The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor; the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams; Primate of the Armenian Church of Great Britain Bishop Nathan Hovhannisian and the Free Churches Moderator, the Reverend David Coffey are undertaking an Advent pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

• On the final day, the four Pilgrims have returned to Jerusalem.
  

Dr Williams has told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there in his view there was 'no doubt' that life for Christians in Iraq had become more difficult since the invasion.

'What we have seen in the last year or so in Iraq has been attacks on Christian priests, the murder of some Christian priests, and the massive departure of large numbers of Christians from Iraq,' he said.

'The situation has got worse since Saddam fell.'

He told the Today programme that despite a 'traditional co-existence' in Bethlehem there were now 'signs there of anti-Christian feeling by local Muslims'.

 Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor told the BBC that the Pilgrimage was an 'act of solidarity'.

'We are here to express our desire for peace in this land of conflict,' he said.

'Our presence here is not just symbolic.' (Source BBC News)

• Friday started with a special broadcast by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor from the Holy Land on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day in which he said that the profound message of Jesus is of peace and reconciliation.

Listen to Thought for the Day (link live until 29th December only - Real Player required)

Thought for the Day home page

• Speaking yesterday, Dr Williams said: 'We're visiting Christians who suffer terrible economic hardship and daily anxiety about their homes and their security. We'll be alongside people, Christians, Jews and Muslims, whose lives have been wrecked in different ways by terrorism and by the sense that they're hated and feared by each other. We'll be with people who are really desperate to find some sort of hope, some way out of the cycle of violence and insecurity.'
• Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said: ' I came here...to say to all Bethlehemites, particularly the Christians who are here, that the rest of the Christian Church is with them.'
• Rev Coffey added: 'I think that with all the problems of the world we sometimes get accustomed to the plight of the Christians of the Holy Land and I think there has been a neglect to pray for them. And I think there ought to be a greater focus on prayer for them.'