BETHLEHEM, West Bank – Sami Awad, 45, has been called every name in the book, from "unrealistic" to "traitor" and "collaborator."

JERUSALEM – The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem warned of "serious consequences" from a new law that allows the government to seize private Palestinian lands where unauthorized Israeli settlements have been built.

Early each year bishops from North America and Europe join bishops from the Holy Land on an information tour of those sacred but troubled lands. The visit this January had added significance because 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War and the start of the ongoing occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

OTTAWA – After years of seeing little progress toward peace in the Holy Land, Catholic bishops decided to send a more blunt message following their annual pilgrimage to the region.

JERUSALEM – Christians have a responsibility to oppose the construction of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, said bishops from the U.S., Canada and Europe.

BRUSSELS – Pax Christi International has called for a new peace process to end violence among Israelis and Palestinians and assure fundamental human rights as defined by international law.

JERUSALEM – English Cardinal Vincent Nichols said his pastoral visit to Holy Family Parish in Gaza reinforced the importance of Christian hope, especially for those living in very insecure circumstances.

JERUSALEM – One of the last ceremonies in which former Israeli President Shimon Peres participated as a public figure took place in the Vatican Gardens in June 2014, the last month of his presidency. Along with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, he planted an olive tree at the invitation of Pope Francis.

KRAKOW, Poland – At least for a few minutes at World Youth Day, the physical barriers between Palestinian and Israeli communities were nonexistent.

The Christian Broadcasting Network said Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions activists share blame for the shooting that killed four Israelis in Tel Aviv, saying in a statement condemning the attack that the movement encourages “violent anti-semitism.”

JERUSALEM – On a tidy residential street of the Christian Quarter of the Old City, boys still play with marbles along the cobblestones, and neighbours call out to one another from balconies abloom with red carnations.

Anti-Semitism goes hand-in-hand with anti-Israel activities at U.S. colleges, according to a new report that one critic called a “crude rhetorical cudgel” against the so-called Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

A historic treaty between the Vatican and Palestine came into effect on Jan. 2 with little fanfare. But it warrants discussion now on the heels of an Israeli land grab that underlines how far removed the Holy Land remains from peace.

BEIT JALLA, West Bank - A U.S. bishop visiting the Holy Land for the second year in a row said Palestinians whose land has been divided by the Israeli separation barrier "have lost hope."

VATICAN CITY - A historic agreement signed between the Holy See and Palestine that supports a two-state solution in the Holy Land has gone into effect, the Vatican announced.