The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, both oppose Israel's plans for Israeli armed forces to unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank.

The proposed annexations, which will begin next month, were promised by the Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu during his election campaign.

Nichols' and Welby's letters followed a statement leaders of Holy Land churches made on 7 May, warning that the proposed action would "bring about the loss of any remaining hope for the success of the peace process."

Thirteen Christian leaders, including the heads of the local Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Coptic churches signed the 7 May statement.

The UK church leaders say they "support the fundamental right of Israel's citizens to live in peace and safety." At the same time, they think this will only be possible through a negotiated peace.

Both Israelis and Palestinians must live without violence or the threat of violence, the Welby and Nichols stress.

Humanitarian organisations and the international community have also criticised the proposed annexations.

A particularly controversial aspect of the plans has been Netanyahu's promise that Palestinian living in annexed areas would not be eligible for Israeli citizenship or residence rights.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. However, commentators say an official take-over of the region could inflame tensions across the Middle East.

Palestinian leaders are concerned, saying the moves would void existing security arrangements and treaties between the two nations. Neighbouring countries like Jordan have suggested annexations could spark a much wider conflict.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation in Israel and Palestine, as it is undermining economic and social stability in both nations.

Source

• The Tablet
• Image: Anglican Communion News

He says their situation will deteriorate as access to international aid tightens.

"This is now the third year of displacement for the Iraqi Christians. It's very tough. Donations are becoming less, while global attention is waning," Ra'ed Bahou, regional director of the Pontifical Mission says.

Jaar and Bahou's comments were made at a conference hosted by the Vatican Embassy in Amman and the Catholic charity, Caritas Jordan.

The conference focused on refugees' needs and sought better cooperation between Catholic leaders, who were exploring income-generation projects for the refugees

Jaar has devoted his ministry to aiding Iraqi and Syrian refugees flooding into Jordan from neighboring conflicts for more than a decade.

"They have finished their money and they aren't allowed to work. How can they live in human dignity?" he asks.

The Jordanian government says it hosts 1.5 million refugees and its budget, water, electricity and other services are overburdened by the numbers, Daniela Cicchella of U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR explains.

Of these, she says 700,000 refugees of 42 nationalities are registered with the agency in Jordan.

Jaar says UNHCR is doing its best to preserve and protect the dignity of the refugees in Jordan.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: BBC News

The site has been closed for a decade so it could be renovated.

Speaking for Pope Francis at the reopening, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, said the site's religious art shows the way people "celebrate their faith and leave a sign of it for future generations."

He went on to say culture and art are important because "... they express the nobility of the soul of man of every age.

"Let us endeavor to commit ourselves to its preservation, especially when it expresses the tending of the human heart towards the Absolute."

He said the Pope "intends to pay tribute to the importance of this symbolic place, which serves as a crossroads of dialogue and encounter for the three great monotheistic religions, all of which were born in this beloved Middle East."'

Despite the wars since Jordan gained custody of the Holy Land in 1932, Sandri said intense work over the years has found "the historical and spiritual treasures that this place holds, and which today are returned to Jordan and to humanity ...".

He went on to note the Kingdom of Jordan (which almost extends to Mount Nebo) has in recent years become "... a place of welcome, hospitality and healing for thousands of refugees and exiles from the suffering lands of Palestine, Syria and Iraq."

The shrine is a place "of healing for souls and bodies, and a place of refuge for all who come here from every part, afflicted in soul and burdened by all manner of bodily suffering," Cardinal Sandri.

Source

• CNA
• Image: Rafat Taiseer

The group of 70 or so books, with between 5 and 15 lead leaves bound by lead rings were located inside a northern Jordanian cave sometime between 2005 - 2007.

They were discovered after a flash flood exposed two niches.

David Elkington, a British scholar of ancient religious history and archeology, and one of the few to have examined the books, says they could be ‘the major discovery of Christian history'.

‘It is a breathtaking thought that we have held these objects that might have been held by the early saints of the Church,' he said.

The books are potentially more significant than the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The director of the Jordan's Department of Antiquities, Ziad al-Saad, says the books might have been made by followers of Jesus in the few decades immediately following his crucifixion.

"Maybe it will lead to further interpretation and authenticity checks of the material, but the initial information is very encouraging, and it seems that we are looking at a very important and significant discovery, maybe the most important discovery in the history of archaeology."

The books are currently the subject of a dispute between authorities, archeologists and an Israeli Bedouin who smuggled the books into Israel and hid them, claiming they were found by his great-grandfather.

The Israeli Bedouin who currently holds the books has denied smuggling them out of Jordan, and claims they have been in his family for 100 years.

Jordan says it will "exert all efforts at every level" to get the relics repatriated.

Sources

• BBC
• YahooNews
• Fox News
• Daily Mail