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The Catholic Church in the Palestinian territories is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with approximately 1.3 billion baptised Catholics worldwide as of 2017. As the world's "oldest continuously functioning international institution", it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilisation. The church is headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope. Its central administration, the Holy See, is in the Vatican City, an enclave within the city of Rome in Italy.
The pope, also known as the supreme pontiff, is the Bishop of Rome and ex officio leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. Since 1929, the pope has also been head of state of Vatican City, a city-state enclaved within Rome, Italy. The current pope is Francis, who was elected on 13 March 2013, succeeding Benedict XVI.
Rome is the capital city and a special comune of Italy. Rome also serves as the capital of the Lazio region. With 2,872,800 residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), it is also the country's most populated comune. It is the fourth most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. It is the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, which has a population of 4,355,725 residents, thus making it the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber. The Vatican City is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city: for this reason Rome has been often defined as capital of two states.
There are over 80,000 Catholics in the areas referred to as the Palestinian territories, mostly in the agglomeration between Ramallah and Bethlehem, including the West Bank suburbs of Jerusalem. Adherents are mostly of the Latin Church, but there is also a small community of the Melkite Catholic Church, both particular churches sui iuris of the Catholic Church.
Palestinian territories has been used for many years to describe the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. More recently, the official United Nations terminology has been used, occupied Palestinian territory increasingly replacing other terms since 1999. The European Union also has adopted this usage The International Court of Justice refers to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as "the Occupied Palestinian Territory" and this term is used as the legal definition by the International Court of Justice in the ruling in July 2004. The term occupied Palestinian territories is also still in common use.
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 km north of Jerusalem at an average elevation of 880 meters (2,890 ft) above sea level, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Ramallah was historically an Arab Christian town. Muslims form the majority of the population of nearly 27,092 in 2007, with Christians making up a significant minority.
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city located in the central West Bank, Palestine, about 10 km south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. The economy is primarily tourist-driven.
There are two archbishops of Jerusalem for each jurisdiction respectively. Inside Palestinian jurisdiction of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem there are 2 parishes in Jerusalem and 17 parishes in all Palestine. [1] William Shomali is the Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem, to which belongs all Palestinian territory. [2]
The Catholic Church in Israeland the Palestinian Territories is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, in full communion with the Holy See in Rome.
The Custody of the Holy Land is a custodian priory of the Franciscan order in Jerusalem, founded as Province of the Holy Land in 1217 by Saint Francis of Assisi, who also founded the Franciscan Order. Its mission is to guard "the grace of the Holy Places" of the Holy Land and the rest of the Middle East, "sanctified by the presence of Jesus", as well as pilgrims visiting them, on behalf of the Catholic Church. Between 2004 and 2016, the Custodial Curia was led by Custos Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, with the approval of the Holy See. Since 2016, the chief custodian has been Francesco Patton. Its headquarters are located in the Monastery of Saint Saviour, a 16th-century Franciscan monastery near the New Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The office can bestow--only to those entering its office--the Jerusalem Pilgrim's Cross upon deserving Catholic visitors to the city.
Palestinian Christians are Christian citizens of the State of Palestine. In the wider definition of Palestinian Christians, including the Palestinian refugees, diaspora and people with full or partial Palestinian Christian ancestry this can be applied to an estimated 500,000 people worldwide as of the year 2000. Palestinian Christians belong to one of a number of Christian denominations, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, other branches of Protestantism and others. They number 6–7% of the 12 million Palestinians. 70% live outside Palestine and Israel. In both the local dialect of Palestinian Arabic and in Classical Arabic or Modern Standard Arabic, Christians are called Nasrani or Masihi. Hebrew-speakers call them Notzri, which means Nazarene.
The term exarch comes from the Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος, exarchos, and designates holders of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical.
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is the Catholic episcopal see of Jerusalem, officially seated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was originally established in 1099 with the Kingdom of Jerusalem encompassing the newly territories in the Holy Land conquered by the First Crusade. From 1374-1847 it was a titular see, with the Patriarchs of Jerusalem being based at the Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome. A resident Latin Patriarch was re-established in 1847 by Pius IX.
The Vicariate for Palestinian–Jordanian Communities in the USA are parishes in the United States directly under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Fouad Twal is the emeritus Archbishop and Patriarch of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, having been its ordinary from 2008 to 2016. He has also served as the Grand Prior of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and President for the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land.
The Catholic Church in Jordan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Diocese of Rome is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Rome. The Bishop of Rome is the Pope, the Supreme Pontiff and leader of the Catholic Church. As the Holy See, the papacy is a sovereign entity with diplomatic relations, and civil jurisdiction over the Vatican City State located geographically within Rome. The Diocese of Rome is the metropolitan diocese of the Province of Rome, an ecclesiastical province in Italy. The first Bishop of Rome was Saint Peter in the first century. The incumbent since 13 March 2013 is Pope Francis.
William Hanna Shomali is an auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Born in 1950 and ordained priest on June 24, 1972, he has served for eight years in the parishes of Jordan, 19 years as professor then as rector of the Seminary of Beit Jala, and then became General Administrator.
Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo is a Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, resident in Nazareth.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Beirut is a Latin Rite missionary pre-diocesan exempt jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in Lebanon, where otherwise Eastern Catholics are far more numerous. In 2010, there were 15,000 baptized. Its current Bishop is Cesar Essayan.
Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman is a branch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church immediately subject to the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Melkites. In 2007 there were 27,000 baptized. Joseph Gébara was appointed Archeparch on February 20, 2018.
David Neuhaus or David Mark Neuhaus, SJ is an Israeli Jesuit and former Patriarchal Vicar for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The Armenian Catholic Ordinariate of Eastern Europe is an Ordinariate (quasi-diocese) of the Armenian Catholic Church for its faithful in certain Eastern European ex-Soviet countries without proper Ordinary for their particular church sui iuris.
The Holy Family Church It is the only Latin (Roman) Catholic parish in Gaza City in the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian Territories. His pastor since 2012 is Father Jorge Hernández of the Congregation of the Incarnate Word, assisted by a vicar also the same institution. His parishioners are among some two hundred faithful. It has two primary and secondary schools, property and Jerusalem Latin Patriarchate, plus some clinics.
The Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin, also called Greek Catholic Melkite Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin or simply Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation, is a Melkite Greek Catholic cathedral located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Annunciation.
The Chapel of Our Lady of Jerusalem or Chapel of Notre Dame, is the name given to a religious building affiliated with the Catholic Church which is located in the Complex of Notre Dame of Jerusalem which was built by French religious between 1893 and 1894 in Jerusalem, as part of a larger group of buildings known as the Hospice of Our Lady of France, which was built mostly in stone with "defensive" purposes and with the style of a great strength of European style.
A Territory Dependent on the Patriarch is a low-ranking, pre-diocesan type of Eastern Catholic jurisdiction, directly dependent on the Patriarch who heads a rite-specific Particular Church sui iuris, but not part of his or any ecclesiastical province, and in Rome depenent on the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.
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