Monday, March 19, 2012

Holy Land: The big chill between Israel and the Patriarchate

In 1948, there were 30 thousand Christians in Jerusalem. 

Now there are less than half. 

The Patriarch has issued a warning to Israel. 

Through a series of public actions, Mgr. Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, is asking the international community to promote a "strict separation between religion and politics" in the Holy Land.

The he dispute over the Cenacle remains unresolved, symbolising the difficult management of the historical church in the Jewish State. Patriarch Twal  reprimands the Israeli government over the "prohibition of evangelization and the attacks on churches by radical groups."  

Unlike his pro-Palestinian predecessor Michel Sabbah, Patriarch Twal is a moderate and fervent promoter of dialogue with Israel. That is why his declaration sounds even more effective and meaningful in the Middle Eastern chessboard.

For some time, the Theological Commission of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has shared "the hopes and aspirations of our peoples living in the midst of violence and despair in the Holy Land, Israel, Palestine and Jordan."  

And "the feeling of helplessness, frustration and despair spread vicious revenge and anger that lead to a spiral of never ending violence."  But there is a cold war going on between  the Patriarchate and the Israeli government. Following the agreement between the Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas in Doha (Qatar) and the decision to entrust the presidency of a union government to President Abu Mazen, Mgr. Fouad Twal heavily reprimanded the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who had criticized the head of the national Palestinian Authority for having signed a government agreement of national unity with Hamas. 

"If Abu Mazen enforces what was signed in Doha, he chooses to abandon the path of peace to join Hamas - Netanyahu warned. Either there is peace with Hamas or peace with Israel.  You cannot have both.”

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem gave a sharp reply, saying he saw no obstacle in the fact that all Palestinians committed themselves to helping Abu Mazen, describing him as "man of moderation, openness and cooperation," so "this reconciliation actually responds to the aspirations of Palestinian for unity and we must be happy.” 

The patriarch expressed a desire for global peace, adding: "We want peace for all, a good understanding with Israel, and the union between Palestinian brothers of all political thought. 

And the head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land shows an "abnormal reciprocity” in the two fields, where there are "those who do not want to recognize the State of Israel and others who do not want to recognize the state of Palestine.”

Speaking to Vatican Radio, Mgr. Fouad Twal stressed that the Holy Land has "a spiritual need, that of true integration between the different religions, in sign of respect.”  

That is why the Patriarch launches a vibrant appeal: "Pull down the all visible walls, remove the walls in the hearts of men, the walls of fear, hatred and ignorance.  Let’s hope that one day we can achieve this integration.”  Recently, European and the U.S. bishops held their annual “Coordination Meeting of the Holy Land", in Haifa, where they met the local Catholic community and priests of the Latin, Melkite and Maronite tradition.

A delegation of bishops was received by the Israeli authorities to address some of the issues concerning the Church's presence in the sacred sites.  The Latin Patriarchate operates 14 hospitals in the Patriarchate although Catholics account for only 2% of the population. Meanwhile, for the Cenacle of Jerusalem, the sacred site of Christianity, complex legal negotiations with Israel are still underway. 

Purchased by the Royalty of Naples, Robert of Anjou and Sancha of Aragon, in 1333 - sold by the Mamluk sultans - the room on Mount Zion, where  the Last Supper allegedly took place, was entrusted to the Custody of the Holy Land. 

It was taken from the Franciscans by the Turks in 1551 and after 1948 declared an "absentee property" according to Israeli law. This was following its abandonment by the Muslim family that had managed it under the Ottoman Empire.

Since 1948, the Cenacle has been in the hands of the Israeli Ministry for Religious Affairs. A decade ago, taking into account the very complex legal situation that characterized this case, the Holy See pleaded a case of restitution which would have a positive impact on relations between the Catholic Church and Israel. But the Israelis questioned the Cenacle's ownership, since it had been passed from hand to hand over the centuries.  

The Church of Jerusalem has always occupied a place of predilection in the solicitude of the Holy See and the concern of the whole Christian world. For the Vatican "the continued state of tension in the Middle East, ​​without any conclusive and decisive steps being taken towards a goal of peace, is a serious and constant danger which threatens not only the tranquillity and safety of those populations, and the peace of the world, but also values ​​highly cherished by a large part of humanity."

As the Congregation for Eastern Churches pointed out, for the Holy See, "that blessed Land is a world spiritual heritage and, especially for the Christian world, it is a priceless asset:  this is well known by the millions of pilgrims that visit the sacred sites each year. Praying and contempating in the presence of the visible Gospel seen in that landscape and legible on those stones, they return to their communities enriched by a unique and unrepeatable experience. Jerusalem deserves a privileged space in the heart of every believer.”