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31 Chilean Miners Give Thanks in the Holy Land
By Linda Gradstein - AOL NewsJERUSALEM -- Richard Villaroel, 26, spent most of his time underground praying that he would see his wife, who was pregnant with their first child, again. Six days after he was rescued, his son, also named Richard, was born. Today the elder Richard seemed to find it hard to believe that he, his wife, Dana, and their baby were in the Holy Land. "It is really a dream to be here and to see the Jordan River, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall," he told AOL News after a tiring, 16-hour flight from Chile to Israel. "I lost count of the number of Ave Marias and Our Fathers I said ...
Holy Land Beckons Tourists to Path of the Virgin Mary
By Linda Gradstein - AOL NewsEIN KAREM, Israel -- Christian tourists have long come to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Now they can trace the path of the Virgin Mary as well. "The Holy Land is the homeland of the Virgin Mary, where all the important events in her life took place, and it is only natural to follow a pilgrimage itinerary in her footsteps," said Noaz Bar-Nir, director-general of the Ministry of Tourism. In this picturesque village on the outskirts of Jerusalem, tourists can visit Mary's spring, where Catholic tradition says she stopped to drink water on her way to visit her cousin ...
Pilgrims, Clergy Come to Bethlehem for Christmas
By not in system - AOL NewsBETHLEHEM, West Bank - The traditional birthplace of Jesus is celebrating its merriest Christmas in years, as tens of thousands of tourists thronged Bethlehem on Friday for the annual holiday festivities in this biblical West Bank town. Officials said the turnout was shaping up to be the largest since 2000. Unseasonably mild weather, a virtual halt in Israeli-Palestinian violence and a burgeoning economic revival in the West Bank all added to the holiday cheer. By nightfall, a packed Manger Square was awash in red, blue, green and yellow Christmas lights. Merrymakers blasted horns, bands ...
Dwindling Christians in Bethlehem Hope 'Things Will Get Better'
By Linda Gradstein - AOL NewsBETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Adel and Sahar Handel have decorated their Christmas tree and tucked a traditional crèche underneath it. They have replaced their everyday tablecloths with special Christmas ones, and Sahar serves visitors special Christmas butter cookies. And yet, they say, their position as Christians and as Palestinians is increasingly difficult in this town where Christianity began. "Jesus was born here, and we pray in the most beautiful church in the world," Sahar said. "But the situation is just not good. I really hope things will get better because I really want to stay ...
A Holiday in Israel and More: Chilean Miners Rake In Offers [VIDEO]
By J. Richard - AOL News(Nov. 10) -- When Israel invited the 33 recently rescued Chilean miners on an expense-free trip to the Holy Land over Christmas, they probably didn't expect the offer to break the bank. But the men, who became international superstars last month after surviving 69 days underground, drive a pretty hard bargain: They accepted Israel's offer on the condition they can bring 70 relatives along with them. The request may seem reasonable to the miners in light of the lucrative offers they have already received from media outlets looking to cash in on their story. After all, when miner Mario ...
Can Housing Keep Christians in Middle East?
By Matthew Kalman - AOL News
JERUSALEM (Nov. 1) -- Only days after a special Vatican Synod on the Middle East ended a week of deliberation about the rapidly shrinking Christian communities in the Arab world and Israel, Christians faced a massacre in Baghdad and renewed troubles in Jerusalem. Fifty-eight people including a priest were reported dead Sunday after Iraqi troops stormed the Catholic Sayidat al-Najat church in Baghdad where gunmen linked with al-Qaida had taken dozens of hostages and begun killing them. It was just the latest bout of the anti-Christian violence that has sparked a massive wave of emigration from ...
Bethlehem Hopes for Rebirth of Tourism
By Linda Gradstein - AOL NewsBETHLEHEM (Dec. 23) – Merchants and hotel owners hope there will be no room at the inn this Christmas as tourism is expected to reach almost 2 million – four times the level of 2007. But just two days before Christmas, shop owners said business was not nearly as good as they expected. "We have a lot of tourists, but many of them aren't buying because of the economic situation," said Ahmed, 50, who preferred not to give his last name. "The main problem is that most of the tourists come for just two hours to see the church and maybe do a little shopping. Then they go back to ...
How the Pope Fell Short as a Guest
By David Gibson - Politics DailyPope Benedict XVI is leaving the Holy Land Friday much as he found it, which is not surprising given the length and depth of the enmities in that violence-wracked region. But this self-described "pilgrim" also seems to be leaving Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Territories much the same man who arrived a week earlier. And that may be the enduring, and for many, the dismaying lesson of this visit. ...
How Israel Could Have Been a Better Host to Benedict
By Elizabeth Lev - Politics DailyROME -- Abraham would have been disappointed. Ever since the first patriarch hosted the three angels at his table, hospitality has been considered one of the highest virtues in the Middle East. But thus far, Pope Benedict XVI's pilgrimage to the Holy Land this week has been marked by two different versions of welcome. ...
Benedict, Where Did Our Love Go?
By Elizabeth Lev - Politics DailyOnly a year ago, after Pope Benedict XVI's first visit as pope to American soil, what had originally looked like a bad blind date had blossomed into love at first sight. In New York and D.C., where one regularly sees dignitaries at Starbucks and on street corners, crowds took the day off and cheered themselves hoarse for the little German guy in the long white gown. Rating 80 percent approval among Catholics, and 70 percent among others, it looked like a love match. ...
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