This morning, Saturday, the first of November 2014, Bishop George Bakouni arrived as a pastor, guest and head priest in the village of Iqrit, which has been deserted for 66 years.

The people of the deserted village of Iqrit received the venerable Archbishop of Acre, Haifa and Nazareth, Bishop George Bakouni, on the ruins of the village and in the courtyard of the church. This was part of a program of visits to all the churches and parishes in the diocese, and this time to the village of Iqrit.

The people, young and old, lined up next to the church in joy to receive His Eminence the Bishop. This is the first of his visits to this deserted village, where nothing remains of its homes except for the rubble and stones and the church that its people preserved in the face of the Israeli aggression on this village.

With His Eminence being received with cheers, ululations and applause for his arrival, the people shared their joy and happiness as he presided over the festive mass in the church of Iqrit with the participation of the parish priest, Father Suhail Khoury, accompanied by the exarch, Father Fawzi Khoury, the general representative. The mass was attended by the Evangelical Deacon Ibrahim Shoufani.

Many of the people of the village of Iqrit attended to participate in this occasion with the visit of the parish priest to the village and the Divine Mass.

During His Eminence’s speech and sermon in the Divine Mass, he welcomed all those present and emphasized in his speech the Christian awareness and love of others and thanked all those who contributed and worked for many years in the peaceful struggle and the right to return to the village.

More details and pictures in the Ahlan website report