On Monday, April 22, Bishop William Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem, went to the Mount of Olives in Bethpage and, together with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and other officials, signed a friendship pact between the Christian people of a housing complex, built for poor Christians by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, and their Muslim neighbours. A first!
One hundred participants gathered at the “The Mount of Olives Club” in the district of Bethpage for the unusual signature ceremony, including Adnan Husseini, Governor of Jerusalem and Friar Ibrahim Faltas, OFM, representing the Custody of the
The signatories represent on one side, 63 families, the Christian residents of the
This great initiative was conceived by some Muslim leaders who intervened in previous clashes in the neighbourhood. Each signatory spoke and advocated the importance of good neighbourly relations, acceptance of others and emphasized the values of friendship.
Signing the agreement