“I care…”: The Antonian Caritas taking care of Bethlehem’s elderly
Alongside ATS pro Terra sancta, the Antonian Caritas is maintaining its commitment to help the weakest and most lonely people in Bethlehem. The latest project “I care…” was launched on January 1st and supports the rehabilitation and physiotherapy for members of Bethlehem’s elderly community who have no one. The project aims to ensure monthly provisions for the “Elderly Home”, which was set up for the Antonian Society’s elderly members, providing essential services such as medicines, three nurses on 24 hour rotation, physiotherapy for those in need of rehabilitation and twice weekly visits from a doctor.
The problem faced by the elderly people in Bethlehem who have been abandoned and are without care continues to be a serious and urgent problem for the city. With a financial donation from Padua’s Antonian Caritas and thanks to the support of ATS pro Terra Sancta, the Custody of the Holy Land can continue helping lonely, elderly women in Bethlehem because, “Taking charge of situations which do not receive sufficient attention, such as promoting respect for women and women’s rights, is a characteristic of the Christian presence in the Holy Land.” (Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa – Guardian of the Holy Land.