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January 28, 2009 Bishops from Europe and North America Meet with Bethlehem University StudentsGaza talk dominates religious leaders' visitBy Ronza Al-Madbouh (BU'09), Deema Amerah (BU'09), Dema Hilo (BU'09) and Samar Sabat (BU'09) Although the bombs and destruction weren't visible in Bethlehem , the tragedy of the Israeli bombardment of nearby Gaza hung like a dark cloud over a recent gathering of religious leaders at Bethlehem University .
On 10 January 2009 the heads of the Catholic Episcopal Conferences of Europe and North America visited Bethlehem University as part of their annual journey in support of the Church of the Holy Land and the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land . Their visit to Bethlehem University was a time for them to personally take stock of the lives of Palestinians and to better understand the hopes and sufferings of Palestinian youth. There was particular interest during this year's visit in discussing the recent atrocities in Gaza .
“Perhaps we don't know how to solve the conflict, but we can take on a very important role of teaching and learning,” said Archbishop V. James Weisgerber, Archbishop of Winnipeg and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. One of 22 religious leaders welcomed to Bethlehem University by staff, faculty and students on January 10, 2009, Archbishop Weisgerber expressed his solidarity with Palestinians and promised to listen and talk to Palestinians in order to be able to better communicate what is going on in this part of the world. The delegation of church leaders from Europe and North America was welcomed to Bethlehem University by Brother Peter Bray, Bethlehem University 's Vice Chancellor designate, along with other brothers, staff, and students. “On behalf of the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Bethlehem University , I want to express our deepest gratitude for your visit with us – a sure sign of solidarity with the people of God here in Palestine ,” said Brother Peter. In the Chapel of the Divine Child, Brother Joe, President Emeritus, expressed his solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza . He invited all to pray for the people of Gaza , especially the 438 Bethlehem University students and graduates from Gaza . Brother Joe also thanked the Bishops and their associates for their tremendous work and that of their predecessors in helping found and develop Bethlehem University . “It is important that you know and understand that if it was not for the support from you and your predecessors, Bethlehem University could not have been established nor flourished as wonderfully as it has over its 35 year history,” said Brother Joe. The delegation of Bishops spent most of their time at Bethlehem University gathering in small groups with students and staff. In these small group discussions, the situation and people of Gaza were prominent in the conversation. In one group, for instance, the Bishops were eager to know about the political, social, economic, religious and educational life of the Palestinian students and people. Monsignor Peter Fleetwood, of the Archdiocese of Liverpool, began the discussion by asking the students about their feelings towards Gaza . The students expressed sorrow at the tragic situation in Gaza , where more than 1200 people have died, including hundreds of children, and more than 4000 have been injured. “There is no respect for human rights here, especially in Gaza ,” said Jacoub Sleibi, a second-year Bethlehem University student. “It's as if our blood is cheap – and doesn't count.”
When asked by Bishops what it is that the Palestinians can do, students shared their feelings and beliefs. Many of the students spoke about their helping to build up the Palestinian society by pursing their education, despite the recent Israeli bombing of several educational institutions in Gaza and the persistent and ongoing challenges to educational access in the West Bank due to checkpoints, curfews, a discriminatory ID card system, the 30-foot separation barrier and other obstacles due to the Israeli occupation.
In another group, Marian Saadeh, a fourth-year Bethlehem University student, expressed frustration at what is seen as “the Israeli bias” in American media. She told her personal situation in which she saw her sister killed by Israeli soldiers as she drove through Bethlehem with her family. Marian said, “When I watched the news on CNN, I found that they were manipulating the news. My sister was killed while my father was driving. On CNN, they said my sister was killed by Palestinian terrorists, which was totally inaccurate and a manipulation of the truth.” s they were listening to the real life experiences of students, the Bishops made evident their pastoral and spiritual concern for the students and the people of Palestine . They called for justice to be realized, for peace and hope to be instilled among the students. Some bishops also noted examples from other pasts of the world where other long-running conflicts ended peacefully after years of bloodshed, including the conflict between Ireland and Britain . rchbishop Patrick Kelly, Vice President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales , and Bishop Gerald Kicanas, Vice President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, expressed their admiration for the students of Bethlehem University as they encouraged them to continue to always embrace hope. At the end of their visit, the Bishops asked “what can we do to help Bethlehem University .” The students asked that the Bishops keep visiting Palestine and Bethlehem University so as to witness to the realities of life under occupation. They also asked the Bishops to spread the news of their visit. Msgr. Fleetwood vowed to deliver on that request, noting: “The thing I can do is to support Palestinians and tell my people about them.”
Thank you to the following student ambassadors who hosted and welcomed this group:
The full list of attendees is listed below:
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