Unity among Catholics in Holy Land essential, Synod Members say

(October 23, 2010) Division among the different Catholic churches in Jerusalem is a serious problem that must be overcome to ensure the survival of Christianity there, three church leaders from Jerusalem said. Two bishops and a Jesuit priest, participants in the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, said they believed that two weeks of talks at the Vatican have helped establish a better spirit of dialogue, which will continue. The special problems facing Catholics in city that is holy for Christians, Jews and Muslims were discussed at a press briefing October 22 by Latin-rite Auxiliary Bishop William H. Shomali of Jerusalem; Auxiliary Bishop Salim Sayegh of Jerusalem, patriarchal vicar for Latin-rite Catholics in Jordan; and Jesuit Father David Neuhaus, vicar for Hebrew- and Russian-speaking Catholics for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Father Neuhaus said the divisions were principally among the leaders of the different churches, including the Latin patriarchate and the smaller Eastern Catholic communities: the Melkite, Maronite, Chaldean, Syrian, Armenian and Coptic churches. "When you look at the bishops, you see the divisions, but the more you get to the grass roots, the more those divisions disappear," he said. "When you walk through the streets of Jerusalem, Bethlehem (West Bank) or Nazareth, and you ask which group they belong to, the answer from Christians is 'I am a Christian,' not 'I am Roman Catholic or Greek Catholic or Maronite.'"