n e w s l e t t e r Can we get by without unity?

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1 n e w s l e t t e r JERUSALEM l o v e t h e H o l y l a n d a n d b e l o v e d Number 10 January 2012 Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem P.O.B Jerusalem Tel : Fax : Media office: meo@latinpat.org LATIN PATRIARCHATE PRINTING PRESS BEIT JALA 2012 Editorial Can we get by without unity? When I hear Archbishop Shrivarian of the Armenian Patriarchate say that Christian hope is one thing we all have in common, When I hear Bishop Younan of the Lutheran church saying that the cross is what unites us, When I hear Bishop Maroun Lahham, new Bishop of Jordan, declare that he wants to live together with everyone in a spirit of family and cooperation I say to myself that in the Middle East and more especially in the Holy Land, ecumenism is more than just a word. More than a prayer. But that it is a vital necessity for Christians in this part of the world. Suffering. How much uncertainty has grown since the revolutionary romanticism of the Arab spring just one year ago? And similarly from the politics of the Holy Land? For the Christians, unity is shared in rejoicing but equally in the same concerns about emigration, unemployment, difficulties in getting to Jerusalem, taxes, freedom of movement of Christians, about securing visas for religious, students, volunteers, etc. The dialogue, especially ecumenical - and (while we are at it) inter-religious should not simply be an exchange of words. It must be more than a dialogue of charity. It must be concrete. It is already a reality. On the ground. Day by day. At least at the social level, if I may put it like that. The dialogue between Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox communities is not uncommon, here in schools, in mixed families. In spite of theological dialogue and canon law stagnating, believers who often are not aware of the reasons for ecclesiastical differences, see themselves first, as Christians and only secondly, take into account their confessions. The ecumenical approach is the best way of remaining strong. A united front. Accordingly, Christians must not live for themselves alone. Living as the heirs of Christ and the Apostles is a leaven of solidarity between churches. Without doubt. But if Christians live here, it is also because of four convictions they have: faith in Jesus Christ, desire to bear witness to a Loving God, attachment to their land and love for the holy places. This communion depends on the effectiveness of the Christian testimony to Muslims and Jews. United, Christians can help their societies benefit from the values of the gospel which are universal. The first step is to offer gestures of peace among Christians. No question of suppressing the specific characteristics of every confession! On the contrary, the fact that there are differences must be recognized in order to live a Christian life. The Word of Christ and of his Apostles show clearly that co-existence, even peaceful, is not enough. When shall we have one date for Easter? The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was held in Jerusalem from January 22 to 29, 2012

2 P A G E 2 N E W S L E T T E R J E RU S A L E M Ecumenical concert at Notre Dame Center An ecumenical concert of Christmas carols was held at Notre Dame of Jerusalem on Thursday, December 29 th. The different churches of Jerusalem were represented. Zoom on Current Affairs of Ecumenism in 2011 On Sunday, January 15, a conference on Current news of Ecumenism in 2011 was held at the Emmanuel Monastery in Bethlehem. Father Frans Bouwen, who has conducted this service for ten years, presented a panorama of worldwide ecumenism, in the Middle East and in Jerusalem. Ecumenism in Jordan On the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and at the invitation of the Noursat Satellite TV station in Jordan, Christian Churches in Jordan held an evening of prayer at the La Salle Church at Jebel Hussein in Amman on January 19 th. Teaching on marriage and Canon Law in Cyprus Father Dobromir Jasztal, ofm, Doctor in Canon Law, visited Cyprus - one of the vicariates of the Latin Patriarchate - for a course on marriage and Canon Law. Cyprus is well known for many cases of mixed marriages. Don Barbareschi, Righteous among the Nations, visits the Patriarchate Don Barbareschi, an Italian priest, 90 years of age, officially recognised as Righteous among the Nations for having saved hundreds of Jews, is on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He was received by Bishop Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem on Friday, December 30 th. Diocese : Holy Land News First reactions of Bishop Lahham, new Patriarchal Vicar in Amman Bishop Maroun Elias Lahham, was appointed Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan. He was Archbishop of Tunis (Tunisia) until now. He retains ad personam the dignity of Archbishop He also receives the title of Titular Bishop of Madaba. A grace, says the Patriarch Fouad Twal, who was born in the same city and explained that this designation echoes the commitment and dedication of Bishop Lahham who was pastor of Madaba from 1981 to The new Bishop said that, I could have never dreamed of a better title. Madaba is in my heart. I spent seven of my best years. When asked what he will emphasize in his pastoral mission as Auxiliary Bishop for Jordan, the new Vicar said that he wants to follow with the priests and implement the Diocesan Synod for which (he) worked a lot. Before his installation in late February, he wants to share with the faithful of Jordan his thoughts for them: I want to live with everyone in a spirit of family and collaboration. