MEMBERS of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham have hailed their joint pilgrimage to the Holy Land as a success.
Led by the Bishop of Worcester, John Inge and the Archbishop of Birmingham, Bernard Longley, 55 pilgrims recently spent ten days visiting the key sites of Jesus’ life and death, including Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee.
Planned by the Archdeacon of Worcester, Robert Jones, the pilgrims also spent time with the ‘living stones’ – Christians who live and work in the Holy Land.
Bishop John said: “It was a life changing experience. I’m grateful to those who had planned the trip and to the pilgrims themselves, who very quickly became a unified group.
“The Holy Spirit was at work from the moment we got onto the coach in Worcester on our way to Heathrow. From that moment, our separate denominations didn’t seem to matter, as we were just pilgrims travelling together.”
Archbishop Bernard said: “Our task now is to build on what we have started and encourage other dioceses of the two churches in England and Wales to experience similar joint pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
“As co-chairman of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, it has been a privilege to be involved in ten days of worship and prayer in the land of our saviour’s birth, work, death and resurrection.
“Our time together has given me enormous encouragement in my desire to work for Christian unity.”
The pilgrims will reunite at an ecumenical pilgrimage around Worcester Cathedral by candlelight on Wednesday, January 18, as part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
