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WHO ARE THE HOLY LAND'S CHRISTIANS?
Ha'aratz, Israel
May 22 2014
Their numbers, where they live, what denominations they belong to,
and what their relationship to Pope Francis is.
By Danna Harman
When Pope Francis arrives at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday he will be
following in the footsteps of countless Christian pilgrims before
him, who, ever since the 4th century, have been making the journey
to this land -- to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, seek blessings,
ask for penance, give thanks or simply breath in a little holy air.
But, while millions upon millions of Christian visitors over the years
will have walked down the Via Dolorosa, lit candles in the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, or bowed their heads to pray in the Church
of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives -- the number of
Christians who actually make their permanent home in Israel or the
West Bank today is relatively small.
According to latest statistics from the Central Bureau of Statistics,
there are currently about 161,000 Christians official residents in
Israel -- about 2.1 percent of the general population.
Most of these men, women and children -- about 75 percent -- live
in the western Galilee, concentrated in the cities of Haifa (with
some 14,000 Christians) and Nazareth (22,500), as well as in smaller
villages such as Shfaram and Kfar Yasif. Other large communities
of several thousand each live in Jaffa and west Jerusalem. The only
completely Christian villages in the entire Middle East, according
to the Foreign Ministry, are in Israel too: Ma'aliya and Fassuta in
northern Israel.
Meanwhile, it is estimated there are today anywhere between
25,000-35,000 Christians in the West Bank -- notably in Bethlehem and
Ramallah -- and another approximately 12,000 live in East Jerusalem,
a sum total of about 2 percent of the Palestinian population beyond
the Green Line. In Gaza, there are but 3,000 Christians, who make up
less than one percent of the population there.
The majority of all these Christians (more than 80 percent in Israel
and practically all in the West Bank and Gaza) are Arabs. And many,
or even most, of them -- including those holding Israeli citizenship --
identify as Palestinians.
Outside of the Arab-Christian population, the Christians in Israel
are a mix, with the largest group being Christian immigrants from the
former Soviet Union - possibly as many as 23,000- who arrived in this
country in the 1990s together with Jewish relatives. Another large
group, whose precise numbers are not known, are the foreign workers,
asylum seekers and refugees from Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
Other, smaller Christian groups in Israel include the approximately
7,000 Maronites of Syrian origin living in the Galilee; The communities
of Messianic Jews and Hebrew Catholics -- estimated to be sWhen Pope
Francis arrives at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday he will be following
in the footsteps of countless Christian pilgrims before him, who, ever
since the 4th century, have been making the journey to this land --
to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, seek blessings, ask for penance,
give thanks or simply breath in a little holy air.
But, while millions upon millions of Christian visitors over the years
will have walked down the Via Dolorosa, lit candles in the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, or bowed their heads to pray in the Church
of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives -- the number of
Christians who actually make their permanent home in Israel or the
West Bank today is relatively small.
According to latest statistics from the Central Bureau of Statistics,
there are currently about 161,000 Christians official residents in
Israel -- about 2.1 percent of the general population.
Most of these men, women and children -- about 75 percent -- live
in the western Galilee, concentrated in the cities of Haifa (with
some 14,000 Christians) and Nazareth (22,500), as well as in smaller
villages such as Shfaram and Kfar Yasif. Other large communities
of several thousand each live in Jaffa and west Jerusalem. The only
completely Christian villages in the entire Middle East, according
to the Foreign Ministry, are in Israel too: Ma'aliya and Fassuta in
northern Israel.
Meanwhile, it is estimated there are today anywhere between
25,000-35,000 Christians in the West Bank -- notably in Bethlehem and
Ramallah -- and another approximately 12,000 live in East Jerusalem,
a sum total of about 2 percent of the Palestinian population beyond
the Green Line. In Gaza, there are but 3,000 Christians, who make up
less than one percent of the population there.
The majority of all these Christians (more than 80 percent in Israel
and practically all in the West Bank and Gaza) are Arabs. And many,
or even most, of them -- including those holding Israeli citizenship --
identify as Palestinians.
Outside of the Arab-Christian population, the Christians in Israel
are a mix, with the largest group being Christian immigrants from the
former Soviet Union - possibly as many as 23,000- who arrived in this
country in the 1990s together with Jewish relatives. Another large
group, whose precise numbers are not known, are the foreign workers,
asylum seekers and refugees from Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
Other, smaller Christian groups in Israel include the approximately
7,000 Maronites of Syrian origin living in the Galilee; The communities
of Messianic Jews and Hebrew Catholics -- estimated to be somewhere
around 6,000; And of course the communities of nuns, priests, monks
and other religious officials who have made Israel or the West Bank
their home specifically to serve in the various churches, seminaries
and monasteries here.
