Cardinal Brady leads delegation to Israel

Cardinal Sean Brady today led a delegation of prominent clergymen to Israel.

The Archbishop of Armagh and head of the Catholic church was joined by an assembly of European and North American bishops who will remain in the Holy Land until Tuesday.

The trip was part of an international Catholic group called the Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church of the Holy Land and the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land.

Set up in Jerusalem at the request of the Holy See in October 1998, the group will meet local politicians and make pastoral visits to parishes around Bethlehem, Nablus, Rafidia, Jenin, and Zababdeh.

They will also meet with Archbishop Antonio Franco, the Apostolic Delegate, Tom Philips British Ambassador to Israel, Richard Makepeace, British Consul General in Jerusalem, and staff and students at Bethlehem University.

Rev Timothy Bartlett, office of the President of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Raymond Field, Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin and Trocaire’s Justin Kilcullen are also on the trip.