Papst an Israel: „Friedensprozess fortsetzen!“

Auch Papst Benedikt gratuliert dem Staat Israel zu seinem 60. Geburtstag in diesen Tagen. Im Vatikan empfing er an diesem Montag den neuen israelischen Botschafter. Dabei drängte er die Regierung in Tel Aviv auch dazu, in ihren Bemühungen um Frieden in Nahost nicht nachzulassen. Und er hoffte auf einen „baldigen, zufriedenstellenden Abschluss“ der Verhandlungen um ein juristisches Abkommen zwischen Israel und dem Vatikan.

Hier sind die Kernsätze aus der Papst-Rede.

60 Jahre Israel: „Ich gratuliere sehr herzlich zu dieser Feier. Wir danken mit Ihnen dem Herrn, dass die Sehnsucht der Juden nach einer Heimat im Land ihrer Väter erfüllt worden ist. Und wir hoffen, bald noch eine größere Freude zu erleben, wenn endlich ein gerechter Friede den Konflikt mit den Palästinensern löst.“

Emigration von Christen: „Natürlich sind die Christen nicht die Einzigen, die unter Unsicherheit und Gewalt wegen der Konflikte in der Region leiden. Aber sie sind im Moment besonders verwundbar. Ich bete, dass angesichts der wachsenden Freundschaft zwischen Israel und dem Heiligen Stuhl Wege gefunden werden, um der christlichen Gemeinschaft neue Sicherheit zu geben. Sie sollen Hoffnung auf eine sichere und friedliche Zukunft im Land ihrer Väter haben – ohne Druck, sich in anderen Teilen der Welt ein neues Leben aufbauen zu müssen.“

Friedensprozess: „Der Heilige Stuhl anerkennt Israels legitimes Bedürfnis nach Sicherheit und Selbstverteidigung, und er verurteilt scharf jedweden Antisemitismus. Er hält auch fest, dass alle Völker ein Recht auf gleiche Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten haben. Darum bitte ich Ihre Regierung, alles zu tun, um die Schwierigkeiten, unter denen die Palästinenser leiden, zu erleichtern. Sie brauchen Freiheit, um ihren Geschäften nachzugehen und zu ihren heiligen Stätten zu reisen; auch sie sollen mehr Frieden und Sicherheit genießen. ... Der Heilige Stuhl begrüßt das Versprechen Ihrer Regierung, den (auf der Friedenskonferenz) in Annapolis (USA) angestoßenen Prozess vorwärtszubringen; er betet darum, dass die Hoffnungen und Erwartungen, die dort entstanden, nicht enttäuscht werden... Wenn alle Menschen des Heiligen Landes in Frieden und Harmonie Seite an Seite in zwei souveränen Staaten leben, wäre der Nutzen für den Weltfrieden kaum zu unterschätzen – und Israel könnte wirklich ein „Licht für die Völker“ sein (Jes 42,6).“

Beziehungen Israel-Vatikan: „Man kann hoffen, dass unsere Verhandlungen über wirtschaftliche und steuerliche Angelegenheiten bald zu einem zufriedenstellenden Abschluss kommen. ... Ich weiß, dass ich für viele spreche, wenn ich die Hoffnung äußere, dass diese Abkommen (die bisher schon ausgehandelt wurden) bald in das innere Rechtssystem Israels integriert werden, so dass es für eine fruchtbare Zusammenarbeit eine dauerhafte Basis gibt. ... Sie verstehen sicher die Schwierigkeiten, die die ständige Unsicherheit über ihre Rechte und ihren Status den Christen im Heiligen Land bereitet – vor allem, was Visa für Kirchenpersonal betrifft. ... Erst wenn diese Schwierigkeiten überwunden sind, wird die Kirche frei ihre religiöse, moralische, erzieherische und karitative Arbeit im Land, wo sie entstanden ist, ausüben können.“

(rv 12.05.2008 sk)

Lesen Sie hier den Volltext der Papst-Ansprache im englischen Original:

To His Excellency Mr Mordechay Lewy, Ambassador of Israel to the Holy See

Your Excellency,

I am pleased to welcome you at the start of your mission and to accept the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to the Holy See. I thank you for your kind words, and I ask you to convey to President Shimon Peres my respectful greetings and the assurance of my prayers for the people of your country.

Once again I offer cordial good wishes on the occasion of Israel’s celebration of sixty years of statehood. The Holy See joins you in giving thanks to the Lord that the aspirations of the Jewish people for a home in the land of their fathers have been fulfilled, and hopes soon to see a time of even greater rejoicing when a just peace finally resolves the conflict with the Palestinians. In particular, the Holy See values its diplomatic relations with Israel, established fifteen years ago, and looks forward to developing further the growing respect, esteem and collaboration that unites us.

