We are delighted to be leading this, the second, Ecumenical Pilgrimage with the Deans from the Cathedrals in Southwark. We are so looking forward to being able to visit places in the Holy Land again and we especially hope that we will be able to visit Bethlehem this time. (The last time we visited was as the pandemic was about to begin and Bethlehem was closed.)
The Holy Land is a wonderful place to travel to and to get to see some of the places where Jesus and his disciples lived. But, as you will see from the news, it is often a place of unrest, where people feel that they suffer injustice and are fearful of what the future will bring.
As we journey around the holy sites it will be impossible to miss the fact that we are visiting the place where the three Abrahamic religions meet, for Jerusalem is holy for Jews and Muslims as well as for Christians. This inevitably leads to tension as the people’s of these three great religions seek to live in one place. As we journey we will pray for peace in this troubled land, a peace which gives all the chance to live as they would wish and to flourish.
Please pray for us as we make our pilgrimage around the sites which are holy and significant for us as Christians as well as for our brothers and sisters of other faiths. Pray that we will be reinvigorated in our faith and draw close to God at this the beginning of Lent.
As we journey together we will experience so many sites and sounds. We will meet with people who live and work in this holy place and hear about their lives: their hopes and their fears. During our week away, Canon Wendy Robins, the Canon Chancellor at Southwark’s Anglican Cathedral, will be encouraging our pilgrims to write about their experiences and will be taking photographs and sharing them on this blog. Do join us day by day as we experience the places that we read about in Scripture and hear about in church, we hope that, by so doing, your faith may be refreshed and renewed as we hope ours will be.
Bishop Christopher, Bishop of Southwark
Bishop Paul Hendricks, Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark
