Christian Situation in the Holy Land

Transcription

1 Christian Situation in the Holy Land Educational Resource Volume 5: The Universal Church

2 Dedicated to Our Lady, Queen of Palestine Editor: Jeffery M. Abood, KCHS Co-Chair - Education Committee, North Central Lieutenancy "Once again, permit me to express my gratitude for your valuable efforts to tell the tragic story of our beleaguered fellow Christians in the Holy Land. I trust that this (effort) will be received by our Lieutenancies as a useful and most appropriate resource in the attempt to inform all our members--and others--of the plight of the Churches in that Land made sacred by the Death and Resurrection of Our Lord. Again, I invoke the intercession of Our Lady of Palestine for the success of your generous efforts!" His Eminence Edwin Cardinal O'Brien Grand Master, Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem "Dramatic events occur in our region and few will rush off to find sources of information that will explain in capsule summaries what is unfolding and why. At times, the media, glib and conflicting in their reports and polarized according to their bias, assemble facts to suit opinions. This booklet endeavors to bring an educative, informed and illumined Christian perspective from authentic Church resources on the Christian position in the Holy Land." His Beatitude, Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch Grand Prior, Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem Copies of this booklet made possible thanks to the generous donation of Lieutenancies of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. All articles/photos have been reprinted with permissions. Some articles have been edited for length. The document reflects the opinions of many different authors and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Grand Master or the Presidency of the Equestrian Order. The Order cannot vouch for the accuracy or veracity of the information presented.

3 Introduction One of the amazing things about the Catholic Church is that on any given Sunday, as we rise to take Communion, we join together with millions of other Catholics around the world in doing the same. This is the universality of the Church. It is a unique and beautiful thing. As Knights and Ladies, our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land are a part of His Body that are of a very special concern to us. Even more than just concern, they are a part of a Universal Church that we have committed to on a deeper level, seeking to understand what they are going through and to be present with them. As we reflect on the oneness of the Church, we realize the Christians in the Holy Land are not just random people somewhere "over there", apart from us. They are us. The Editor TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Reflections of the Grand Master Cardinal Edwin O'Brien 2. A New Vision for Justice and Peace Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land 3. Towards a Common Understanding ACOHL Justice and Peace Commission 5. Palestinian Christians: We Say Allahu Akbar Too Archbishop Attalla Hanna 7. The Holy See and Jerusalem Jean-Louis Pierre Cardinal Tauran 11. Jerusalem Update Sami El- Yousef, Regional Director, CNEWA 14. Patriarch Twal: Education is the Most Powerful Weapon Latin Patriarch Twal 16. Unprecedented Strike by the Christian Schools Office of the Patriarchate 17. The Office of Christians Schools in Israel - Statement Office of Christian Schools in Israel 19. Gaza: A Mother's Smile Andres Bergamini 20. Jubilee of Mercy: A Holy Door Opens in Gaza Latin Patriarchate 21. After 8 Years of Waiting, Young Christians Leave Gaza for Easter Andres Bergamini 22. Christians Concerned by Easter Restrictions Catholic News Service 24. Bethlehem Celebrates Another Occupied Christmas Latin Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah 25. Christians and Muslims in Bethlehem Holy Land Review (Franciscan) 27. Putting Hope into Practice Holy Land Review (Franciscan) 30. Daily Mass at a Cremisan Olive Orchard Catholic Herald 32. In Solidarity with the Cremisan Pontifical Mission for Palestine 33. Our Lady Who Brings Down Walls Latin Patriarchate 35. The Latin Patriarch at the Atlanta Summit of Churches Media Office, LPJ 38. Restoration of the Holy Tomb of Christ Thomas Charrière 39. New Hope for Minefield Churches BBC News 42. Visiting a Detention Camp in Holot St. James Vicariate 43. Choirs Gather in Taybeh Latin Patriarchate 44. USCCB Pilgrimage Guidelines U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

