Annual visit to the Holy Land – Bishops and Church organizations working in solidarity

Thursday, February 12, 2015

The Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and Co-Treasurer of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), was the CCCB representative at the January 10-15, 2015, gathering in Bethlehem of the Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church in the Holy Land. During the meeting of the Holy Land Coordination, he was assisted by Mr. Carl Hétu, National Director of CNEWA-Canada. Following this, Bishop Gendron accompanied Mr. Hétu to observe the relief efforts by CNEWA-Canada with Iraqi refugees (in Jordan) and Syrian refugees (in Lebanon).

During this visit, Bishop Gendron saw firsthand the work CNEWA is doing in assisting Catholics and Orthodox in need in the Middle East, while also working in close collaboration with Aid to the Church in Need and Caritas Internationalis (including Development and Peace), each of which has its own specific focus and area of expertise. “The Church in Canada has every reason to rejoice in the dedication and good work of all three Catholic agencies,” Bishop Gendron noted.

Link to the final report by the 2015 visit of the Holy Land Coordination

Link to Media reports:
The Catholic Register
America
Catholic News Service, “Bishops see signs of resilience in Gaza, despite destruction” (PDF) 
Catholic News Service, “Bishops impressed by care given to needy in Bethlehem” (PDF)