|PIC1|A new charity has been set up in England and Wales to support Christians in the Holy Land.

The Friends of the Holy Land will be launched this weekend in the Archdioceses of Birmingham and Liverpool.

On Saturday the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, will be visiting Birmingham and concelebrating Mass in St Chad’s Cathedral with Bishop Philip Pargeter.

On Sunday he will be concelebrating Mass in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool with the Most Rev Patrick Kelly, the Archbishop of Liverpool.

Parish priests of both archdioceses have been invited to attend the Mass and a reception afterwards. The Patriarch will be encouraging all parishes in England and Wales to establish a Friends of the Holy Land Parish Group.

Pilot groups have been successfully set up in both dioceses in the last 12 months and received much support.

The Patriarch said: “I ask you to encourage and support this initiative. We need your help more than ever.”

National Chairman of the Friends of the Holy Land, Dr Michael Whelan, said: “We are delighted and privileged to welcome the Latin Patriarch to launch the Friends of the Holy Land in these first two dioceses.

"Our target is to have an FHL group in every parish in England and Wales within the next few years. There is a real need to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by the Christian community in the Holy Land, to provide financial support to aid their wellbeing and to encourage prayers to be offered for their intentions.”

Parishioners who would like to form a Friends of the Holy Land Group in their Parish should email: info@friendsoftheholyland.org.uk or contact the National Centre in Kenilworth, Warwickshire on 01926 512980.