THE "HOUSE IN GALILEE"
A Neocatechumenal Initiative on Mount of Beatitudes

        JERUSALEM, FEB 3 (ZENIT).- On January 15, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Bishop Michel Sabbah, placed the first stone of the "Domus Galileae" International Center, in the presence of bishops representing the religious orders in the Holy Land, professors of the most important universities in Israel, some 300 itinerant catechists of the Neocatechumenal Way, 180 representatives of countries around the world, and the Rectors of the 35 "Redemptoris Mater" diocesan missionary seminaries.
        According to the Madrid weekly 'Alfa y Omega', the project was the idea of Paul VI, who several times expressed the wish that priests might have the opportunity to go to the Holy Land at least once in their lifetime, to have some contact with the land where Jesus lived and with the many archeological "witnesses" of the Gospel, which might seal their priestly vocation. Decades later, on January 15, the project "Domus Galileae", undertaken by the Neocatechumenal Way for the whole Church, began to materialize with the placing of the first stone. The project is being financed especially by collections in the neocatechumenal communities of the world. It also has the economic backing of benefactors, including Cardinals and Bishops.
        John Paul II first heard about the project in 1994 and gave it his immediate support. The first stone of the house, which comes from the tomb of Saint Peter "as a sign of unity with the Roman Church," was blessed by the Holy Father at the Vatican on Christmas Eve. He sent Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi and Bishop Stanislaw Rylko, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, to represent him at the laying of the first stone. Other Bishops who attended the ceremony were: Bishop Marcuzzo of Emmaus; Bishop Bedoglocuyan, Armenian Bishop of Jerusalem; Melchite Bishop Mouallem of Haifa; Bishop Butros, Bishop of the Syrian Church in Jerusalem; and Armenian Bishop Taza of Alexandria, Egypt. Additional participants included: Father Abdel Masih representing the Custody of the Holy Land, and many Franciscans, Benedictines, Salesians, Jesuits, Dominicans of the Biblical School; representatives of other religious entities, such as the Focolares and Communion and Liberation. Also present were Gianpaolo Caraval, Italian ambassador in Israel; Uri Mor, representative of the Ministry for Religious Affairs of the Government of Israel, and other authorities.
        The International Center "Domus Galileae" is situated on the mount where, according to tradition, Jesus proclaimed the Beatitudes -- in a place called "Almubaraka" (the Blessings), in the area of Korazin. The land is property of the Custody of the Holy Land, and the center will have a capacity for 200 persons. Among other facilities, it will have a computerized library for Biblical studies, a hall for study and meditation of Sacred Scripture, and a center for congresses with a capacity for 500 persons, as well as a service for simultaneous translation in various languages.