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is very pleased to work again with Bishop Lahham, his successor in Tunis in According to Patriarch Twal, the time that the new Vicar spent in Tunis allowed him to mature in his pastoral activity. If he succeeded in Tunis, he will succeed as Vicar here with the Bishops and Priests of the Latin Patriarchate. Mabrouk to him! Mabrouk to us!. Week for the Christian Unity, enthusiastic finale Bishop Maroun succeeds Bishop Selim Sayegh, who presented his resignation upon reaching the age limit Evenings of prayer for Christian Unity kindled thousands of sparks of light from January 21 to 29, like a fireworks display, concluded with the enthusiastic closing of the International Prayer for Peace in the Holy Land. Anglicans, Armenians, Lutherans, Latins, Ethiopians, Coptic-Orthodox, Greek-Catholics.in Jerusalem every community during these eight days, enkindled a luminous fireworks of prayer for Christian Unity. The Bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church recalled that Jerusalem must be an example of this unity, because Christ gave His life for all exactly here, in the Holy City. Simultaneously on January 27 th, in Nazareth at the initiative of Bishop Marcuzzo and the Chemin Neuf, a Catholic and ecumenical community, a prayer meeting for Christian Unity was celebrated in the Chapel of Unity of the International Marian Center in Nazareth. To be or not to be? was the question stressed, on the day after, Saturday, January 28, by the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch in his introduction to Evening Prayer. Yes, Christian Unity is for all ( ) we need it. These words resounded in the hearts of the numerous faithful who participated at the prayer gathering. In conjunction with the vigil for Christian Unity, all those present also took part in the seventh Extraordinary Prayer for all the Churches for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, beginning in Jerusalem. The last prayer gathering of this week took place at the Greek-Catholics on Sunday, January 29 th. Bishop Jules Zerey, Melkite Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem, recalled the importance of knowing how to wash one another s feet with humility in order to achieve unity and peace. Amélie de La Hougue

3 l o v e t h e H O L Y l a n d a n d b e l o v e d P A G E 3 Diocese : Holy Land News Holy Land Coordination: Christian housing in Jerusalem From January 8 to 12, 2012, the Holy Land Coordination, made up of European and North American bishops, has its annual gathering in solidarity with the Mother Church of Jerusalem. After visiting the parishes of Nablus, Jerusalem and Gaza, His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal welcomed the group to Jerusalem on Monday, January 9 th. The question of housing for Christians in the Holy Land arose over the course of their discussions. Dr. Sami Al-Yousef, regional director for the Pontifical Mission, spoke about the problem of the wall, separating Palestinians in the West Bank from Jerusalem. As a consequence, as people emigrate, homes are sold in the West Bank, and on the other hand there is a rising demand for housing in Jerusalem. The Latin Patriarchate and the Custody of the Holy Land have undertaken numerous building projects. However, the difficulty lies both in financing the projects and in obtaining construction permits added Dr. Raffoul Rofa of the Society of St. Yves. These are costly in terms of both time and money. With juridical opacity and a lack of urban planning, Palestinians can be faced with hastily constructed houses in areas that become thought of as shantytowns. This has two consequences: the first are those who find themselves illegally registered, and the second is the numerous orders for demolitions in Jerusalem. There are today close to 650 requests for housing in the Old City of Jerusalem, stated Khalil Dughbaj, representative of the Custody of the Holy Land. It is the place where Christians prefer to settle, added Bishop William Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem, but it is very difficult to obtain construction permits. Faced with this situation, the response of the Church is not to pretend to be able to resolve all the problems of Jerusalem s Christians, but to do our best to help them. One of the major goals of these building projects, like the recent construction in Beit Safafa, is to lessen or stop the flow of young couples emigrating abroad. It is not about creating separate Latin, Armenian, and Orthodox ghettoes It is the entire Christian community that we are embracing. As for the ecumenical character of this initiative, the Bishop added: we want to integrate rather than separate. The Patriarch suggested that every diocese finances an apartment in the Holy Land in an interview with Radio Vatican on January 11 th. Daniel Le We need God says President Peres Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed representatives of the Christian community in Israel on Thursday, December 29 th on the occasion of Christmas and New Year. He recalled the important role of religious leaders in our faith and for Peace. President Peres referred to the need for God to have an ethical and moral behavior, not just pragmatic. Placing the role of education as essential, he believes that religion has an impact on the heart and soul, so that believers can provide a substantial change in humanity. For him, politics divide, but prayer unites, despite differences. This traditional meeting at the initiative of the Ministry of the Interior and Religious Affairs during this time Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed representatives of the Christian community of the year brought together Orthodox and Latin church leaders. His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem led the Latin delegation: Bishop William Shomali (Auxiliary Bishop for Jerusalem), Bishop Giacinto Boulos Marcuzzo (Vicar for Israel), Father David Neuhaus (Patriarchal Vicar for the Hebrew speaking community) and the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa. His Beatitude Theophilos III (the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem) and Bishop Aris Shirvanian (who represented the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem) were also present at the meeting.

