Jerusalem Must Be The Mother Of All Believers
Although Christian Arabs make up a small minority in the Holy Land, they could be an important bridge in the conflict that has divided the region for too long, says Patriarch Fouad Twal. The Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem laments, however, that as the international community is slow to take them into consideration, the numbers of Christians are dwindling. Part of the problem, he notes, is the Israel’s 20-foot-high wall around the Palestinian territories that has made daily life for many almost impossible. There are approximately 50,000 Christians living in the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, with a further 200,000 in Israel. In this interview given to the television program “Where God Weeps” of the Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN), in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need, the patriarch discusses the many challenges facing Christians living in the Holy Land. He also makes an appeal for three “P’s”: Prayer, Project, and Pressure. – Can you tell us what is the situation of Christians in the Holy Land today? We have to remember that the Latin Patriarchate covers three states: Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and even Cyprus. So it is not easy to speak about one state because situations change from state to state. Generally, as we know in the world, there is one state with many dioceses; in our case, we have one diocese within many states. The fact that we are living in conflict means borders between these states create problems; to cross the borders means problems, to assign priests from one parish to another parish is not easy. We need allowances – permission – from Israel to move within these three states, which is within one Patriarchate of Jerusalem. – How would you describe the feelings of the people in Jerusalem, in the Holy Land, particularly Christians? It is a special city, a beautiful city and a dramatic city over which even the Lord wept. And we are still weeping. It is not easy. Jerusalem unites all the believers – Jews, Muslims, Christians – [but] at the same time, Jerusalem divides all the believers – to [the] death. Everybody wants Jerusalem to be their own capital, and Jerusalem, for me, must be the mother of churches, mother for all believers, and not for one people. It is a pleasure, from one side, to see these people coming to visit the holy places and, on the other side, it is painful to see the local church, the local Christians, not being able to visit these holy places. A parish priest from Bethlehem cannot bring his faithful for a pilgrimage to these holy places. The same situation is seen in Ramallah, and Jordan, and other parishes; they cannot move easily with so many checkpoints and the wall separating them. We Never Give Up Hope – This is a key question. Has the situation worsened now for Christians in the Holy Land as a consequence of the construction of the wall? For sure, the