Between the State of Israel and the Holy See there are numerous areas of mutual interest that can be profitably explored. As you have pointed out, the Judeo-Christian heritage should inspire us to take a lead in promoting many forms of social and humanitarian action throughout the world, not least by combating all forms of racial discrimination. I share Your Excellency’s enthusiasm for the cultural and academic exchanges that are taking place between Catholic institutions worldwide and those of the Holy Land, and I too hope that these initiatives will be developed further in the years ahead. The fraternal dialogue that is conducted on an international level between Christians and Jews is bearing much fruit and needs to be continued with commitment and generosity. The holy cities of Rome and Jerusalem represent a source of faith and wisdom of central importance for Western civilization, and in consequence, the links between Israel and the Holy See have deeper resonances than those which arise formally from the juridical dimension of our relations.

Your Excellency, I know that you share my concern over the alarming decline in the Christian population of the Middle East, including Israel, through emigration. Of course Christians are not alone in suffering the effects of insecurity and violence as a result of the various conflicts in the region, but in many respects they are particularly vulnerable at the present time. I pray that, in consequence of the growing friendship between Israel and the Holy See, ways will be found of reassuring the Christian community, so that they can experience the hope of a secure and peaceful future in their ancestral homelands, without feeling under pressure to move to other parts of the world in order to build new lives.

Christians in the Holy Land have long enjoyed good relations with both Muslims and Jews. Their presence in your country, and the free exercise of the Church’s life and mission there, have the potential to contribute significantly to healing the divisions between the two communities. I pray that it may be so, and I invite your Government to continue to explore ways of harnessing the good will that Christians bear, both towards the natural descendants of the people who were the first to hear the word of God, and towards our Muslim brothers and sisters who have lived and worshipped for centuries in the land that all three religious traditions call “holy”.

I do realize that the difficulties experienced by Christians in the Holy Land are also related to the continuing tension between Jewish and Palestinian communities. The Holy See recognizes Israel’s legitimate need for security and self-defence and strongly condemns all forms of anti-Semitism. It also maintains that all peoples have a right to be given equal opportunities to flourish. Accordingly, I would urge your Government to make every effort to alleviate the hardship suffered by the Palestinian community, allowing them the freedom necessary to go about their legitimate business, including travel to places of worship, so that they too can enjoy greater peace and security. Clearly, these matters can only be addressed within the wider context of the Middle East peace process. The Holy See welcomes the commitment expressed by your Government to carry forward the momentum rekindled at Annapolis and prays that the hopes and expectations raised there will not be disappointed. As I observed in my recent address to the United Nations in New York, it is necessary to explore every possible diplomatic avenue and to remain attentive to “even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation” if long-standing conflicts are to be resolved. When all the people of the Holy Land live in peace and harmony, in two independent sovereign states side by side, the benefit for world peace will be inestimable, and Israel will truly serve as אור לגוים (“light to the nations”, Is 42:6), a shining example of conflict resolution for the rest of the world to follow.

Much work has gone into formulating the agreements which have been signed thus far between Israel and the Holy See, and it is greatly hoped that the negotiations regarding economic and fiscal affairs may soon be brought to a satisfactory conclusion. Thank you for your reassuring words concerning the Israeli Government’s commitment to a positive and expeditious resolution of the questions that remain. I know that I speak on behalf of many when I express the hope that these agreements may soon be integrated into the Israeli internal legal system and so provide a lasting basis for fruitful cooperation. Given the personal interest taken by Your Excellency in the situation of Christians in the Holy Land, which is greatly appreciated, I know you understand the difficulties caused by continuing uncertainties over their legal rights and status, especially with regard to the question of visas for church personnel. I am sure you will do what you can to facilitate the resolution of the problems that remain in a manner acceptable to all parties. Only when these difficulties are overcome, will the Church be able to carry out freely her religious, moral, educational and charitable works in the land where she came to birth.

Your Excellency, I pray that the diplomatic mission which you begin today will further strengthen the bonds of friendship that exist between the Holy See and your country. I assure you that the various departments of the Roman Curia are always ready to offer help and support in the fulfilment of your duties. With my sincere good wishes, I invoke upon you, your family, and all the people of the State of Israel, God’s abundant blessings.

