Bethlehem (Palestine)

From Bethlehem The City Of Jesus Christ

A massage for Peace 

With great joy and love, The City of Bethlehem was honored by the pilgrimage of his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday, 13th of May 2009. Our Christian Community in Bethlehem “The City of Peace” attended The Mass His Holiness celebrated in The Manger Square near the Nativity Church. It was really a great opportunity for us as Arab Palestinian Christians to attend this event, since it may  help our community to withstand and confront the difficult situations in the Holy Land arising from Israeli occupation. 

His Holiness also visited Ayda Refugee Camp beside the separation wall " The Discrimination Fence" which was constructed by the Israeli Military to besiege the City of Peace Bethlehem converting it into a concentration camp and isolating the City of Jesus Christ from the Holy City of Jerusalem, thus preventing our Christian Community from visiting the Holy Places in Jerusalem although the distance between both Cities does not exceed the 10 km. From the Israeli  point of view this fence is important for their security, however from our point of view, time has come for the Israeli Leadership to stop deceiving the International Community and to try building bridges for peace rather than building this discrimination fence.

As a result of the Israeli aggressive acts the situation in Bethlehem is getting worse, the economic situation is very bad and job creation opportunities are absent. Consequently the rates of immigration by the Christian Community in Bethlehem has increased vastly, thus  in the last 4 decades the Arab Palestinian Christian Community in Bethlehem turned dramatically from being a majority to a small minority.   We in The SFO Bethlehem would like one day to have the opportunity to hold a seminar concerning this issue.

I hope All SFO Communities will build strong relations based on mutual recognition, and that these relations will be graced by love, respect and prosperity. Let us also pray to Lord Jesus referring to His Words in the Holy Bible:

" And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are”.    John 17 - 11. 

May The Blessings of The Almighty God heap upon Our Communities with his Divine mercy, care and love. 

Best regards,

Mike Salman

Secretary General - SFO Bethlehem