The
Christian exodus, underway for decades, has reached critical levels in
recent years. Emigration is a central concern to local Vatican
officials, who are trying to stave off the flight with offers of jobs,
housing and scholarships.
"I am sad to think that maybe the time will come in which Christianity will disappear from this land,"
said the Rev. Juan Solana, a Vatican
envoy who oversees the Notre Dame center, a Jerusalem hotel for pilgrims
that employs 150 locals, mostly Christians.
Solana
said he employs Christians to encourage them
"to stay here, to love this land, to be aware of their particular vocation to be the witnesses of Christianity in this land."
The
Christian exodus is taking place across the Middle East. Jordan, where
Pope Francis will begin his three-day trip Saturday, has thousands of
Christian refugees from war-torn Syria and Iraq.
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The decline began with high Jewish immigration and Christian emigration
after the 1948 war surrounding Israel's establishment, and has been
abetted by continued emigration and a low birthrate among Christians who
stay.
+
About
38,000 Palestinian Christians live in the West Bank, 2,000 in Gaza, and
10,000 in Jerusalem, according to the local Roman Catholic church.
Israel
has 130,000 Arab Christians. There are also nearly 200,000 non-native
Christians in Israel, including Christians who moved from the former
Soviet Union because of Jewish family ties, guest workers and African
migrants.
by johnib |
| Father Ibrahim Shomali, the parish priest of Beit Jala |
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