On his first Holy Land Co-ordination pilgrimage, Bishop Jim Curry, auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Westminster, shared how he was touched by the dignity of the Christians he met despite the many hardships they face.

Bishop Curry visited Father Remon Haddad and the parish community of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows in Aboud, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, on Sunday, 19 January 2025.

He said:

“I am humbled to be here in Aboud, in a packed church full of families and young people, and the most wonderful, joyful celebration in midst of what is undeniably their suffering.

“Aboud is a small, ancient Christian village in the Palestinian territories in the West Bank. It’s surrounded by unauthorised settlements, and life has been very hard for them since the beginning of the war.

“Many of them are not able to go to their jobs or have lost their jobs in Jerusalem and Israel. But today was a celebration of faith”.