4 Reflection of the Grand Master April 2016 EOHSJ NL The Holy See supports the Bishops of the Holy Land Coordination composed of Catholic Bishops conferences and members of large organizations such as our Order (see pg. ), whose mission can be summarized by the four P s : an ongoing Presence of Christians in the Holy Land; Pilgrimage to encourage Christians under threat there; Prayer for the Lord s protection and Our Lady of Palestine s intercession; Pleading with governments to recognize the right of Christians in the Holy Land. A good summary of our Catholic Church s commitment to Christianity s fragile future there. But so few world leaders seem to be listening. Among all world leaders, Pope Francis most often takes up the cause of all inhabitants of that Land through frequent references in his audiences and addresses, his historic visit there in May 2014 and the follow-up bringing together the Presidents of Israel and Palestine in the Vatican for the cause of justice in the Land. By far, the most consistent, meaningful support and promotion of religious freedom and peace in the Holy Land is evidenced by the educational and charitable commitment of our Order of the Holy Sepulchre and similar Catholic missions. The recent words of the first female Catholic mayor (see pg. )of embattled Bethlehem might serve as worthy and valuable reminders to all the members of our Order of our robust promotion in the Four P s : I know that members of the Order are highly connected to the Holy Land. I see them frequently in Bethlehem and I fully appreciate all that you do. Keeping hope and helping people to remain here is something crucial and this is what you are doing. May we continue to give evidence of our presence in Bethlehem and the rest of those lands under such severe stress, assuring our fellow Christians there of our full solidarity in their efforts to keep our Faith alive in the Land where it began. Cardinal Edwin O Brien 1

5 A New Vision for Justice and Peace COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, ASSEMBLY OF THE CATHOLIC ORDINARIES OF THE HOLY LAND A NEW VISION The Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries has issued a statement on the current situation in Palestine and Israel, Feb. 3, Photo: abouna.org The Commission for Justice and Peace met in its ordinary meeting on February 3, 2016, in Jerusalem, and reflected on the present political situation. It reflected on the human and ethical aspects, and addressed the following message. The situation is stagnant and lifeless, with no light of hope, not for the Israelis who need security and tranquility, neither for the Palestinians who wait for the end of the Occupation, and an independent state. The present situation for the Palestinians is inhuman. It is settlers who occupy, day after day, Palestinian land. It is the siege of Gaza for years already. One and a half million under a siege of poverty, misery and humiliation. It is also siege for the rest of Palestine and diverse hardships, political, economical and social. It is demolishing of homes. It is military check-points and the arbitrary behavior of Israeli soldiers humiliating the Palestinian. These check-points are a place of humiliation which is constructed uniquely on the logic of war, a place that magnifies hatred and death daily. It is the siege of Jerusalem and the Judaization of the city, the sending away of its Palestinian inhabitants. It is the all-inclusive accusation of terrorism against all Palestinians and the collective punishment that results from it. Today the situation has become a new Intifada in which Palestinians plunge to their death out of despair caused by a life full of frustration, humiliation and insecurity, with no hope at all. Is Israeli society satisfied with this situation? Is it satisfied with this life in the shadow of continuing hostility with the Palestinian people? We see that the situation is inhuman and cannot be what the Israeli would choose, neither the Palestinian. Change must take place. We say to the leaders: act for the sake of the human being, the Israeli and the Palestinian. Do not leave the situation as it is, because it is a situation that leads to death. Do not say: Palestinians are terrorists. Palestinians are people who seek to live a normal life, instead they find themselves oppressed, frustrated, deprived of the freedom God has given them. You, Israelis you want to live in security and tranquility. The Palestinians also want to live the same kind of life. What is the obstacle preventing this? Political leaders? Or their incapacity to find a practical solution that corresponds to the desire of the Israelis and the Palestinians? Both peoples can live together in peace and tranquility. 2

