Prison chaplains visit Patriarch before Christmas

It is a tradition that the team that ministers to Catholics in the Israeli prisons visits the Patriarch just before Christmas. This year too, the team came to see the Patriarch accompanied by Father David Neuhaus, Latin Patriarchal Vicar responsible for Hebrew speaking and migrant Catholics.

The team handed the Patriarch their yearly report. They had visited regularly 64 prisoners in six prisons, praying with them, bringing them Bibles and rosaries, hearing confessions, doing spiritual counseling and acting as a contact with their families. Twice a year mass is celebrated in the prisons, in the Christmas and Easter periods.

Kirill, the new coordinator of the team was presented to the Patriarch and thanks were offered to Sister Claudia, who recently finishes her job as coordinator. The team includes priests and sisters who can speak Hebrew, Arabic, English, Spanish, Tigrinye, Russian, Polish and other languages. Many of the Catholic prisoners are expatriates, who are serving sentences on drug related crimes.

The team discussed with the Patriarch the joys and pains of this mission and they examined some practical issues together. At the end of the meeting, the Patriarch blessed the members of the team, wishing them a merry Christmas.