Working Toward Peace in the Holy Land
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God" (Mt 5:9). I would like to thank you all for your participation in this religious ceremony and for your concern about the Holy Land.
Jerusalem is the main reason for our gathering here today:
- It is Jerusalem which is the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- It is Jerusalem that is the key to peace in the Middle East.
- It is Jerusalem that urges us to scrutinize the future.
I would like to talk about what I represent here today: the Christian community of the Holy Land (which means for me Israel, Palestine and Jordan) and about its contribution to peace. My community is a demographically modest reality. However, it still has great influence and can help to shape the future of the Holy Land in general and of Jerusalem in particular.
For 2,000 years a living Christian community has been present in the holy city. Through all the changes and vicissitudes of history, this community continues to dwell and worship in Jerusalem, and is deeply committed to continue to bear witness to the life, death and resurrection of Christ around the holy places where these mysteries were enacted. Infidelity to this commitment, our local community can rely on the solidarity of the universal church and especially on your help, solidarity and prayers.
To put it in figures, we Christians are more or less 370,000 out of 17 million people living in our three countries of Palestine, Israel and Jordan. This makes 2 percent of the total pop ulation. As you know, the Arab-Israeli conflict and other types of tensions, varying from religious to social and to economic ones, have significantly impacted our local Christian presence, resulting in dissemination by emigration. What was once a sizable Christian community has been greatly reduced.
Although our numbers seem rather small, the Christian presence is valuable and strong in the Jordanian and Palestinian society.
In the directory of the Catholic Church of the Holy Land it is mentioned that the different churches together run 170 parishes, 118 schools serving 64,000 students from different religions, 15 homes for children and disabled, 12 hospitals, seven homes for elderly people and 15 charitable and humanitarian organizations.
Our community is composed of at least four different groups:
- Palestinian and Jordanian Arab Christians. They make up not only the vast majority of our faithful but are also its most rooted elements. They are Arabs in terms of language and culture. Through centuries of coexistence with Muslims, Islam is also to some degree a factor in shaping part of our cultural identity. The fact that the socio-political realities are very different between Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel gives this group an added political complexity that can not be overlooked.
- Israeli Hebrew-speaking Christians. Within the church of Jerusalem there is a small number of Israeli Hebrew-speaking Christians.
- Foreign-born long-term Christian residents and workers, coming from Eastern Europe and other places; they have been invited to work in the Holy Land and made it their second home.
- Pilgrims. They come for a diversity of reasons. Some years they can reach the number of 2 million people. They too often feel "at home." They go back to their country bearing witness to what they have seen and heard.
All these groups are part of the church of Jerusalem. We feel ourselves responsible for their holiness, their safety and their progress. They come from different backgrounds and belong to many cultures. They have their own look on the political situation and can help, through their prayers and influence, to put more peace in the area.
Present Situation
There is a conflict — or rather there are conflicts — because of and within Jerusalem. It is a paradox that all the conflict is related to the universally accepted uniqueness of Jerusalem. As Jerusalem is unique in itself, consequently it is unique in its conflict. It differs from most other places at least in three aspects:
- Jews passionately love Jerusalem and consider it their capital forever.
- Christians honor it. There the words of Christ so often resounded.
- There the great events of the redemption were accomplished: passion, death and resurrection of the Lord.
- There in the city of Jerusalem the first Christian community was born and remained throughout centuries despite the difficulties.
- There all Christians, with their many rites, come to praise the Lord and to witness to the resurrection. Jerusalem, the city of divisions, is at the same time a city of strange unity and communion between all believers.
- "Muslims also call Jerusalem holy, with a profound attachment that goes back to the origins of Islam and springs from the fact that they have there many places of pilgrimage and for more than 1,000 years have dwelt there, almost without interruption" (John Paul II, Redemptionis Anno, April 20, 1984).
Conscious of the unique significance of Jerusalem for the three monotheistic religions and bearing in mind the responsibilities which stem from its unique vocation in front of God and humanity, we find it fitting that the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faithful work together with sincerity and in mutual trust so that this city may truly be able to fulfill its divine calling as a universal symbol of fraternity and peace and a place of encounter and reconciliation among religions and peoples.
Many years have passed since the 1967 war; many suffer from the killings, home demolitions and imprisonment, and others from lack of security and stability. The list of sufferings is quite long and affects all men and women who lived or still live in this Holy Land. This sad situation created separation among individuals and peoples, man became the enemy of man and the language of force and violence prevailed.
Our churches were affected negatively: Closed borders separated our faithful and obscured the hopes for living in dignity and for a better future; many have left the land of their ancestors, diminishing the size of our Christian communities.
Just an example: The number of Christian Palestinians who live outside the Holy Land is more than double the number which still lives inside. The ongoing injustice and the lack of peace are sources of frustration and desperation. Our youth and young couples are, unfortunately, still leaving for abroad for good. Many of them don't see any hope for a better, peaceful future. This situation has unfortunate implications on their lives at all levels.