From the Vatican, 12 May 2008

Lesen Sie hier die Ansprache des israelischen Botschafters an den Papst in englischer Sprache:

ADDRESS BY H.E. Mr Mordechay Lewy AMBASSADOR OF Israel TO THE HOLY SEE ON THE OCCASION OF THE PRESENTATION OF HIS LETTERS OF CREDENCE TO HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI(12 May 2008)

This is the traditional blessing a Jew makes out of respect when he encounters a monarch or a ruler. In the language of the Bible, the blessing says:

- Hebräisches Zitat -

If I may be allowed a personal note, it is with a deep sense of humility that, as a descendant of the Tribe of Levi, I stand here presenting my credentials in the name of the State of Israel. According to Biblical tradition, the Levite was in duty-bound to assist the Kohen gadol, the Pontifex, in performing the Temple ritual and later the synagogue liturgy of the priestly blessings. The fact that my grand-grandfather, from the town of Rogasen in the district of Posen, changed the spelling from Levi to Lewy was due to his illusory notion that Americans would pronounce Lewy better. He proved to be wrong. He therefore returned to Imperial Germany after participating in the American Civil War in order to found a family and to move to Berlin at the end of the 19th century. There, my late father grew up and later rescued himself from the Shoa by immigrating illegally to then Mandatory Palestine.

As a result, I now come from the civitas litterarum, the eternal capital of the Jewish people, to Roma aeterna, in the full knowledge that both cities are holy and considered umbilicus mundi. It made me deeply appreciative, when my government decided to nominate me as the fifth Ambassador of Israel to the Holy See. I sincerely hope that I will be able to add to the fabric of the delicate network of relations so recently established between Israel and the Holy See, as well as between the Jewish People and the Catholic Church. I am aware that this assignment is much more than a classical diplomatic mission. The Holy See counts time in centuries, if not in millennia. Hence, it would be somehow inadequate to regard our relations merely as a bilateral affair between two sovereign states. In addition, the diplomatic dimension is relatively new, even if compared with the significant reconciliation between Catholics and Jews that was effected through the promulgation of the conciliar declaration Nostra Aetate more than forty years ago. We appreciated your Holiness's letter on the fortieth Anniversary of that declaration, when you wrote, "In laying the foundations for a renewed relationship between the Jewish People and the Church, Nostra Aetate stressed the need to overcome past prejudices, misunderstandings, indifference, and the language of contempt and hostility."
Many hoped in the early sixties that such a significant declaration would not fail to leave its trace in the political domain, in shaping future attitudes of the Holy See towards the State of Israel. It did of course, ultimately paving the way to the establishment of diplomatic relations. However, Nostra Aetate continues to resonate and act as the basis of the inter-religious dialogue between Catholics and Jews. Consequently, it is incumbent upon the Ambassador representing the only Jewish sovereignty in the world to stay attuned also to the interests of Jews around the world. Like my predecessors, I will make it my duty to follow this dialogue closely and with much personal interest and offer whatever assistance I can to keep it on an even keel and on track.
Our respective spiritual traditions form the Judeo - Christian heritage, which is so central to modern culture and civilization can create a common platform to both of us. It could and should help to generate a more humane and fraternal world. We would suggest that ways be sought to translate our shared vocation into more meaningful directions for concrete social and humanitarian action, in such fields as the fight against famine and disease, the prevention of substance abuse, the provision of clean water, the combat against desertification and damage to the environment in general, to name but a few.
Beyond ethical and social topics of deep mutual interest, may I suggest that we continue to cooperate in areas such as the ongoing battle against the scourge of Antisemitism. The threats of religiously motivated violence are a growing spiritual challenge and a physical menace. Above all, killing innocent people in God's name remains an offence against Him and against human dignity.
The frame of our bilateral relations is still young and needs to be nourished further. We still have to finalize the Economic Agreement. Since the recent renewal of the negotiations, undeniable progress has been made. There is a sincere desire on behalf of the current Government of Israel to conclude the negotiations positively and expeditiously as possible. We believe also that there is much room to deepen and broaden the scholarly and cultural exchanges between Catholic institutions worldwide and academic institutions in Israel. The academic program specially tailored with the Hebrew University for graduates from the Pontifical Biblical Institute from Rome should be regarded as model for what can be done.
Israel would like to reiterate its commitment to maintain the status quo in the Christian Holy Places and to uphold the respective rights that the Christian communities enjoy under it. We listened with profound empathy to your Holiness' address to the conference of Latin bishops of the Middle Eastern region on 18 January 2008, in which you stated that everything should be done to prevent the Holy Land "becoming an archaeological site deprived of ecclesial life." We shall do our utmost to help strengthen the Christian communities in Israel as their essential presence in the Holy Land is deeply rooted and historically self-understood.
I would also wish to re-assure Your Holiness of the sincerest commitment on the part of Israel to the Middle East peace process in all its aspects. We hope that the momentum re-kindled at Annapolis will bear far-reaching fruits. The European continent and the entire Mediterranean region may face, however, nightmarish perils if the process of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East is not brought to a halt. Against the backdrop of our traumatic experience in the middle of the last century, no one should be surprised that we take such threats seriously.
With God's help, we may work together to foster our relations in every sphere, in order that they may attain the height they deserve to give full expression to their historical significance.
It is thus with a distinct sense of honour that I present to Your Holiness the Letters by which the President of the State of Israel accredits me as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to the Holy See.