Christians in the Holy Land

On Sunday 16th March, John Pontifex, Head of Press and Information for Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), spoke to Forum Christi about The Christians of the Holy Land – Past, Present and Future. John gave us first-hand accounts of the situation that is faced by Christians living in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas. Christians are facing persecution from the growing Islamist and Jewish communities, and significant numbers of Christians are leaving the area. Bethlehem is also suffering because many Christians there rely on tourists visiting and buying their products, and due to violence in the area there has been a huge decrease in tourism. One of the ways in which ACN is helping is by buying olive wood products from workers in the area, and selling them around the world. John concluded his talk by discussing the current situation in Iraq, particularly in light of the recent kidnapping and death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho.For more information on the work of Aid to the Church in Need, or to make a donation to their work, see http://www.acn.org.uk/