
A 76-year-old Greek Orthodox monk is beaten up by villagers, his carefully tended olive trees are uprooted and his isolated West Bank monastery is defaced with graffiti depicting nuns being raped.
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Corruption and lawlessness in the West Bank and Gaza in the past decade have hit Christians harder than others because, as a minority, they have not been able to defend themselves easily.
Exasperated at the failure of the Palestinian Authority to act and the reticence of churches to speak up, a group of Christians in Bethlehem drew up a list of grievances that included theft of their land by Muslims, attacks and desecration of Church property.
The Christians passed the list to Church leaders, saying local authorities had done little to help.
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"If the situation continues, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity will become cold, empty museums," said Samir Qumsieh, a Palestinian-Christian businessman, referring to two of the holiest Christian shrines.
I looked about, but there was no one to help,
I was appalled that there was no one to lend support
Isaiah 63
Posted by Jill Fallon at April 13, 2006 8:33 PM | Permalink