Now we sincerely believe that it is time to intensify action, particularly through negotiation, to end occupation, to establish an independent Palestinian state — consistent with U.N. resolutions 242 and 338 — with borders clearly defined, thus giving both peoples, Israelis and Palestinians alike, human dignity, security and equal opportunities.
The Way to Peace
Peace is directly related to God, who in him self is the fullness of love. He sent his word and only Son to gather into one the dispersed sons of God and to destroy the wall which separates them (cf. Jn 11:52).
Peace is also a task God has entrusted to us as a good to be continually sought and defended. Peace is never achieved once and for all; it must be worked for constantly.
The late Pope John Paul II wrote in a letter to the Catholic bishops of the Holy Land:
"Only a return to the negotiating table on an equal footing, with due respect for inter national law, is capable of disclosing a future of brotherhood and peace for those who live in this blessed land." He continued, "All individuals [must] see their fundamental rights guaranteed: Both the Israeli people and the Palestinian people are equally entitled to live in their own homeland in dignity and security" (Nov. 6, 2000).
In fact, negotiations are the most civilized means in seeking justice. The negotiations we need require real dialogue, mediated by an impartial party to the conflict. An agreement should not be made under threat — it will not be effective. And this is, unfortunately, what we see: threats and violence from both sides.
Working toward a negotiated agreement would result in great benefits for the Israelis in terms of security and acceptance within the Arab and Muslim worlds. Peace and justice are reciprocal.
Till now Israel won almost all the wars with the Arabs; till now Israel never won peace and security because it relies only on its military power rather than on international rules and resolutions.
Expectations and Needs
What are the challenges and the expectations of the Latin patriarchate and its mission?
As you know, our diocese covers Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories as well as Cyprus. This means that we minister to various countries with various cultural, social, economic and political conditions and with many borders. As you most likely understand, traveling and circulating difficulties are not only experienced between the countries of the diocese as a whole, but also from town to town within the Palestinian territories.
This by itself is a major challenge and a major burden for us in terms of having to multiply our staff, offices and resources, both human as well as financial.
In front of this painful suffering, we raise our voices to say, "No more."
- No more occupation and suffering of human beings.
- No more killing and unchecked violence.
- No more lack of security and stability.
- No more violations of human rights and human dignity of all men and women, who ever they may be.
- No more to the logic of violence.
It is time to stand before God, who is the Father of all and the judge of all, in order to change our ways and return to him. When we return to God, we return to our fellow brothers and sisters. The love of God cannot be separated from the love of men and women and the defense of their dignity by calling them to justice and reconciliation in order that all may live in dignity and stability.
We want our children to be secure; we want our young people to find a bright future in this country; we want all fathers and mothers to be able to provide a quality life for their children; we want our present generation to build a better future in this land.
- A future where everyone can live in dig nity, justice and mutual trust.
- A future where no man can do injustice to his fellow brothers and sisters.
- A future where one people do not control another one.
- A future where all rights are protected.
Education and Schooling
Since its foundation in 1847, the Latin patriarchate has given great importance to education. Our first school was founded in BeitJala (Palestine) in the year 1852, then in Salt (Jordan) some years later.
As you may know, our schools in both Jordan and Palestine are not subsidized by the government. Only Israel subsidizes private schools, ours included.
- In these schools we ensure quality Christian education for our children.
- From these schools we get our future priests and politicians.
- In these schools we live and witness to our faith.
- These schools are at the same time a place of encounter with some Muslim students and parents, which results in a dialogue of life and friendship.
Thanks to God and to your generosity and thanks to all involved persons, religious and lay staff, our schools have been always on top of the government classification of schools. Poor though we are, our commitment is not to provide an inferior service.
We may encourage you for more partner ships between schools and more adoptions for poor students. All these initiatives are important and help to create hope in a better future.
Conclusion
The church of the Holy Land has a vocation and a mission:
- Our vocation is to remain, despite our small number, in the land where Jesus preached, redeemed humanity and founded the church. Together with your support, we will continue to stay and to keep our faith.
- Our mission is to be witnesses of the Gospel of love and reconciliation, to be a bridge between a Muslim and Jewish major ity.
Pope John Paul II, in his speech in Bethlehem, addressed us with these words:
"Do not be afraid to preserve your Christian presence and heritage in the very place where the Savior was born" (Manger Square Mass, March 22, 2000).
"What a blessing it would be if this Holy Land where God spoke and Jesus walked could become a special place of encounter and prayer for peoples; if this holy city of Jerusalem could be a sign and instrument of peace and reconciliation! It is here that believers have a mission of primary importance to accomplish: Forgetting the past and looking to the future, they are called to repentance, to re-examine their behavior and to realize once again that they are brothers and sisters by reason of God, who loves them and invites them to cooperate in his plan for humanity" (Jan. 11, 1992, address to the diplomatic corps).
It would be great if we cooperate, everyone according to his potential, to make a reality of the prayer of Pope John II.
As you know, last June I assumed the responsibility of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. I rely on your help, prayers and friendship. Please do not leave me alone in this difficult mission.
Thank you all and may God bless all of you.
This item 8484 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