6 We say to the Israelis leaders: enlarge your vision and your hearts. Change the situation. Shake it out of its immobility. There is enough space in the land for us all. Let all have the same dignity and equality. No occupation and no discrimination. Two peoples living together and loving each other according to the way they choose. They are able to love each other and to make peace together. To the Palestinian leaders, we say: let the people hear, let Israel and the world hear one unique voice, a voice of peace and justice for two peoples. Redeem the land again and begin a new history. Redeem Jerusalem again, and begin a new history that conforms with its holiness and universality. Stop every self-interested vision and all corruption. To fulfill this we need reeducation of our future generations, the Israeli generations who have grown up with the unique vision that Palestinians are all terrorists, and the Palestinian generations who have grown up seeing in the Israeli only an enemy. Let us begin all of us a new history. Our land is holy, and the place of our daily living together. Let the two peoples live together in peace. Towards a Common Understanding STATEMENT MARCH 21, 2016 statement by the Commission on Justice and Peace of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. Towards a Common Understanding In a report published on March 8, 2016, by the renown Pew Research Center, entitled Israel s Religiously Divided Society, it was revealed that almost half the Jewish Israeli population support the idea of expelling or transferring the Arabs from Israel. In reaction, Israel State President Reuven Rivlin urged that the survey be placed before the decision makers in Israel, and said it must serve as a wake-up call for Israeli society, to bring about some soul-searching and moral reflection. (Times of Israel, ). The study showed that Israeli society is deeply divided, socially, politically and religiously. It showed that Israel today is less democratic, less egalitarian, less free than it has ever been. The report shows that one of the main issues facing Israeli society is the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the future of the process that must ultimately bring justice and peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance continues, dubbed the stabbing Intifada. Five months have passed in which over thirty Israelis, four foreign nationals and over one hundred and eighty Palestinians have been killed. Two thirds of the Palestinians were shot while allegedly attacking Israelis whereas the rest were killed in clashes that have erupted between youth and the Israeli military. We continue to cry out like the prophets did Until when oh Lord (cf. Habbakuk 1:2, Zechariah 1:12, Revelation 6:10). We 3

7 repeat again that we, as disciples of Christ, condemn violence on all sides. Violence is violence and only begets more violence. We, as created in the image and likeness of our Father, need to learn another way to solve the conflict. Why has this conflict gone on for so long? Is it really so complicated? Jews in Palestine and throughout the world succeeded in establishing a state in 1948 on 78% of the territory of Palestine. The Palestinians did not succeed in establishing a state. In 1967, Israel occupied the rest of Palestine, the remaining 22%. These lands are still occupied or surrounded and under siege. A Palestinian state only exists as a dream. A large number of Israelis declare that they do not want to be occupiers and Palestinians demand an end to the occupation. Ending the occupation depends largely on the occupier. Why is Israel not working to end the occupation? It is only ending the occupation that will ultimately put an end to violence, the violence of the occupier and the occupied alike. The occupier speaks about the incitement fomented by the occupied. Can this really be a justification to maintain the occupation? What is defined as incitement includes parents telling their children the history of their people, the genesis and ongoing saga of the Palestinian exile. Palestinians indeed tell their children that Israel is the enemy and Israelis tell their children exactly the same thing. Sadly, we are at war. Anyway, it is not incitement that is the ultimate cause of the problem. The root cause of the problem is occupation, which is deprivation of freedom and human dignity. The only way to end supposed incitement and teaching new generations about the enemy is to end occupation. Only the occupier can do that! At the entrance to Caritas Baby Hospital There are those who talk peace and seek dialogue. There are those on both sides who despite everything refuse to stop dreaming. We welcome those and embrace them. However, on the ground, decisions are made that strengthen separation, discrimination, exclusion and exile. Despite the hopeful words of some, the laws, the military ordinances, the demagoguery of politicians, assassinations, arrests, land confiscations, family separation and daily frustrations have led to hopelessness and the eruption of violence, in particular among young people who are convinced that they have nothing to lose, because they see no future. We are called to speak out again and again. We have no political or military force but we do have voices to be used to name things by their name and to call to responsibility. We have the responsibility to remind one and all that we are all human beings. We mourn every death by violence from both sides. We need to constantly renew the dream that there can be justice and peace for all. We believe in a kingdom of God that is already among us and not yet manifest. In this kingdom there are no enemies, but only brothers of one loving Father. In this kingdom, there are no borders, no walls, no fences but only one holy land in which people talk peace with one another. We refuse to be silent and we refuse to stop hoping. 4