About 45 percent of all the Christians in Israel and the West Bank
belong to communities that are in communion with Rome, and, as such,
accept the rubric of the Catholic Church, says Rabbi David Rosen,
International Director of Interreligious Affairs at the American Jewish
Committee, who received a papal knighthood for his contribution to
Jewish-Catholic reconciliation. Of these, the vast majority are members
of the Greek Catholic (or Melkite) Church, with others belonging to
the Roman Catholic (or Latin) Church or the Maronite community.
Most of the rest of the Christians in Israel and the West Bank are
members of the Greek Orthodox community who, like the other local
Orthodox communities, such as the Russian and Romanians, sided with
the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the schism with Rome in 1054 and as
such do not recognize the Pope as their leader.
The historic meeting in Jerusalem in 1964 between Pope Paul VI and
the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras -- which
Pope Francis' visit 50 years later comes to commemorate -- marked
the beginning of reconciliation between these two patriarchates.
Other churches that function at the pleasure of the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchy and who have presences -- if not real communities --
here include the Armenian, Coptic, and Ethiopian churches. And
finally, there are also an estimated 7,000-8,000 protestants in
Israel, among them Anglicans, Lutherans, Baptists, Pentecostals and
Presbyterians.omewhere around 6,000; And of course the communities
of nuns, priests, monks and other religious officials who have made
Israel or the West Bank their home specifically to serve in the
various churches, seminaries and monasteries here.
About 45 percent of all the Christians in Israel and the West Bank
belong to communities that are in communion with Rome, and, as such,
accept the rubric of the Catholic Church, says Rabbi David Rosen,
International Director of Interreligious Affairs at the American Jewish
Committee, who received a papal knighthood for his contribution to
Jewish-Catholic reconciliation. Of these, the vast majority are members
of the Greek Catholic (or Melkite) Church, with others belonging to
the Roman Catholic (or Latin) Church or the Maronite community.
Most of the rest of the Christians in Israel and the West Bank are
members of the Greek Orthodox community who, like the other local
Orthodox communities, such as the Russian and Romanians, sided with
the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the schism with Rome in 1054 and as
such do not recognize the Pope as their leader.
The historic meeting in Jerusalem in 1964 between Pope Paul VI and
the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras -- which
Pope Francis' visit 50 years later comes to commemorate -- marked
the beginning of reconciliation between these two patriarchates.
Other churches that function at the pleasure of the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchy and who have presences -- if not real communities -- here
include the Armenian, Coptic, and Ethiopian churches. And finally,
there are also an estimated 7,000-8,000 protestants in Israel, among
them Anglicans, Lutherans, Baptists, Pentecostals and Presbyterians.
http://www.haaretz.com/.premium-1.592011
Ha'aratz, Israel
May 22 2014
Their numbers, where they live, what denominations they belong to,
and what their relationship to Pope Francis is.
By Danna Harman
When Pope Francis arrives at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday he will be
following in the footsteps of countless Christian pilgrims before
him, who, ever since the 4th century, have been making the journey
to this land -- to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, seek blessings,
ask for penance, give thanks or simply breath in a little holy air.
But, while millions upon millions of Christian visitors over the years
will have walked down the Via Dolorosa, lit candles in the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, or bowed their heads to pray in the Church
of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives -- the number of
Christians who actually make their permanent home in Israel or the
West Bank today is relatively small.
According to latest statistics from the Central Bureau of Statistics,
there are currently about 161,000 Christians official residents in
Israel -- about 2.1 percent of the general population.
Most of these men, women and children -- about 75 percent -- live
in the western Galilee, concentrated in the cities of Haifa (with
some 14,000 Christians) and Nazareth (22,500), as well as in smaller
villages such as Shfaram and Kfar Yasif. Other large communities
of several thousand each live in Jaffa and west Jerusalem. The only
completely Christian villages in the entire Middle East, according
to the Foreign Ministry, are in Israel too: Ma'aliya and Fassuta in
northern Israel.
Meanwhile, it is estimated there are today anywhere between
25,000-35,000 Christians in the West Bank -- notably in Bethlehem and
Ramallah -- and another approximately 12,000 live in East Jerusalem,
a sum total of about 2 percent of the Palestinian population beyond
the Green Line. In Gaza, there are but 3,000 Christians, who make up
less than one percent of the population there.
The majority of all these Christians (more than 80 percent in Israel
and practically all in the West Bank and Gaza) are Arabs. And many,
or even most, of them -- including those holding Israeli citizenship --
identify as Palestinians.
Outside of the Arab-Christian population, the Christians in Israel
are a mix, with the largest group being Christian immigrants from the
former Soviet Union - possibly as many as 23,000- who arrived in this
country in the 1990s together with Jewish relatives. Another large
group, whose precise numbers are not known, are the foreign workers,
asylum seekers and refugees from Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
Other, smaller Christian groups in Israel include the approximately
7,000 Maronites of Syrian origin living in the Galilee; The communities
of Messianic Jews and Hebrew Catholics -- estimated to be sWhen Pope
Francis arrives at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday he will be following
in the footsteps of countless Christian pilgrims before him, who, ever
since the 4th century, have been making the journey to this land --
to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, seek blessings, ask for penance,
give thanks or simply breath in a little holy air.
