After spending nine days, Jan. 18-27, on a Hispanic Bishops? Pilgrimage for Peace in the Holy Land, Bishop Nelson Perez said many memories will remain with him, as well as a greater understanding of what is happening in that part of the world.
It was the bishop?s second trip to the Holy Land. His first, in 1998, included visits to Christian holy sites, but he said he was not exposed to the conflict of the land.
?In some respects, I visited a different Holy Land,? he said. ?The human struggle continues to be very powerful.? He described that struggle as ?moving, unsettling and hopeful.?
?The human struggle -- the quest and hope for peace -- is present and takes the form of today?s issues. In Jesus? time, it was the struggle against the Roman Empire,? Bishop Perez said.
But there is always a quest for peace and humanity, he said, pointing out that quest ?can be dramatic and intense at times and very diverse in perspective, with all sorts of narratives.? Yet, he said the presence of the Church and the Christian faith, which was born there, remains in the midst of the conflict.
Bishop Perez recalled a passage from the Gospel of St. John: ?The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it,? saying it is applicable to today?s struggles in the Holy Land. ?For us Christians, that light is Christ,? he said.
When visiting some of the holy sites, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the bishop said he got a sense of that light. He said it can be chaotic with many visitors from different faiths praying at altars in the different chapels.
?We spent 45 minutes in silent prayer, but you could hear the chanting of the others. You get a sense that something powerful, something cosmic happened there. For us Christians, that was the resurrection of Christ. The chanting, incense and prayers of the others are very different. There is a human energy and dynamism,? he said, recalling a long line of people reaching out to touch a slab of stone at Jesus? burial place.
The bishops visited many holy sites, spending time in prayer and offering Masses. ?We prayed for peace and justice,? Bishop Perez said.
Christians, Muslims and Jews live in the Holy Land with each group having many sacred sites. The bishops spent about half of their time in Jerusalem and about half of their time in Palestine. They met with local clergy and religious, residents and leaders to better understand the situation in the Holy Land and to advocate for building bridges, not walls, Bishop Perez said.
?I was awakened early each morning by a call to prayer from a minaret,? he said, referring to the traditional Muslim way to signal it is time to begin a scheduled prayer ritual. Nearby, Mass was offered and Christians said their prayers.
Among the areas visited by the bishops were Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and the Old City, the West Bank, Gaza, Hebron, Galilee, the Western Wall, Dome of the Rock, Susya and the Oasis of Peace. Bishop Perez said he was struck by how few Christians remain in the Holy Land. In Gaza, which is walled and controlled by Hamas, he said 2.3 million people ?are in a virtual human prison. They can?t get in or out without permits, and permits are difficult to get,? he said. And fewer than 1,000 are Catholic. Bishop Perez said at one time the Bethlehem population was about 80 percent Christian; now it is about 15-20 percent.
In addition to visiting many sacred sites like the Basilica of the Annunciation, the Church of the Nativity, where Bishop Perez said he prayed for the Church of Cleveland, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Mount of Olives, the bishops also went to Yad Vashem, the world holocaust remembrance center, Bethlehem University and the Oasis of Hope, an international community of Palestinians and Jews dedicated to building peace and equality.
The bishops concelebrated Mass with Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzabella, the apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (a diocese), met with religious sisters, Christian brothers, Greek Orthodox and Maronite priests, residents and Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups. They also observed the work of Catholic Relief Services in the area.
?They are doing wonderful work,? Bishop Perez said.
The bishop chairs the USCCB Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs and in November was elected to chair the USCCB Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church.
Also on the pilgrimage were Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace; Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle, Washington; Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda of Detroit, Michigan; Bishop Felipe de Jesus Estevez of St. Augustine, Florida; Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros of Brooklyn, New York; Bishop Armando Ochoa of Fresno, California; Auxiliary Bishop Alberto Rojas of Chicago; retired Bishop Placido Rodriguez of Lubbock, Texas; and retired Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio del Riego of San Bernardino, California.
?It was a wonderful, moving trip