8 Palestinian Christians: We Say Allahu Akbar Too by Nadezhda Kevorkova posted in Russia Today Nov. 23, 2015 Archbishop Sebastia Theodosios (Atallah Hanna), 49, is the only Orthodox Christian archbishop from Palestine stationed in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, while all other bishops of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem are Greeks. The Israeli authorities had detained him several times, or stopped him at the border, and taken away his passport. Among all Jerusalem clergymen he is the only one who has no privilege of passing through the VIP gate in the airport because of his nationality. For the Israeli authorities, I am not a bishop, but rather a Palestinian, explains his Beatitude. When talking on the phone he says a lot of words you would normally hear from a Muslim: Alhamdulillah, Insha Allah, Masha Allah. He speaks Arabic, and the Arabic for god is Allah, whether you are a Christian or a Muslim. Your Beatitude, what s it like being the Palestinian bishop in the Holy Land? Firstly, I d like to confirm that I am the only Palestinian bishop in the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. I take pride in belonging to this great religious institution that s over 2,000 years old. My church has been protecting the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the sacred items related to the life of Christ and Christian Church history. I am proud of my religion and nationality, I am proud to belong to my fatherland. I am a Palestinian, and I belong to this religious people who are fighting for the sake of their freedom and dignity to implement their dreams and national rights. I support Palestinians and share their cause and their issues. We the Palestinian Orthodox Christians are not detached from their hardships. The Palestinian issue is a problem that concerns all of us, Christians and Muslims alike. It s a problem of every free intellectual individual aspiring for justice and freedom in this world. We the Palestinian Christians suffer along with the rest of Palestinians from occupation and hardships of our economic situation. Muslims and Christians suffer equally, as there is no difference in suffering for any of us. We are all living in the same complicated circumstances, and overcoming the same difficulties. As a church and as individuals we protect this people, and we hope a day will come when Palestinians get their freedom and dignity. For those coming to visit the Holy Land there are few opportunities to see how hard the Palestinians situation is. What would you like to say to those wishing to understand better the Palestinian problem? The Israel authorities treat the Palestinian people in a way we can never accept or approve, first and foremost because Israel treats Palestinians as foreigners, as if we were strangers in our land. Palestinians have never been strangers either to Jerusalem or to the entire homeland. Israel is an occupation force which treats us as visitors or some temporary residents. But we are the native people of this land. We didn t come here, we have always been here. In contrast, Israel appeared out of the blue. They are treating us as if we came here from elsewhere, as if we accidentally and recently strayed into this land. But we are the rightful owners of this land. We didn t intrude into Israel. Israel intruded into our lives in 1948, and in 1967 it occupied Eastern Jerusalem. We have been here long before Israel. By the time Israel came here, our forefathers had been living here for many centuries. This is why we 5

