On Friday, I am flying to Israel with my daughter Hannah, a high school junior. We will arrive in time to march in the Palm Sunday procession through Old Jerusalem with the Latin Patriarch of the Roman Catholic Church, His Beatitude Michael Sabbah.

Visiting the Holy Land is always a great privilege and blessing, but this trip promises to be especially interesting in that, along with columnist Bob Novak, I'll be spending a week in Jerusalem as the guest of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. This group of friars, which oversees the sacred sites, is governed by a council of seven called the "custos," who were given this responsibility by the Vatican in 1342 under Pope Clement VI.

We'll be visiting many of the remaining Catholic communities on the West Bank, including Bethlehem. As you probably know, the number of Catholics in the Holy Land has been steadily shrinking for many years. In 1947, the Christian population was 47 percent of the population; in 2004 it was barely 2 percent, and the numbers dwindle year by year.

An example of what we will be focusing on is a case before an Israeli court which is seeking to close St. Vincent de Paul Hospice, run by the Daughters of Charity, in order to make room for a new shopping mall, cinema, etc. It should be noted that the Daughters of Charity would not be in this situation if diplomatic ties between the Holy See and Israel were clear. But the "Fundamental Agreement," under negotiation for many years, has never been ratified.

And complicating the situation even further is the plethora of disputes over property and water rights that have multiplied on the West Bank since the construction of the wall built to obstruct Palestinian terrorists entering Jerusalem.

This is my second trip to Jerusalem during Holy Week. After my first trip two years ago I wrote an article, "The Wall," for Crisis magazine, published January, 2005, which can be read at www.crisismagazine.com/january2005/hudson.htm.

It is a good moment for us to visit Israel. A new government has been elected, and we will have the opportunity to meet with their official representatives.

Too many Catholics, in my opinion, make the mistake of visiting Rome a second or third time without thinking of visiting the place where the Church began.

Our Evangelical brethren visit the Holy Land by the thousands every year, far outnumbering Catholic visitors. Among Catholics, the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher from around the world continue to make regular visits. In fact, it was after becoming a knight that I became aware of the needs of the Church in the Holy Land.

On my last visit, the Catholic owner of two hotels in Nazareth asked me why so few Catholics visit the city where Jesus grew from a child into a man.

I had no answer for him.

But I am grateful that I am returning with my daughter, who because of her Catholic schooling is far better prepared to appreciate what she will see than I was at her age.

The next Window will be a report from Jerusalem on Holy Thursday.

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