wfn.org | Bethlehem Franciscans Ask Aid from World Jewry

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For more information:
Fr. Raed Abusahlia
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
P.O.Box  14152 - Jerusalem 97500
E-mail address: latinpat@actcom.co.il 

ISRAELIS ALSO ENTER RUSSIAN ORTHODOX GUESTHOUSE

BETHLEHEM, June 16, 2002 - The followers of St. Francis of Assisi, apostle of 
peace, have appealed to Jewish communities worldwide for the restoration of 
water and electricity supplies to the friars of Bethlehem's besieged Basilica 
of the Nativity. 

Father Ibrahim Faltas, the Franciscan responsible for the custody of the 
Basilica, told the Rome-based news service, Zenit.org, that he is certain the 
Israeli army will not attack the church. 

The Israeli army has surrounded the historic church since last week, after 
200 Palestinians, many of them armed, entered and took refuge there. 

"I am convinced that the Israeli armed forces will think one hundred times 
before attacking the basilica," the priest said.  "In the end, they will not 
do so."  The priest, rector of the Franciscan monastery, believes such an 
attack would cause a useless massacre. 

The religious brothers and sisters are suffering from a lack of water and 
food, and especially from psychological exhaustion, Father Faltas told the 
Misna missionary agency. 

The motherhouse of the Friars Minor in Rome has reported that the monastery 
in Bethlehem continues to be without water or electricity.  However, 
inexplicably, in the past few days the Israeli army has supplied electricity 
and water to some other areas of Bethlehem. 

The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land told the news service that it was 
launching its appeal to Jewish communities worldwide after days of useless 
appeals to the Israeli government. 

The Friars Minor recall their traditional friendship with their Jewish "elder 
brothers" and the acknowledged heroism of the friars, who risked their lives 
to save Jews during the Holocaust. 

"We are not your adversaries, we are not part of the conflict that is under 
way," the appeal states. "We ask you in the name of the God of Abraham, of 
Isaac, and of Jacob: Have pity, give us back electricity and water." 

Meanwhile, Vatican Radio reported that the Israeli army has reoccupied the 
Bethlehem guesthouse of the Russian Orthodox Church.  That news was confirmed 
by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which protested to the Israeli authorities. 

A few days ago, Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II of All Russias launched an appeal 
to the Russian Federation, the United States, the European Union and the 
United Nations, warning that "further escalation of bloodshed might 
destabilize the entire Middle East." 

The Russian patriarch also appealed to the world community to "increase its 
participation in the peace process." 

Caritas-Jerusalem appealed urgently for $715,000 (813,000 euro) to deliver 
medicines to hospitals, to provide clothes and blankets for the homeless, to 
repair some homes, and to feed 1,200 families of Jenin, Ramala and the 
surrounding areas. 

At the same time, prayer initiatives are spreading around the world.   "Every 
day we pray the rosary, in response to the Pope's request to pray for the 
Holy Land," a statement from Communion and Liberation says.  "Only God's 
intervention can give that peace that seems impossible to men," the 
organization said.

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