Bishops warn of increasing polarization within Israel and Palestine

January 10, 2013: Bishops from North America and Europe have concluded on Thursday 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 noted 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 wrote, have caused profound anxiety for Israelis, Palestinians, Jews, Muslims, and particularly for the dwindling Christian population.
The final statement is signed by eight archbishops and bishops from Canada, Spain, USA, Germany, France, and others.

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, noted the final statement issued by the delegation of the Holy Land coordination.

‘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’ added the bishops.

Our faith was enriched by the strength and fortitude of the people we met, said the bishops, adding 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.

We are also called to recognize 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, noted the final statement.

The delegation also encouraged Christians to come on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, saying ‘the pilgrims will experience the same warm hospitality we received’.

The bishops echoed 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”.