Scottish Catholic Observer

The SCO’s front-page tells us of a story that is all too familiar. While it seems that all those who went on the national Year of Faith pilgrimage to the Holy Land had an extraordinary spiritual experience in the land of Christ’s birth, they also were unable to ignore the harsh modern political realities there.

As Archbishop Philip Tartaglia points out, no pilgrims can ignore the fact that the Holy Land is divided in a way that is unreasonable and unsustainable. It is a sad irony that the homeland of Jesus, who spoke only of peace, has also been home to much violence.

That violence has also meant that the Christian population of the Holy Land, and indeed that across the Middle East, is in danger of disappearing entirely.

The most shocking violence is in Syria, and according to Church sources, the major industrial city of Homs, home to Syria’s largest Christian population, has borne the brunt of violence. Attacks on Christian churches, schools, convents, as well as homes and businesses, have caused a mass exodus. It is estimated that 50,000 Christians—about 90 per cent of the Christian population of Homs—have fled to the mountains or have sought refuge in Lebanon. Those left behind cannot find work and earn money to support their families. Food has been scarce and unaffordable. Before the start of the fighting in Syria, the Christian community accounted for some 10 per cent of the Syrian population of 22 million.

Christians in Egypt are suffering a similar fate. Taking advantage of the chaos since President Mohamed Morsi was forced out of office and put under arrest, the Muslim Brotherhood has looted and destroyed more than 80 churches, scores of religious facilities, and untold numbers of Christian-run stores.

And Christians in the Holy Land are also suffering. As the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem told Scottish pilgrims, vandalism of churches is just something ‘we must accept if we want to follow the way of Jesus.’

He also had a powerful message for all Scottish Catholics to ‘pray one day we can have another surprise, pray for peace.’

All of us should embrace that message to pray for peace in the Holy Land and across the Middle East. The alternative is that there are no more Christians in that part of the world, and, perhaps, no more pilgrimages to the Holy Land either.