A delegation of 18 bishops from the USA has paid a visit to Jerusalem, to last until the 19th of September, to pray for peace, oversee the conditions of local Christians, and visit the holy sites. The delegation, headed by Metropolitan Richard Pates, head of the Justice and Peace Committee of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, visited the Latin Patriarchate House in Jerusalem, where they were welcomed by Patriarch Fuad Al-Tawwal, Patriarch of the Latin Church in Jerusalem. Metropolitan William Shomly, Deputy Patriarch in Jerusalem and Palestine, also delivered a speech around the visit of Pope Francis to the Holy Land last May. Then Father Jorge Hernandes, vicar of the Latin congregation in Gaza spoke to the bishops about his experience with this latest war and the current situation in Gaza.