4 P A G E 4 N E W S L E T T E R J E RU S A L E M Diocese : Pastoral activities and liturgical life Pastoral Care for Migrants Father David Neuhaus, S.J., patriarchal vicar for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Israel and who coordinates the work of the Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrant Workers and Asylum Seekers, answered our questions at The interview was conducted during Migrants Week and the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on January 15, At the initiative of the Catholic Church, World Day of Migrants and Refugees is celebrated every 3 rd Sunday of January. According to Father David Neuhaus, when we speak of migrants, we must distinguish four different groups : a small number of the local Palestinian population, migrants who arrive in the State of Israel as Jews (It should be noted that this population represents 20% of the Christian population in the State of Israel), foreign workers (about 200,000) and asylum seekers. The obstacles to the pastoral care of migrants concerns the places of life of these people living in Israeli cities of Hebrew language. These are places where there is no traditional presence of the Church. The problems also lie in the lack of priests and pastoral workers. Language is also a problem But the problem that Father Neuhaus believe to be really the most important is directly related to children including those born here in the country. They learn Hebrew. For 2012, the first program is to strengthen the presence of the Church, especially in Tel Aviv. Secondly, to strengthen training for children which already exists on three levels: publication of books of catechism in Hebrew, strengthen summer camps and strengthen catechists team. Baptism of Christ, Date and Site Finally Reunite The Church celebrated the feast day of the Baptism of Christ on January 8 th. For the first time in 44 years the traditional Catholic pilgrimage to the site of the baptism at Qasser El Yehud, organized by the Custody of the Holy Land, took place on the same day as the liturgical feast of the Baptism of Christ. The site Qasser El Yehud (i.e. palace of the Jews in Arabic), situated on the banks of the Jordan River facing Jericho was reopened this summer, after 44 years of being closed to the public. Known by Christian tradition since the first centuries as the site of the baptism of Christ, the location was closed after the Six Days War, and became a mined military zone. Thus, pilgrims could only go on specific days with military authorization. The reopening now permits free visitation of the site, and allows the Custody to organize its pilgrimage on the same day as the feast of the Baptism of Christ rather than in the month of October, as in years past. This 8 th of January, 2012, hundreds of pilgrims gathered for the celebration which began with a procession from the Orthodox monastery to the banks of the Jordan. This was followed by Mass at 10:00 a.m. celebrated by the Very Rev. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, Custos of the Holy Land. He was joined by Cardinal Coppa and dozens of priests. Amélie de La Hougue During the ceremony, many infants were baptized with water from the Jordan Like the Magi in Bethlehem Bethlehem s parish was filled with pilgrims on Friday, January 6 to prayerfully visit the baby Jesus, in imitation of the three wise men. The 10:00 mass was presided over by Cardinal Coppa and concelebrated by fifty other priests. New Year in Haifa parish As every year at the Latin Parish of Haifa, New Year was celebrated solemnly, with a Mass presided by the Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Israel, Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo. This year 2012, according to the liturgical calendar, they celebrated the motherhood of Mary on Sunday January 1 st, this day also being the World Day for Peace since people listen in prayer to the Holy Innocents No less than 180 musicians and singers captured, through music and prayer, the mournful cry of the Holy Innocents and of the Virgin Mary. Kiko Arguello, founder of the Neocatechumenal Way offered a majestic concert to 2,000 people on Tuesday, December 27 th at the Convention Palace of Bethlehem. The Epiphany celebrated in Zababdeh On January 6, the feast of the Epiphany, Bishop Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem visited Zababdeh on behalf of His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal. He was warmly welcomed by the mayor of the village and the parish priest, Father Nidal Hanna Qanzou ah.

