Catholic Guide to The Holy Land: Israel, Egypt and Jordan

Once you travel to the Holy Land you will never read the Bible the same or hear the Gospel proclaimed without reflecting on the places where Our Lord lived, taught, healed and was crucified.  There are many shrines here that are holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims alike.  This is where all three religions intersect.  You can see the places you have heard about all your life and be touched in many ways.  So if the opportunity presents itself, be sure to consider a visit to the Holy Land.

When we read of the stories in the Gospels it is not apparent how close these places were to one another.  Most of them are just a few miles apart.  In the case of Israel, for example, at its widest it is only 71 miles (115 km) wide. You can drive the entire width of the country in about 90 minutes.

Often when people talk of the Holy Land they think only of Israel, a country small in size, yet the center of the Christian faith.  A trip to Israel takes you directly to the footsteps of Jesus, where much of Jewish and Christian history took place.  However, there are places in Egypt and Jordan (even Turkey) that also help bring the Gospels to life and is why we included those countries here as well.  Not all Holy Land tours will include these countries, so check their itineraries carefully if they are places you want to visit.

A word of caution: not all “Christian” tours of the Holy Land are from a Catholic Christian perspective. Although non-Catholic tours will usually visit many of the same sites as the Catholic tours, their interpretation of scripture is naturally different from the Catholic one in several important instances.

An example would be the “Garden Tomb”, a highlight of many Protestant tours, as the possible burial site of Jesus. The Catholic Church recognizes the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the actual burial site. The Garden tomb is visually interesting, but several factors weigh against the argument that this could be the actual burial site.

A trip to the Holy Land can even be a life-changing experience…..as detailed in this blog post.

Safety concerns in the Holy Land:

Based on impressions created by the news media over the years, travel to the Holy Land may sound unsafe.  But the fact is that you are generally safer on a Christian pilgrimage in the Holy Land, even with unrest in the West Bank and a war in Syria, than you are in most major American cities. The old expression of the media…”if it smells, it sells’ is, unfortunately true in this case.  The media focuses attention on violence in the Middle East; however, over the last several decades hundreds of thousands have visited here and returned safely and spiritually refreshed.  In some cases, well-meaning friends and relatives tried to dissuade them from going to the Holy Land and sadly, and occasionally, they were successful, therefore robbing people of a truly memorable spiritual experience.

We do not mean to minimize the violence in the Middle East….it has become a fact of life….but we feel that safety concerns are way over-blown, at least in our opinion.  And the facts bear that out!  But, of course, you need to be aware of current events since the situation can change.

Here are some of the highlights for Catholic visitors to the Holy Land (including Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Turkey)

Egypt

Old Coptic Cairo, including the Hanging Church, the Apparition Church, the Holy Crypt, and the Abu Serga Church.

Mount Sinai: Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine’s Monastery\

Cairo

It can be confusing, but there are two types of Coptic churches in Cairo. The Coptic Orthodox Church is not in communion with Rome, whereas the main Catholic churches in Cairo are part of the Coptic Catholic Church, which serves the Catholic population in Egypt.

A notable Catholic church in Cairo is the Cathedral of the Divine Providence, which is also the seat of the Patriarch of Alexandria.

Zeitoun (Cairo): Virgin Mary Church:  Apparitions of the Virgin Mary

Israel

Bethany: Tomb of Lazarus, home of Martha and Mary

Bethlehem: Church of the Nativity, The Milk Grotto, Shepherd’s Field, Church of St. Catherine

Cana: Site of The Wedding Feast at Cana

Capernaum: Home of St. Peter & Site of many of Jesus’ miracles

Ein Kerem (also spelled Ein Karem): Church of the Visitation; Church of St. John the Baptist

Emmaus: Jesus reveals Himself after His Resurrection

Jericho: Mount of Temptation

Jerusalem: Many Holy Sites

Magdala: The Magdala Center

Nazareth:  Basilica of the Annunciation, Mary’s Well, the Old Synagogue, St. Joseph’s Church

Mount Carmel: Stella Maris Monastery and Elijah’s Cave

Mount Tabor: Church of the Transfiguration

Nazareth: Basilica of the Annunciation, Mary’s Well, Saint Joseph’s Church, The Old Synagogue

Tabgha: Church of Peter’s Primacy

The Gaza Strip:  Holy Family Church

                    Jordan

Bethany Beyond the Jordan: actual site of the Baptism of Jesus, Mount Nebo: Church of Moses (where Moses saw the promised land)

                    Turkey

Ephesus:  The Holy House (home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph).

A note about tipping if you’re traveling to the Holy Land in a group: while most group tours in Europe include tips at hotels and restaurants, this is definitely not the case for many tours in Israel and Egypt.  If you will be traveling with a group to Israel or Egypt, be sure to check with the tour operator to see if tips to hotels and restaurants will be in addition to the cost of your tour. If they are, then the group leader may collect those in advance from you to make things easier, but it is something to consider.

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