But, while millions upon millions of Christian visitors over the years
will have walked down the Via Dolorosa, lit candles in the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, or bowed their heads to pray in the Church
of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives -- the number of
Christians who actually make their permanent home in Israel or the
West Bank today is relatively small.
According to latest statistics from the Central Bureau of Statistics,
there are currently about 161,000 Christians official residents in
Israel -- about 2.1 percent of the general population.
Most of these men, women and children -- about 75 percent -- live
in the western Galilee, concentrated in the cities of Haifa (with
some 14,000 Christians) and Nazareth (22,500), as well as in smaller
villages such as Shfaram and Kfar Yasif. Other large communities
of several thousand each live in Jaffa and west Jerusalem. The only
completely Christian villages in the entire Middle East, according
to the Foreign Ministry, are in Israel too: Ma'aliya and Fassuta in
northern Israel.
Meanwhile, it is estimated there are today anywhere between
25,000-35,000 Christians in the West Bank -- notably in Bethlehem and
Ramallah -- and another approximately 12,000 live in East Jerusalem,
a sum total of about 2 percent of the Palestinian population beyond
the Green Line. In Gaza, there are but 3,000 Christians, who make up
less than one percent of the population there.
The majority of all these Christians (more than 80 percent in Israel
and practically all in the West Bank and Gaza) are Arabs. And many,
or even most, of them -- including those holding Israeli citizenship --
identify as Palestinians.
Outside of the Arab-Christian population, the Christians in Israel
are a mix, with the largest group being Christian immigrants from the
former Soviet Union - possibly as many as 23,000- who arrived in this
country in the 1990s together with Jewish relatives. Another large
group, whose precise numbers are not known, are the foreign workers,
asylum seekers and refugees from Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
Other, smaller Christian groups in Israel include the approximately
7,000 Maronites of Syrian origin living in the Galilee; The communities
of Messianic Jews and Hebrew Catholics -- estimated to be somewhere
around 6,000; And of course the communities of nuns, priests, monks
and other religious officials who have made Israel or the West Bank
their home specifically to serve in the various churches, seminaries
and monasteries here.
About 45 percent of all the Christians in Israel and the West Bank
belong to communities that are in communion with Rome, and, as such,
accept the rubric of the Catholic Church, says Rabbi David Rosen,
International Director of Interreligious Affairs at the American Jewish
Committee, who received a papal knighthood for his contribution to
Jewish-Catholic reconciliation. Of these, the vast majority are members
of the Greek Catholic (or Melkite) Church, with others belonging to
the Roman Catholic (or Latin) Church or the Maronite community.
Most of the rest of the Christians in Israel and the West Bank are
members of the Greek Orthodox community who, like the other local
Orthodox communities, such as the Russian and Romanians, sided with
the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the schism with Rome in 1054 and as
such do not recognize the Pope as their leader.
The historic meeting in Jerusalem in 1964 between Pope Paul VI and
the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras -- which
Pope Francis' visit 50 years later comes to commemorate -- marked
the beginning of reconciliation between these two patriarchates.
Other churches that function at the pleasure of the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchy and who have presences -- if not real communities --
here include the Armenian, Coptic, and Ethiopian churches. And
finally, there are also an estimated 7,000-8,000 protestants in
Israel, among them Anglicans, Lutherans, Baptists, Pentecostals and
Presbyterians.omewhere around 6,000; And of course the communities
of nuns, priests, monks and other religious officials who have made
Israel or the West Bank their home specifically to serve in the
various churches, seminaries and monasteries here.
About 45 percent of all the Christians in Israel and the West Bank
belong to communities that are in communion with Rome, and, as such,
accept the rubric of the Catholic Church, says Rabbi David Rosen,
International Director of Interreligious Affairs at the American Jewish
Committee, who received a papal knighthood for his contribution to
Jewish-Catholic reconciliation. Of these, the vast majority are members
of the Greek Catholic (or Melkite) Church, with others belonging to
the Roman Catholic (or Latin) Church or the Maronite community.
Most of the rest of the Christians in Israel and the West Bank are
members of the Greek Orthodox community who, like the other local
Orthodox communities, such as the Russian and Romanians, sided with
the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the schism with Rome in 1054 and as
such do not recognize the Pope as their leader.
The historic meeting in Jerusalem in 1964 between Pope Paul VI and
the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras -- which
Pope Francis' visit 50 years later comes to commemorate -- marked
the beginning of reconciliation between these two patriarchates.
Other churches that function at the pleasure of the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchy and who have presences -- if not real communities -- here
include the Armenian, Coptic, and Ethiopian churches. And finally,
there are also an estimated 7,000-8,000 protestants in Israel, among
them Anglicans, Lutherans, Baptists, Pentecostals and Presbyterians.
http://www.haaretz.com/.premium-1.592011