During the week covered by this review, we received 3 articles on the following subjects:
Christian Tourism
Pope and the Vatican
Christian Sites
Christian Tourism
Eastern Mediterranean Tourism, July 31, 2012
This announcement gives information on the upcoming Jerusalem Prayer Service that will be held on the 12th of December at the end of a pilgrimage trip organized by Prayer for Hope in association with America’s National Prayer Committee, Assemblies of God, Association of Related Churches, Brooklyn Tabernacle and various others. On the Israeli side, the tour is being coordinated with the Israel Ministry of Tourism and the Center for Holy Lands Studies. Dr. Thomas Trask, who is the chairman of Convoy of Hope Global Prayer Initiative, says: “’We will gather in Jerusalem for a great time of prayer and praise as we intercede on behalf of the world needy.’”
Pope and the Vatican
The Jerusalem Post, August 21, 2012
A new papal ambassador to Israel has been appointed by the Vatican. Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto will take up his post in the coming months, after serving as the papal envoy to Australia since 2007. This is not Lazzarotto’s first posting to Israel, as he spent time in the Palestinian territories between 1982 and 1984 “as part of the Apostolic Delegation of the Holy See in Jerusalem.” Furthermore, Lazzarotto served as the apostolic nuncio to Iraq and Jordan between 1994 and 2000. Lazzarotto has said that he will “continue to offer his full contribution to dialogue and peace” as part of his service, adding: “’[Peace] is my greatest desire, my aspiration and my hope.’” When asked about the Christian community in Israel and the Middle East, Lazzarotto said that they “’live their commitment, their testimony of faith through small gestures of fraternity, small gestures of understanding, dialogue and friendship. I believe that this is the necessary path . . . to be a living witness to the risen Lord.’”
Christian Sites
Zman Tzafon, August 16, 2012
The Good Samaritan museum, which is located near Ma’ale Adumin, will be opening its doors to the wider public during the month of August. The mosaic museum is the only one of its kind in Israel, and one of only three worldwide. The museum is situated on the road outside Jerusalem that is associated with the biblical town of Ma’ale Adumim and the border between the tribes of Benjamin and Judah (Joshua 15:7 and 18:17). According to the article, the site is also associated with “the inn that is mentioned in the parable of the Good Samaritan in the New Testament (Luke 10:25-37). Three different religious people are mentioned in this parable: Jews, Jesus who proclaims Christianity, and a Samaritan who did a good deed. The museum was built to reflect this parable, and the mosaics were carefully selected along the same lines.” This is why the various historical artifacts on display are from Jewish synagogues, Samaritan synagogues, and churches.