5 l o v e t h e H O L Y l a n d a n d b e l o v e d P A G E 5 Diocese in the Middle East and in the world Economy and taxation: towards a Vatican-Israel agreement? Every six months, the plenary Assembly of the Permanent Bilateral Working Commission between the Holy See and Israel meets, once in Jerusalem and once in the Vatican. This time it was held in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on January 26 th. The aim was to deal with legal and tax issues regarding the properties and business activities of the Catholic religious communities in Israel. To this end, the Cenacle in Jerusalem (linked to the Franciscans), the Church and the lands of the Latin Patriarchate in Caesarea Maritima, and the land of the Apostolic Delegation on Mount Sion, were at the center of the negotiations between the Holy See and Israel. The meeting was chaired by the Head of the Delegation of the Holy See, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Undersecretary for Relations with States and Mr. Danny Ayalon, Israel s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, accompanied by their delegations members and legal experts (10-11 from each delegation). At the end of the plenary assembly this week, a joint declaration affirms that the participants were happy with the substantive developments. It is as Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Israel and a member of the Delegation of the Holy See, states: A climate of optimism characterized the meetings and some significant developments were made. In every case, negotiations tended according to the Press Release itself towards achieving a final agreement. The next plenary session is scheduled for June 11, 2012 at the Vatican. Doves for Peace in the Holy Land After the Angelus on January 29, 2012, the Pope recalled, in his speech, the International Day of Intercession for Peace in the Holy Land. He spoke of being in profound communion with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land. His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Patriarch said, deeply moved, and thanked all those that carried the Holy Land in their heart and who pray for it and its inhabitants. At the end of the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI set free two doves, a symbol of peace. Among the crowd of pilgrims outside, yellow and white banners took up this shared message: We want peace in the Holy Land. Already, in his January 9 th annual speech to the diplomatic corps on the state of international politics, Pope Benedict XVl spoke at length on events in the Middle East and the Holy Land. Pope Benedict mentioned the Holy Land where tensions between Palestinians and Israelis affect the stability of the entire Middle East. He expressed that, it is necessary that the leaders of these two peoples adopt courageous and farsighted decisions in favour of peace. He praised the initiative of the Kingdom of Jordan of resuming dialogue between the two parties. The Holy Father expressed hope that such dialogue will be maintained, and that it will lead to a lasting peace which guarantees the right of the two peoples to dwell in security in sovereign states and within secure and internationally recognized borders. The Holy Father reiterated the responsibility of the international community and encouraged the nation s leaders to advance firmly on the path to full national reconciliation. The Jordanian initiative is built around three exploratory Israeli-Palestinian meetings in Amman on the 3rd, 9th and 15 th of January. The Israeli and Palestinian delegates met accordingly, so far without any new result. Mahmoud Abbas indicated that negotiations continue with the Security Council over UN membership for a State of Palestine. Further information visit : Patriarch Twal s homily for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 25, 2012) Zoom on the Current Affairs of Ecumenism in 2011 with F. Bowen (January 15, 2012) A.O.C.T.S. congratulates Bishop Lahham (January 19, 2012) Fr. Neuhaus speaks on Pastoral Care for Migrants Holy Land Coordination 2012 Final Communiqué (January 12, 2012) Statistics: Christians in Israel - Christmas 2011 Vines Replacing Mines 2011 Christmas photos in Bethlehem Pope Benedict XVI invoked the gift of peace for this land blessed by God on January 29th

6 P A G E 6 N E W S L E T T E R J E RU S A L E M Projects of the Latin Patriarchate The Latin Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation was built one of the seven hills of Amman, Jabal al Weibdeh, in Fifty years later, the parish has about 500 families and is still very active. For its jubilee, it undertook, with the blessing of the Patriarch, a large and complete restoration project. Interview with Father Bashir Bader, pastor of Our Lady of the Annunciation. Our Lady of the Annunciation, Jabal al Waibdeh 1) When and by whom was your parish was created? On April 14, 1961, H.B. Patriarch Alberto Gori blessed the foundation stone for the new Church - in Jabal al-weibdeh - one of the seven beautiful mountains of Amman - known as Our Lady of the Annunciation (Arabic: Al-Bicharah). Contiguous to the Church, a presbytery was built which also became the residence of the Auxiliary Bishop (the Patriarchal Vicar) for Jordan. Upon completion of the construction of the Church of the Annunciation there followed the creation of a large parish in the city of Amman. 2) Has the number of parishioners changed much since the founding of the parish? Until the 1980s, the Parish of the Annunciation was considered as the largest parish in Amman... but the city greatly expanded, and some families left the area of Jabal Al-Weibdeh for new neighborhoods. However, the parish has still some 500 families. 3) What are your parish activities? My parish is like all the other parishes said the French writer Georges Bernanos. So our parish has all fundamental and required elements for the pastoral work: a Parish Council of 12 members, a beautiful and ancient group of Scouts, choir, the Legion of Mary, a Centre for Caritas, different Youth movement groups, etc... A unique feature of our parish is that it includes within it other parishes, namely, the English speaking parish and the Sri Lankan community. Restoration work introduced to the Patriarch

