Overcoming Divisions in the Holy Land

As the Pope delivered his ‘state of the world’ address to diplomats in the Vatican on Monday, focusing on the crucial question of religious freedom, the same issue has been under the spotlight at an international meeting of Catholic church leaders in the Holy Land.
Philippa Hitchen is in Jerusalem following the annual Coordination meeting of bishops from Europe and North America in support of Christians in the Holy Land and sent us this report...

In his opening address to the visiting bishops, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal spelt out the twin threats to the freedom of the Christian community here: Muslim extremists, he said, with “attacks against our churches and faithful” and right wing Israeli policies which he said are “invading more and more Jerusalem”, trying to transform it into an exclusively Hebrew-Jewish city.
While Christians live and work peacefully alongside the majority of moderate Muslims throughout the West Bank, the threats of extremists groups in Gaza, as well as the recent massacres of church goers in Egypt and Iraq have increased tensions here in recent weeks. And as the meeting began here on Sunday, Israeli bulldozers were demolishing a historic hotel in Arab East Jerusalem to build more Jewish settler homes – a move which has sparked strong criticism from the U.S and European leaders.
Quoting from what he called the prophetic words of the recent Middle East Synod propositions, Patriarch Twal said persecution of believers here “must raise awareness of Christians worldwide of the need for greater solidarity” – in particular a commitment to support and insist on international law and respect for the rights of all peoples.
For ten years, that’s exactly what this international group of Catholic bishops has tried to provide, witnessing to abuses first hand and meeting with Palestinian and Israeli officials both here and in their home countries.
Yet there is also a growing awareness that the Churches in the Holy Land must learn to help themselves and work more effectively for justice and peace without waiting for miraculous solutions to be imposed from outside. As the Patriarch told the visiting bishops, people here have lost hope in the endless speeches and visits by political or religious personalities and are demanding the local churches be more involved in working for concrete progress on the ground. The Kairos document, a theological statement drawn up by a broad group of lay Palestinian Christians calling for non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation, is a clear attempt to respond to that call.
The second striking realisation on the part of most Christian churches here is that they will be unable to make progress unless they work harder at overcoming divisions and learn to cooperate much closer together. Though this idea began to take shape over two decades ago during the first intifada, there now seems to be a greater urgency to the ecumenical agenda.
Also addressing the opening session of the Coordination meeting was the new president of the Lutheran world federation, Bishop Mounib Younan of Jordan and the Holy Land who met recently with Pope Benedict in the Vatican. He called on church leaders in the region to be more prophetic and more ecumenical, saying “sometimes we are more concerned about the Holy Places than about the holy people here”.
His address was followed by a visit to the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III for an exchange of Christmas greetings by leaders of all 13 Christian churches represented here. Such gatherings now occur regularly each Christmas and Easter and there is clearly a growing trust and friendship between these leaders clad in their distinctive flowing robes and elaborately embroidered headgear. Certainly the historic divisions between the denominations remain not far below the surface but the common goal of defending real religious freedom for Christians is now an important catalyst for ecumenical progress..

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