HOLY LAND: ‘Our people are thirsty to know and live their faith’

A spiritual formation programme – supported by an international Catholic charity – is helping Christians in the Holy Land to better understand and express their faith.

The region’s Christian community often only has “a shallow understanding of our faith and a minimal understanding of the Holy Land’s religious, historical and cultural significance”, according to George Akroush, director at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (LPJ) Project Development Office.

Mr Akroush told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): “We have to put our finger in this wound, that we are weak in forming our people.”

The Spiritual Formation Centre at the Latin Patriarchal Seminary in Beit Jala in the West Bank has been offering a range of courses to hundreds of students since September 2023, with support from ACN.

The courses – covering subjects like salvation history and moral theology – are designed to help the laity deepen their understanding of the Christian faith.

Father Bernard Poggi, rector at the Beit Jala seminary, said that he hopes that the knowledge presented in the courses will be passed down to the next generations – adding that there are signs this is already happening.

Father Poggi explained: “Our people are thirsty to know and live their faith.

“This can be a turning point in the history of Christian education in the Holy Land.”

In addition to funding education programmes, ACN help in the Holy Land has included emergency aid, food, housing and medical assistance to hundreds of Christian families.

The charity is also supporting Christian-run organisations, job creation programmes and a number of pastoral projects.