Posted on 02/05/2018 6:20:46 PM PST by marshmallow
The presence of Chinese, Russian and Eastern European pilgrims increased significantly. The "controlled" reaction of the Palestinians against Trump's decision on capital Jerusalem. Pilgrimages "good for the whole population": They help fight terrorism and fundamentalism.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - 2018 began with an "extraordinary boom" in pilgrimages. The Christian Information Center recently announced this, confirming the statistics of the Israeli ministry for tourism: the tensions over Jerusalem have not affected the steadily increasing number of pilgrims arriving in the Holy Land.
In the month that has just ended, 770 groups of pilgrims went to the Holy Land, for a total of 26 thousand people. A far more significant figure than the 529 groups registered in January 2017 and 390 in 2016.
A "boom" in pilgrimages that began at the end of 2017, as told by Sobhy Makhoul, deacon of the Maronite Patriarchate of Jerusalem. "Between November and mid-December there were many pilgrims, so many that for the first time we had to house some of them in the city like Hebron, almost 30 km south of Bethlehem."
"Europeans - he continues - are returning but not only, Chinese, Russian and Eastern European pilgrims are on the rise. There is a great movement on the part of the Orthodox Churches, they come in hundreds and hundreds. The fact that Israel has facilitated the visa application for the Chinese has also had a positive impact. For example, those who have already obtained a European visa can enter Israel without problems. Many rich Chinese come here, some of these are Protestants. "
"On paper, for 2018 there is an unexpected demand, we are hoping that the political situation will allow it, that there will be no sparks of tension".
The deacon emphasizes that not only are Christian pilgrimages on the rise, but also Muslim ones.
(Excerpt) Read more at asianews.it ...
‘Gotta get my passport renewed. I wanna’ go!
And this is why I don’t buy all the hysteria including on these boards about Christianity being on the losing side right now.
“The deacon emphasizes that not only are Christian pilgrimages on the rise, but also Muslim ones.”
Why? When Mo died, Jerusalem was still in Byzantine hands and there were no mosques in the city.
Hence, his visit to “the farthest mosque” (”al aksa”)
can’t have been to Jerusalem.
Obviously nothing to do with Trump.
Oh no, Christian groups in these areas have been severely targeted. Thank God for more peaceful times. P.s. I’m not sure so many Christians are still there.
I hope America reaps a blessing for its decisiveness on the Jerusalem issue. Please LORD, extra favor and blessing.
Retiring in two years and that is the first place I am headed.
Retiring in two years and that is the first place I am headed.
I went there in 2013 and again in 2014. I’m ready to go back again. I’ve been to a lot of countries, but that is by far the most amazing place that I’ve been to.
Islamic tradition holds that he was whisked to Jerusalem by a supernatural agent one night.
The number of pilgrims to Rome is said to be down by a very significant amount—likely some people who would normally go to Rome are looking elsewhere.
I have no idea how the gospel of Jesus Christ could ever be “on the losing side.”
It will be those Christians from Asia and Africa who will be the new Christian missionaries to the west.
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