7 l o v e t h e H O L Y l a n d a n d b e l o v e d P A G E 7 4) What are your relations with non-christian neighbors? Jabal al-weibdeh is known as the Mountain of Culture. Many cultural centers are located in our neighborhood and also some embassies. I can say that during the past 50 years, our relations with our non-christian neighbors have always been good and peaceful. 5) What exactly is the project of the Patriarchate concerning the church s complete restoration? On the occasion of our Parish Golden Jubilee, we launched - after asking the consent and blessing of the Patriarch - a major project of total renovation for our dear church. The project includes the required Work in the church s nave restoration of the building in Gothic Revival style, the replacement of the old electrical system in order to renew the lighting and sound systems, and the installation of a new heating and air conditioning central system, new flooring, stained glass, painting etc... We also want to add a place around the church with a new entrance which would be directly along the road so as to facilitate an easier entry/exit for older people. Finally, let me add a small but very important point: the parish church of the Annunciation was built through the generous donation of Mr. Wassef Pasha Bisharat (Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher). And the restoration project 50 years after the founding of the church is supported by the generosity of our parishioners. Donations and collections do not cover costs of the project. However, despite the economic crisis that troubles everyone, we have a serene trust in Providence which has never forsaken those who believe and hope. It is with joy and emotion that I keep repeating this sentence, following the progress of work: Lord, I love the refuge of your house, the site of the dwelling-place of your glory (Ps 26: 8). Interview by Amélie de La Hougue Wasifya Center transformation in Jabal Weibdeh Not far from the parish, the Latin Patriarchate began the transformation of the Wasifya Center. It was used until now as a secretarial center and it closed recently. After some needed work, this five-floor building will host more activities. On the ground floor, next to the administration office, a registration center for the American University of Madaba will be opened. The new place will also host a Catholic press office and an office for the Catholic channel Noursat. Finally, this place will serve as a center for Catholic Scouts as well as a general office for catechesis in Jordan. Wasifya Center Daniel Le

8 The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem Cardinal-designate O Brien on Defending Freedom In an interview with Zenit on January 20, 2012, Cardinal-designate O Brien (*), Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, said that his principle goal is to encourage members of the Order to come in the Holy Land as pilgrims. Excerpts. Mgr O Brien spoke about Benedict XVI s address on January 19th to U.S. bishops on their ad limina visit As the Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, could you speak about the conflicts that are going on in the Holy Land, and how the Church in Rome can be present to the Christians there? My responsibility will be to support the Christian institutions in the Holy Land, primarily -- but not exclusively -- as they relate to the patriarch of Jerusalem. And to encourage members of the order to take interest in what s going on there: [such as] the diminishing number of Christians, and the many obligations we have in schools and hospitals, seminaries, the obligations we ve taken on to support these Christian institutions, and many Catholic institutions, and the people living there. [With] so few people living there, help has to come from outside. That is the principle goal that I will have: to educate, to encourage members of the order to take greater interest -- not only by their donations, and by their participation in the activities of the order, but certainly by pilgrimage. Our main emphasis is the personal sanctity of every member of the order. If we accomplish that -- and have that especially [present] in this upcoming Year of Faith -- and work on the new evangelization with the various lieutenancies and members of our order, I think the rest will fall into place. Our attention and our help to the institutions in the Holy Land and our patriarch there will follow pretty quickly. We re doing a lot already, but throughout the Church, this new evangelization reminds us that we never are where we should be. There s always more we can do, and we should not presume without grace. And grace is available to us, and I think there will be many graces during this Year of Faith. Interview by Ann Schneible (*) Cardinal-designate O Brien was the Archbishop of Baltimore from 2007 till last year. He also served for a decade as the Archbishop for the Military Services. The Holy Father announced Jan. 6 that the 72-year-old prelate will be made a cardinal on February 18 th. Subscribe To subscribe free, write to: medialpj@latinpat.org Visit our website: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem P.O.B Jerusalem Tel: Fax: Media office : meo@latinpat.org