9 cannot accept Israel treating us like strangers to our own homeland. I shall be honest and say it over again: both Christians and Muslims suffer the same from the Israeli authorities. Is visiting Jerusalem as difficult to a Christian Palestinian from the West Bank as for a Muslim? They don t ask if a person arriving from Beit Jala or Ramallah to Jerusalem is a Christian or a Muslim. They only ask one question, Do you have a permit to enter Jerusalem or not? The pass allowing a Palestinian to enter Jerusalem is issued by Israel. No one can come through without one. In pursuing its racist policy towards the Palestinian people Israel disregards different confessions. We are all targeted just the same. It all depends on getting a pass, whether you re a Christian or a Muslim. We all are their targets. On top of that, Israel took control of a lot of property of the Orthodox Christian Church and is interfering with the internal affairs of the Church. They put pressure on the Palestinian Christians in all sorts of ways trying to force them to leave. There is only one cause of suffering for both Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land. To a Western mind, Allahu Akbar sounds like a threat. What do Christians of the Holy Land think about them? We Christians also say Allahu Akbar. This is an expression of our understanding that the Creator is great. We don t want this phrase to be related to terrorism and crimes. We refuse to associate these words with massacres and murders. We speak against using this phrase in this context. Those who do, they insult our religion and our religious values. Those using these words while taking some unreligious, unspiritual, uncivilized actions are harming the religion. Allahu Akbar is an expression of our faith. One must not use these words for non-religion-related purposes in order to justify violence and terror. Do people say Allahu Akbar in church? Of course. For us, Allah is not an Islamic term. This is a word used in Arabic to indicate the Creator who s made the world we are living in. So when we say Allah in our prayers we mean the Creator of this world. In our prayers and pleas, in our Orthodox Christian religious ceremonies we use exactly this word. We say, glory be to Allah in all times. We say Allah a lot during our liturgy. It s erroneous to think that the word Allah is only used by Muslims. We the Arab Christians say Allah in our Arabic language as a way to identify and address the Creator in our prayers. How are Christians and Muslims are persecuted? We don t divide the Palestinian people based on who is Christian and who is Muslim, who is religious and who isn t, who is left or what party they are a member of. We don t divide the people based on convictions and religion... Yes, a number Christians have been killed since 1948 to this day. Some Christians have been driven away from their houses. Some Christian villages have been completely destroyed, and now there s not a single house or resident there, for example, Al Galil in the Golan Heights. Many churches have been attacked in Jerusalem; there have been attempts to seize their property and lands. There are Christians in Israeli prisons not as many as Muslims, but there are some. The Christian community is smaller in general, but we have our own martyrs who were killed and prisoners who spent years and years behind bars. Christians suffer under the Israeli occupation just the same as Muslims the entire Palestinian population suffers under it. They don t distinguish between us. 6

10 The Holy See and Jerusalem We are reproducing an excerpt from the conference held by Jean Luis Tauran (25th October 1998 The Franciscans of the Holy Land) at the Knight Palace. While from almost 20 years ago, the positions laid out are still as relevant today and show the consistency of the Papal position. The talk was given in the presence of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Delegates of the principal Catholic Bishops' Conferences. Jean Luis Tauran is the Secretary for the Relations with the Governments of the Holy See. In his conference, he presents the Holy See's view regarding Jerusalem. - the Editor. It is Jerusalem that has brought us together. It is Jerusalem that urges us to look to the future. And Jerusalem, yet again, wishes to impart its secret, the secret which the Prophet Ezekiel disclosed for all time: "And the name of the city henceforth shall be, The Lord is there" (Ez. 48:35). This cause of the Holy City has long been at the center of the Holy See's concerns and one of its top priorities for international action, ever since the Jerusalem question existed. I. The Jerusalem question Indeed, there is a conflict, or rather there are conflicts, because of and within Jerusalem - all related to its universally accepted uniqueness. It is unique in itself, and consequently it is also unique in its conflicts. It is different from any other city. The introduction to a book published in 1994 by a number of important Israeli academics begins thus: "At least in three respects Jerusalem differs from most other places: the City is holy to the adherents of three religions, it is the subject of conflicting national claims by two peoples, and its population is heterogeneous to a considerable degree". Let us remember what Pope John Paul II wrote in his Apostolic Letter "Redemptionis Anno" of 20 April 1984: "...Jews ardently love (Jerusalem) and in every age venerate her memory, abundant as she is in many remains and monuments from the time of David who chose her as the capital, and of Solomon who built the Temple there. Therefore, they turn their minds to her daily, one may say, and point to her as the sign of their nation." "Christians honour her with a religious and intent concern because there the words of Christ so often resounded, there the great events of the Redemption were accomplished: the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord. In the City of Jerusalem the first Christian community sprang up and remained throughout the centuries a continual ecclesial presence despite difficulties." "Muslims also call Jerusalem "holy", with a profound attachment that goes back to the origins of Islam and springs from the fact that they have many special places of pilgrimage and for more than a thousand years have dwelt there, almost without interruption." 7

