Jerusalem patriarch laments Muslim, Jewish extremism
January 11, 2011
Addressing representatives from bishops’ conferences in Europe and North America who were making an annual pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem lamented the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.
Recalling a proposition issued at the conclusion of the October synod of bishops-- “the attention of the whole world should be focused on the tragic situation of certain Christian communities of the Middle East, which suffer all manner of trials sometimes even to the point of martyrdom-- the Patriarch said that “painful experience caused us to write these words. They turned out to be a prophecy as well, when we think about the situation in Baghdad and Egypt.”
He added:
We are still anxious [about] the two extremisms: the Muslim one with [its] attacks against our churches and our faithful, and the Israeli right wing, invading more and more Jerusalem, trying to transform it to an only Hebrew–Jewish city, excluding the other faiths.
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Further information:
- Talk to Coordination (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
- Assessing the needs of the people in the Holy Land (Vatican Radio)
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Posted by: Justin8110 -
Jan. 11, 2011 5:27 PM ET USA
This is a fallen world and all of us regardless of religion live under the burden of Adams sin so the lamenting will continue until the Second Coming. The worst part is neither Jews nor Muslims have access to the sacraments of the Church in order to help them live a life above the state of fallen nature and so the conflicts continue.
