Holy Land

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The Holy Land Cans Christmas Festivities

With a war raging, church leaders in Jerusalem, Bethlehem say it's no time to celebrate

(Newser) - Each year around Christmas, a tree is set up, lights are strung, and a nativity scene is arranged in Bethlehem's Manger Square, home of the 6th-century Church of the Nativity, which is said to mark the spot where Jesus Christ was born. There will be none of that this...

Pope Will Head to Holy Land

Francis announces his 1st trip abroad for new year

(Newser) - Pope Francis has announced that he will travel to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan May 24-26. The visit marks the pope's first trip to the Holy Land and is so far his only foreign travel planned for 2014. Francis told people gathered in the rain for his weekly...

In the Holy Land, Attempts to Revive Jesus' Language

Schools in two villages teaching Aramaic

(Newser) - In two Holy Land villages—and, randomly, Sweden—efforts are being made to revive Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke that has been almost dead for centuries. The Palestinian village of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, and the Arab-Israeli village of Jish, in the Galilean hills where Jesus taught, were both inspired...

Israel's Ehud Olmert Indicted on Bribery Charges

Counts date back to time as mayor of Jerusalem

(Newser) - Things got worse for Ehud Olmert today, as the former Israeli prime minister was indicted on charges related to bribes he allegedly took back when he was mayor of Jerusalem. Olmert is already on trial for three unrelated counts, but the new charges are the most serious: He’s accused...

O Little Town of Bethlehem, Packed With Tourists

Faithful flock to Church of the Nativity

(Newser) - There wasn't any room at the inns today as thousands of faithful thronged the streets of Bethlehem to worship at Christ's biblical birthplace. Visitors snapped photos at the 50-foot-tall Christmas tree at Manger Square and received blessings from Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, the head of the Catholic Church...

Israel, Stop Using God to Settle Real Estate Disputes

It's 'dangerous, unwise, and smacks of sacrilege': Walter Rodgers

(Newser) - In the US, Christians and conservatives are increasingly supportive of Israel and its claim to the "Holy Land." But "there’s too much at stake to use God as a real estate broker," writes former CNN Jerusalem bureau chief Walter Rodgers in the Christian Science Monitor...

Pope Celebrates Mass in Jesus' Hometown

40,000 join Benedict in Nazareth, Israel's largest Arab city

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass today with 40,000 adoring followers in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth, the AP reports, where he urged Christian and Muslim residents to overcome recent strife and "reject the destructive power of hatred and prejudice." On the fourth day of his Holy Land pilgrimage,...

In Bethlehem, Pope Calls for Palestinian State

From Bethlehem, Benedict demands Palestinian state

(Newser) - Pope Benedict decried the suffering in the West Bank and called for an independent Palestinian state today in Bethlehem, the London Times reports. "The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers," the pope said, addressing thousands...

The 11th Commandment: 'Thou Shalt Not Forge'

Unscrupulous scholars fake history to make a buck

(Newser) - Fraudulent biblical artifacts come a dime a dozen, but reputable archaeologists are turning out to be far less common, Nina Burleigh writes in the Los Angeles Times. The latest example involves an Israeli collector who claimed to have relics from the time of Christ. Declaring the items forgeries, authorities prosecuted...

Pope Hails Easter Conversions
 Pope Hails Easter Conversions 
Mar 23, 2008 1:27 PM CDT

Pope Hails Easter Conversions

Benedict XVI demands end to conflicts in Tibet, Middle East

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Easter Mass today, hailing the miracle of conversion, "which renews itself even today" before a rain-soaked crowd in St. Peter's Square and calling for an end to hostilities in "Darfur and Somalia, the tormented Middle East, especially the Holy Land, Iraq, Lebanon, and Tibet....

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