Holy Land: Bishops warn of increasing polarisation within Israel and Palestine
(Vatican Radio) Bishops from North America and Europe have concluded their annual
pilgrimage of solidarity to the Christians of the Holy Land with an appeal for prayers
for peace.
In their final statement the bishops note that the people in the
region are living through dark and dramatic events, such as the conflict in Gaza and
southern Israel; civil war in Syria, and increasing polarisation within Israel and
Palestine.
These developments, they write, have caused profound anxiety for
all but particularly for the dwindling Christian population.
Below please
find the final statement issued by the delegation of the Holy Land coordination:
Since
the Bishops of the Holy Land Co-ordination gathered in January 2012, the people in
this region have lived through dark and dramatic events: conflict in Gaza and southern
Israel; civil war in Syria, which has resulted in huge numbers of refugees pouring
into other countries and putting an enormous strain on their resources; and increasing
polarisation within Israel and Palestine. These developments have caused profound
anxiety for all in this region, for the Israelis, Palestinians, Jews, Muslims, and
particularly for the dwindling Christian population.
This year we met Christian
communities in Gaza, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Madaba and Zarqa. In the Cremisan Valley
we heard about legal struggles to protect local people’s lands and religious institutions
from the encroachment of the Security Barrier (“the wall”). We promise to continue
urging our respective governments to act to prevent this injustice. We heard moving
testimony from religious women involved in the care of migrant workers, trafficked
persons and prisoners.
Our faith was enriched by the strength and fortitude
of the people we met: those with whom we shared in a vibrant celebration of Mass in
Zarqa in Jordan; those who care for the vulnerable, like the refugees from Syria and
Iraq fleeing terror and violence; those struggling in the face of oppression and insecurity
across the countries that make up the Holy Land. We are inspired to promote a just
peace and call upon Christian communities in our home countries and people of goodwill
everywhere to support the work undertaken in this region to build a better future.
Good examples are two agencies we visited: Catholic Relief Services in Gaza and the
Caritas refugee programme in Jordan.
We are also called to recognise and tell
others how faith in God brings light into the lives of people in the Holy Land. One
of the ways in which this happens is the Church’s commitment to education, a tangible
investment in the future. Nowhere is this more evident than in the University of Bethlehem,
where we were struck by the stories from students, and the American University of
Madaba in Jordan. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI called upon staff and students in the
region to be builders of a just and peaceful society composed of peoples of various
religious and ethnic backgrounds.
With the local Bishops, we encourage practical
support for the vulnerable, the formation of young people and every effort for the
promotion of peace. We encourage Christians to come on pilgrimage to the Holy Land
where they will experience the same warm hospitality we received. We shall work hard
to persuade our respective governments to recognise the root causes of suffering in
this land and to step up their efforts for a just peace. We echo the call Pope Benedict
made recently in his speech to the Holy See’s diplomatic corps: “Following Palestine’s
recognition as a non-member observer state of the United Nations, I again express
the hope that, with the support of the international community, Israelis and Palestinians
will commit themselves to peaceful co-existence within the framework of two sovereign
states, where respect for justice and the legitimate aspirations of the two peoples
will be preserved and guaranteed. Jerusalem, become what your name signifies! A city
of peace, not one of division”.
In the words of one of the Psalms, which we
prayed together each day: “for the peace of Jerusalem pray” (Psalm 122, v.6).
Signatories
to the Final communiqué:
Archbishop Richard Smith – Edmonton, Canada Archbishop
Joan-Enric Vives – Urgell and Andorra, Spain Bishop Gerald Kicanas – Tucson, USA
Bishop Stephan Ackermann – Trier, Germany Bishop Michel Dubost – Evry, France Bishop
William Kenney – ComECE Representative Bishop Peter Bürcher – Reykjavik, Nordic
Bishops’ Conference Bishop Declan Lang – Clifton, England and Wales.