The long-suffering Christians of the Holy Land are rarely discussed in the West. However, for one night in Toronto, they were the focus of over 350 guests at the St. Michael’s College School Centre for the Arts. The diverse audience came to see the Toronto premiere of Across the Divide. This S+L documentary takes viewers to Bethlehem University, a Catholic institution that, since its founding in 1973, has been caught in the crossfire of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Co-sponsored by CNEWA Canada and the Archdiocese of Toronto, this was the third public screening of the film, following events in Vancouver and Halifax this summer, and ahead of the Ottawa premiere on Wednesday, September 19. (Tickets can be reserved in advance at the Across the Divide website.) Read the Catholic Register’s report about last night’s event.

Collins urges Catholics to cross Palestinian-Israeli divide

By Michael Swan, The Catholic Register

TORONTO - The complexity, heartbreak and bitter politics of the endless Palestinian-Israeli conflict are no reason for Christians to either settle for easy answers or to throw up their hands in despair. The situation calls for Christian charity and solidarity, Cardinal Thomas Collins told a packed theatre in Toronto Sept. 5.

Collins was on hand for the Toronto premiere of the Salt + Light TV documentary Across the Divide. The full-length documentary takes a close look at Bethlehem University — the only Catholic post-secondary institution in the Holy Land.

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