Weekend

The Ramadan Friday crowd must have been large, because Christian groups making the Way of the Cross are avoiding daytime. To the extreme that - there was even one group that made the Way of the Cross at midnight, and very loudly too. Coupled with that were the Ramadan prayers and muslim crowds throughout the night (tractors and other vehicles traverse our street only after midnight now to avoid the crowds as well), you can imagine how badly we slept.

The Pope's visit to France is really something. You can see it live on the EWTN website. The Notre Dame cathedral of Paris is magnificent.

I realised that all our doctoral students are here in school - working hard to complete their research. School officially starts on Oct 5th but not for the doc. students who must constantly catch up with datelines. I couldn't do much yesterday as I was terribly ill. The Missionaries of Charity came to visit me and bought me some yoghurt to give me some nourishment - couldn't eat anything yesterday at all. They really take good care of me. God bless them.

I'm planning to enter Nablus (West Bank) next week - where the aweful case of the woman giving birth at the checkpoint took place. No guarantee that it will be safe, but the Missionaries of Charity will be at the checkpoint to pick me up and protect me. They are well respected in these dangerous areas, but there are still some places in the West Bank where even they dare not go. The only parish priest in there is ill in hospital and I'll go to help out celebrating Mass for the sisters. The priest is an old gentle soul who holds fort in there. I gave him a cellphone early this year so he can be in contact with the outside world - he was very happy because now he can call out or receive calls as the phone lines are cut. He's luckier than the Greek Orthodox parish priest of Jacob's Well (which is in Nablus or biblical Shechem) who has to carry a gun everyday. Their bishop was murdered in there several years back. Will keep you updated.