The annual retreat for priests of all rites concluded in the Holy Land on Friday. “ Lectio Divina” or spiritual reading for the priest today” was the theme of the retreat that began July 2nd Saturday . This practice goes back to 1993, when as a fruit of the local pastoral synod, Bishops and Priests felt the need of strengthening ecclesial communion by sharing certain pastoral initiatives. Among the retreatants were Patiarch Fouad Twal, Bishops Elias Shacour, Paul Sayyah, Giacinto Boulos Marcuzzo, Kamal Bathish and 45 priests from various religious communities. Fr.Najib Ibrahim, was the recource person for Scripture, assisted by other priests, biblical scholars. Each day opened with a conference on the Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, followed by reflections on the spiritual reading of the bible, in the life of the Church and of priests, and in inspiring vocations. The retreatants were taken on excusrsions to the Mount of the Beatitudes, to Caphernaum, Tiberias, and to the lakes of Genesareth and Galilee.
