No. 16 of 47. First published 5 Dec 2007. Our second official meeting today (5 December 2007) was with Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land, at his residence in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. Like His Beatitude Theophilos III, Fr Pizzaballa expressed concern for the Holy Places of Jerusalem, and …
Meeting the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
No. 15 of 47. First published 5 Dec 2007. Today was, for me, intellectually enriching but psychologically exhausting as our delegation listened to the perspectives of various key players addressing conflict in the Israel-Palestinian community. So much took place today that it will take several blog posts to do justice to what we learned. Our …
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A leisurely morning in the Old City
No. 14 of 47. First published 4 Dec 2007. This morning there were no formal responsibilities. For me, the day started with BBC World News and a scan of the Australian newspapers online. At 8.00 am we had our usual fullsome buffet breakfast (I had a modest continental breakfast followed by an immodest hot breakfast, …
Meeting with Bishop Fouad Twal
No. 13 of 47. First published 4 Dec 2007. On Tuesday 4 December, following our meeting with His Excellency Msgr Antonio Franco, we literally walked up the street from our hotel to an audience with Bishop Fouad Twal, the soon-to-be Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. In 2008 he will take on the primary responsibility for his church …
Meeting with the Apostolic Delegate
No. 12 of 47. First published 4 Dec 2007. The formal business of our Australian delegation to Israel/Palestine kicked off today, although two of our people were detained in Jordan because their luggage had been misplaced and they were required to stay in Amman until it was located. After a briefing from Yusef Daher (executive …
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