In the medieval maps of the world, the mappae mundi, Jerusalem was the place at the centre of the earth, around which all the rest gravitated. Over the course of its history the city has seen empires come and go and the violent displacement and arrival of peoples and it now stands as a place sacred to three faiths: Jews, Christians and Muslims.
The Christians of Jerusalem are its most vulnerable group. There are now only about 10,000 in the city, a drastic reduction from the number before the foundation of Israel, less than two per cent of the population. The local Christian population is overwhelmingly Arab, but there is also the significant and historic Armenian community, as well as migrant workers and the clergy and religious from all over the world who gravitate to Jerusalem. And, of course, there are countless pilgrims from every nation on earth, speaking more languages than on the day of Pentecost.
