“The Patriarch said that war is never holy. He
appealed to all people of good will and all authorities who seemingly
have in their hands the destiny of their peoples. He begs them to think
of the innocent victims.” This is a fragment from the appeal launched by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, this afternoon, echoing the appeal sent out by Pope Benedict XVI. He used strong words to express his concern regarding the Middle Eastern situation which is getting more serious by the minute.
“The Patriarch stressed that this war brought absolutely nothing good for anyone. The bombing severely affected everyone, children, husbands and wives. Everyone is extremely horrified, taking refuge in halls and passageways. On one hand, the Palestinians in Gaza suffer disproportionately from Israeli conducted air raids. On the other hand, the Israelis are fearful of the rockets from Gaza.”
Patriarch Twal said he contacted the Strip’s Latin parish by telephone to express his closeness during the funeral held for the first victim, an Orthodox Christian who died of a heart attack the other day.
The patriarch communicated the support for the Church of Jerusalem and promised that, whatever happened, he would be in Gaza for the Christmas celebrations on16 December, as planned. He also said he was saddened by the recent cancellation of the pilgrimages to the Holy Land: “God knows how many pilgrimages contribute to peace.”
Finally, Twal spared a thought for Jordan, the other part of the Patriarchate that has been shaken by the recent street protests triggered by the rise in the cost of living. Demonstrations – he wrote – are not the solution; and he hoped wise men with Jordan’s best interests at heart would prevail, along with wealthy men who could help out poor families.
This afternoon, the Custodian of the Holy Land, Franciscan father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, issued a statement about the dramatic developments in the current situation. There is no point in arguing about who started it all, counting the dead and pointing fingers, the Custodian wrote.
“All those involved need to engage in efforts to return to a moderate stance and prevent events from dangerously deteriorating. In the face of such violence and everyone’s helplessness, as Christians, prayer remains our only resource,” the leader of the Franciscan community went on to say. “Faith is as essential to us as the air we breathe because it allows us to look at what is going on, through the lens of faith.”
Franciscans will continue to commit to a number of small initiatives of dialogue and peace, Fr. Pizzaballa concluded, writing that “Jews, Muslims and Christians were called here, to this Land, by Providence, to live together. We intend to show through life, that this vocation is possible and feasible.”