The Saga in the Anglican church in the Holy Land continues: After the ruling of the court that prevented Bishop Riah Abu Assal from entering the school named after his name, Bishop Abu Assal sends a letter to friends and leading clergy abroad.

In his letter Bishop Riah says that the new Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem did not honor what was agreed namely “Dignified Silence” and went ahead issuing statements with the intention of undermining the work and achievements of his predecessor”.

Come and See obtained a copy of the letter through the PalestinianChristians group where this letter was distributed. We bring the letter here to you.

Special For "Come and See", Feb 9, 2008

Jordan has increased pressure on foreign Christians living in the kingdom, expelling many long-time residents over the past 13 months in what local churches see as an attack on their legitimacy.

Authorities deported or refused residence permits to at least 27 expatriate Christian families and individuals in 2007, a number of them working with local churches or studying at a Christian seminary, Compass has confirmed.

In all but one case, officials refused to provide written explanations for the decisions. But many of those expelled told Compass that they had been questioned by intelligence officers regarding evangelism of Muslims.

by Peter Lamprecht, Compass Direct, Jan 29, 2008

A pro-Israel evangelist group from the US has decided to "adopt" Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.

A few months ago, the group contacted the hospital, which copes with victims of Palestinian terror bombings from Gaza and sick Gazan civilians on a regular basis.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH, The Jerusalem Post, Jan 30, 2008

A small group of Palestinian Christians stands outside Gaza City's Baptist Church on a Sunday morning, waiting for the generator to power up. The church is cold and dark in the dead of winter, Israel having reduced fuel supplies to Gaza in an effort to pressure Hamas to halt rocket fire into Israel.

Freshly bound prayer books, containing traditional American hymns, are tucked into the backs of the chairs in the fifth-floor prayer room. But there are no visible religious symbols in the room or outside the building, constructed about a year ago with the help of Christian donors in the U.S. and abroad.

Just eight worshippers are present for the service, compared with more than 100 who attended Sunday prayers six months ago.

By Erica Silverman, The Washington Times, January 15, 2008

Arab Anglican leaders have called for the cancellation of a June gathering of Anglicans in Jerusalem, claiming it could exacerbate Christian-Muslim tensions in the Palestinian territories.

On Wednesday, the Anglican bishop in Jerusalem, Suheil Darwani, released a statement saying the presence of hundreds of conservative Anglican bishops in the Holy Land would inject the Anglican Communion's political disputes into the diocese of Jerusalem, and could also have "serious consequences for our ongoing ministry of reconciliation in this divided land."

By GEORGE CONGER, The Jerusalem Post, Jan 5, 2008

Norman Jameson was part of a group of editors from the Southern Baptist Convention who visited Israel this month with an invitation from the Ministry of Tourism.

Before he sent his main story about his trip to Israel to the Biblical Recorder page designer, he sent it to Botrus Mansour, general director of the Nazareth Baptist School for his review. He met with Botrus during his visit to Nazareth and claims that Botrus was "greatly disappointed" in what was written.

The following is what the editor of the Biblical Recorder wrote after this reaction from Mr. Mansour.

Norman Jameson, The Biblical Recorder, Jan 24, 2008

While many Catholics in the Middle East suffer from discrimination and may even be denied religious freedom, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged them to engage in dialogue with their Muslim and Jewish neighbors and to strengthen their bonds with other Christians.

The pope met Jan. 18 at the Vatican with the Latin-rite bishops of Israel, the Palestinian territories, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Somalia. The bishops were making their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses.

By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, Jan 18, 2008

The magistrate court of Nazareth issued a decision today (the 22nd of January) to prevent the retired Bishop Riah Abu Assal and all members of the non profit organization he formed from entering the campus of “Bishop Riah educational campus” in Nazareth until the end of the proceedings. The decision also prevents them from handling any issues related to the school, especially financial ones.

By that, Judge Nabila Dali Mussa accepted the request of the Anglican Episcopalian church and of Bishop Suhail Diwani that was discussed in court last Friday with both bishops and most pastors of the dioceses present in an unusual setting.

Special For "Come and See", Jan 22, 2008

In this book, Dr. Khoury presents three main parts that concentrate on medieval historical theological components of Arab Christians, contemporary sociopolitical as well as theopolitical challenges, and contextual theological concerns (p. 8).

The Author, Dr. Geries Khoury is the academic Dean of Mar Elias Theology School in Ibilin. The book review is written by the Director of the Academic Affairs at Galilee Bible College, an extension of Bethlehem Bible College

By Yohanna Katanacho, PHD, Special For "Come and See", Jan 22, 2008