US bishop to make solidarity visit to Middle East
January 06, 2014
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced that Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, is making an 11-day solidarity visit to the Middle East.
“As I prepare to make a solidarity visit to the Middle East in support of the local Church caught in the midst of regional conflicts, I recall in a special way our Holy Father’s Urbi et Orbi Christmas message in which he invoked the ‘Prince of Peace’ to lead people to give up their arms and ‘undertake the path of dialogue,’” he said. “In addition to a special concern for the Church and people of Syria, Egypt, Israel, and Palestine, we remain deeply concerned for South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and all places that do not know God’s peace.”
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Posted by: jg23753479 -
Jan. 06, 2014 7:05 AM ET USA
Why does the prospect of a visit to this area by naive prelates make me nervous? The statement "Twilight of Hope for Israeli-Palestinian Peace" at the USCCB website is filled with praise for current Obama/Kerry efforts in the Holy Land. But US diplomacy is not realistic; no one seriously believes in the possibility of a two-state solution any longer. It would be better for our bishops to remain at home doing what they are good at, viz. praying, instead of meddling in international politics.
