While many Catholics in the Middle East suffer from discrimination and may even be denied religious freedom, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged them to engage in dialogue with their Muslim and Jewish neighbors and to strengthen their bonds with other Christians.

The pope met Jan. 18 at the Vatican with the Latin-rite bishops of Israel, the Palestinian territories, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Somalia. The bishops were making their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses.

By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, Jan 18, 2008

The magistrate court of Nazareth issued a decision today (the 22nd of January) to prevent the retired Bishop Riah Abu Assal and all members of the non profit organization he formed from entering the campus of “Bishop Riah educational campus” in Nazareth until the end of the proceedings. The decision also prevents them from handling any issues related to the school, especially financial ones.

By that, Judge Nabila Dali Mussa accepted the request of the Anglican Episcopalian church and of Bishop Suhail Diwani that was discussed in court last Friday with both bishops and most pastors of the dioceses present in an unusual setting.

Special For "Come and See", Jan 22, 2008

In this book, Dr. Khoury presents three main parts that concentrate on medieval historical theological components of Arab Christians, contemporary sociopolitical as well as theopolitical challenges, and contextual theological concerns (p. 8).

The Author, Dr. Geries Khoury is the academic Dean of Mar Elias Theology School in Ibilin. The book review is written by the Director of the Academic Affairs at Galilee Bible College, an extension of Bethlehem Bible College

By Yohanna Katanacho, PHD, Special For "Come and See", Jan 22, 2008

On January 5, 2008 the impossible became temporarily possible when members of Gaza Baptist Church were issued special permits to cross into Israel in celebration of Christmas as guests of the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel. For many, it was their first visit into the country, having spent years only a matter of miles away. The day was sunny and full of hopeful promise, a point not taken for granted by the family of Rami Ayyad, who gave his life as a martyr to the Christian faith in Gaza only a few months ago. Some of his family members were among members of the Gaza Baptist Church visiting Israel that day.

Special For "Come and See", Jan 15, 2008

A Messianic Pastor from Israel writes a response to “Christian Leaders Invite Muslims to Love God, Neighbors”. We publish it here:

This Sunday some of us are going to Bethlehem to worship with Arab brothers and sisters in the joy of our God. Next weekend our congregation (actually the Lord Yeshua's congregation) will be host to over 40 teenagers from that same area. Today happens to be the shortest day of the year, when the light of day in the darkest of seasons is at its briefest in this part of the globe. A little light can dispel even more darkness; how much more the sun the blackness of night; how much more even does the Light which is the Word of God, and who is Himself the Lord Jesus Christ, dispel the darkness of lies!

Howard Bass, Special for Come and See. Written in Dec 21, 2007

The second meeting of the Evangelical Christian-Muslim Dialogue convened in Tripoli during January 3-6, 2008, to engage in conversation on the themes of “Human Nature and the Divine Presence.” The dialogue, which followed a November, 2006 gathering in Chicago, Illinois, began with a welcome keynote address by Dr. Muhammad Ahmed Sharif, Secretary General of the World Islamic Call Society, which hosted the interfaith event.

Stephen Sizer web site, Jan 14, 2008

A director who shares the ideas of Iran's hardline president has produced what he says is the first film giving an Islamic view of Jesus Christ, in a bid to show the "common ground" between Muslims and Christians.

Nader Talebzadeh sees his movie, "Jesus, the Spirit of God," as an Islamic answer to Western productions like Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," which he praised as admirable but quite simply "wrong".

Breitbart, Jan 13, 2008

A prominent evangelical pastor asks Evangelical American Pastors to learn more about Evangelical Palestinian Christians.

Dr. Bob Roberts Jr. is the founding pastor of NorthWood Church, a fast-growing church near Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX and is a leading practitioner and writer on glocal—local and global—transformation of individuals, churches, communities and nations. He tries to draw the attention of the Evangelical Church in the USA to the plight of Palestinian Christians.

Special For "Come and See", Jan 13, 2008

“I hope that we get to the murderers soon and bring them to just trial and that will be an additional step that our government brings to our people in the direction of imposing order and security”.

That was what Palestinian Prime Minister from Islamic fundamentalist Hamas movement Ismail Haniya wrote Arab Evangelical human rights lawyers Botrus Mansour and Shadi Khouri from Nazareth.

Special For "Come and See", December 24, 2007