Sisters see life on the West Bank (From Gazette Series)

Sisters see life on the West Bank

TWO Dursley-based religious Catholic sisters have recently returned from a visit to East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Galilee. It was a trip the women termed a pilgrimage with a difference. KIRSTY RAMSDEN met Sister Mary Wood and Sister Catherine Appleby to find out about their amazing visit.

THIS was their third visit to the Middle East, the previous one being just 11 months prior, but the changes witnessed by Sister Mary Wood and Sister Catherine Appleby were many.

The Dursley religious Catholic sisters travelled to the Middle East for a five-day conference followed by five days visiting various areas of the region.

The conference, attended by 500 delegates from all over the world, was on theology and politics.

One day of the conference was held in Ramallah and while there the sisters met President Yasser Arafat.

By coincidence, Louise Gleich, 26, an ex-pupil at Rednock School Dursley, helped organise the conference.

The sisters took items and warm wishes from home from Ms Gleich's family in Dursley.

The conference "stood alone" but there was a follow-up opportunity to visit parts of the West Bank, not easily accessible to ordinary Israelis or foreigners, in order to visit Christian places and meet Christians in these very cut-off areas.

Since Bethlehem and Nablus (famous for the Jacob's Well where Jesus drank the water) are both in West Bank territory, the itinerary gave the sisters opportunity to see and experience the current situation in which Palestinians are living.

Sister Catherine said: "In Bethlehem we met the mayor who told us of the terrible economic situation.

"The little markets we had seen a few years ago were all gone.

"We saw the economy of the city is zero - now it is a ghost town."

In Hebron, she added, they went down street after street and everything was closed.

They visited Hebron's polytechnic where they met students.

Sister Catherine described the student's bright attitude, courage and their lack of bitterness at the situation.

The women visited the West Bank "separation barrier", the height of which varies but can be up to 15m high.

The sisters and fellow Dursley traveller Domenic Bucci went to the international vigil of solidarity at Ashkelon outside the prison where Mordechai Vanunu was confined.

The sisters, explained Sister Mary, were "engaged" by their first visit to the Middle East in 2001.

They were eager to point out the positive aspects of their latest visit such as the courage of the students at Hebron and, added Sister Catherine: "We felt very safe."

Sister Catherine explained a beautiful Orthodox church in Nablus had been completed since their last visit.

"In 2003 it was just half built," she said. "It is a wonderful sign of hope."

During the conference they saw "an utterly wonderful" group of young Palestinian children performing traditional and modern dances.

The sisters are hoping to take a pilgrimage next year to see the traditional sites and meet modern-day Christians to give encouragement.

This visit did include some of the more traditional sites such as Nazareth and the Mount of Olives.