Bishops from the Arab Regions meet in Cyprus

Bishops coming from the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Djibouti and Somalia participated. Father David, responsible for the Hebrew speaking Catholics and migrants in Israel also participated.

The bishops met with Christian and Muslim religious leaders at the Maronite Archbishopric and sensed the ecumenical spirit among the various Christian Churches. They went on a pilgrimage to the Tomb of Saint Barnabas, apostle of Cyprus, and we prayed for an improvement in the relations between the Turkish and the Greek parts of the island. They also paid a visit to the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostom II.

After a rich exchange about the pastoral situations in their respective countries, the bishops studied four themes, which were proposed by the program: consecrated life, the future of the Christian community in the Middle East, the family and the Jubilee of Mercy. It was particularly moving to hear first-hand about the Christian communities in Syria and Iraq.