Holy Land Christians resilient

Archbishop Richard Smith praises the efforts of Christians in the Holy Land

Archbishop Richard Smith visited the Holy Land this January
as part of an annual meeting in support of its Christians.

His trip to the Holy Land has Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton impressed. Deborah Gyapong from Canadian Catholic News writes about his reaction to the "hope and resilience" of the Christians there:

Despite “overwhelming difficulties,” and a “reigning pessimism on the real prospects for peace” between Israel and the Palestinians, Archbishop Smith said he found the Christian parishioners and young people remain resilient and “want to continue to work for peace, to speak up for the rights of all,” while “upholding human dignity.”

The president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops participated in an annual meeting of the International Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church in the Holy Land.

The reason for their hope, they say, is their Christian identity, said Archbishop Smith. “Darkness does not have the last word. That belongs to God, who is light. We in our lifetime might not see substantial changes but we know there will be a better day.”

Read the full story on The B.C. Catholic website.