Catholic Returns to Stolen Home
This week’s massacre of 55 people in Gaza took place during a protest commemorating what Palestinians call the Naqba (Catastrophe), when many lost their homes to the newly-established state of Israel 70 years ago....
Category: The Holy Land
Mary with Jesus in the Holy Land
In the second of his three articles on ten places where we find Mary in the Holy Land, Günther Simmermacher guides us to the Temple in Jerusalem, the wedding feast in Cana, and through Mary’s sorrow as her Son is crucified.
Finding the Real Mary in the Holy Land
The Blessed Virgin Mary was a real person of flesh and blood, and the recorded stations of her life are marked by shrines and churches throughout the Holy Land. Günther Simmermacher guides us on a pilgrimage to Mary.
Muslims (literally) hold key to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Jerusalem’s most famous Christian church, shared by three denominations, is unlocked each morning by a Muslim. Since the seventh century, the family of Wajeeh Nuseibeh, 69, has handed down the responsibility of opening the door of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
New Proof for Christ’s Tomb
Scientists who helped restore a shrine above the site believed to be the place where Christ was buried say testing of samples has dated the tomb to at least the fourth century.
Protests Cause Uncertainty in Bethlehem, but for now, Pilgrims Visit
Despite the current uncertainty, life in Bethlehem continues, including pilgrimages to the place of Jesus’ birth
Franciscans’ 800 Years in the Holy Land
This year the Franciscans mark 800 years since they first came to the Holy Land, where they are the custodians of holy shrines — and part of daily life. Günther Simmermacher looks at that history.
Religious leaders unite to fight Holy Land environmental issues
A heat wave in the Holy Land in July and near-record electricity usage are indications that Christians, Muslims and Jews are facing a common enemy that needs to be confronted in a united manner....
In a Fortress with the Crusaders
In February GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER made a private visit to the Holy Land. In the last in a series of six articles, he visits the Crusader city of Acre. For salacious gossip of the kind...
How the Crusaders Changed the World
In February GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER made a private visit to the Holy Land. In the fifth of a series of six articles, he considers the Crusaders and their legacy. When the terrorists of ISIS announce...
The Sites of Holy Week in Jerusalem
In February GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER made a private visit to the Holy Land. In the fourth of a series of six articles, he follows the sites of Holy Week in Jerusalem. What a scene it...
Fixing Up Our Holiest Churches
In February, Southern Cross editor GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER made a private visit to the Holy Land. In the third of a series of six articles, he witnesses the renovations in the place of Jesus’ birth. On...