11 II. I think it is important to clarify from the very start that when we speak of Jerusalem the distinction often made between "the question of the Holy Places and the question of Jerusalem" is unacceptable to the Holy See. It is obvious that the Holy Places derive their meaning and their cultic and cultural uses from their intimate connection with the surrounding environment, to be understood not merely in terms of geography but also and most especially in its urban, architectural and above all human community and institutional dimensions. In papal documents there certainly exist emphases and nuances, and they are seen more clearly the greater the span of time under consideration, for example, in a book edited by Archbishop Edmond Farhat in which he gathers papal documents from 1887 to 1986 (one hundred years), dividing this span of time into three periods: 1. from 1887 to 1947 (the first war between Arabs and Israelis), when the Popes spoke of the Holy Land in general and of Jerusalem, insisting primarily on the need to protect the physical integrity of the Holy Places and on the needs of the local Catholics; 2. from 1947 to 1964 (Pope Paul VI's pilgrimage): here the stress is on safeguarding the Holy Places, on freedom of access for all the faithful of the three religions and the right of each of the three religions to have control of its own holy sites; 3. from 1964 to the present day, a period during which the emphasis moves to Jerusalem in a global context and to the preservation of its identity and vocation: the Holy Places; the areas surrounding them; guarantees for everybody of their own cultural and religious identity; freedom of religion and conscience for the inhabitants and the pilgrims; the cultural dimension. III. From the references to historical events, particularly those of the last fifty years, there emerges what is commonly referred to as the "political dimension" of Jerusalem in a complex of situations which have arisen regarding territorial control and the actions carried out to gain such control. The concern expressed in the interventions of the Popes and in other documents of the Holy See could not and cannot overlook this aspect. It is ever present, first, in order to prevent the Holy City becoming a battlefield and later to ensure that it does not become, as is the situation today, a case of manifest international injustice. The situation today has been brought about and is maintained by force. The Holy See has spoken out on this and will continue to speak out clearly, without mincing words and consistently adhering to the position of the majority within the international community, as expressed above all in the pertinent United Nations Resolutions. Since 1967, a part of the City has been occupied militarily and subsequently annexed. In that part of the City are to be found most of the Holy Places of the three monotheistic Religions. East Jerusalem is illegally occupied. It is therefore wrong to claim that the Holy See is only interested in the religious aspect or aspects of the City and overlooks the political and territorial aspect. The Holy See is indeed interested in this aspect and has the right and duty to be, especially insofar as the matter remains unresolved and is the cause of conflict, injustice, human rights violations, restrictions of religious freedom and conscience, fear and personal insecurity. Obviously, 8

12 the Holy See's immediate and practical concern is with religious questions, while in other matters - political, economic, etc. - it interests itself inasmuch as they have a moral dimension. If the Holy See has no competence to enter into territorial disputes between Nations, to take sides, to seek to impose detailed solutions, on the contrary it has the right and duty of reminding the Parties of the obligation to resolve controversies peacefully, in accordance with the principles of justice and equity within the international legal framework. IV. What is the Holy See requesting for Jerusalem? 1. First of all. it asks that Jerusalem be respected for what it is in itself or rather what it should be, compared with what it actually is. That is what I defined a short while ago as the vocation or identity of the Holy City. Jerusalem is a treasure of the whole of humanity. In view of a situation of evident conflict and considering the rapid transformation of the Holy City, any unilateral solution or one brought about by force is not and cannot be a solution at all. It is the view of the Holy See that every exclusive claim - be it religious or political - is contrary to the logic proper to the very City itself. I must insist: every citizen of Jerusalem and every person who visits Jerusalem should embody the message of dialogue, coexistence and respect evoked by the City. Exclusive claims cannot be backed up by numerical or historical criteria. Having said that, I must add that there is nothing to prevent Jerusalem, in its unity and uniqueness, becoming the symbol and the national centre of both the Peoples that claim it as their Capital. But if Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, it is also sacred to many people from every part of the world who look to it as their spiritual capital or travel there on pilgrimage, to pray and to meet their brethren in faith. It is the cultural heritage of everybody, including those who visit it simply as tourists. 2. Consequently, the Holy See believes that there is an obligation to find a realistic solution to the problems of Jerusalem, to all of them, according to their particular characteristics. a. There is a political problem concerning Jerusalem for Israelis and Palestinians first of all which is very practical. The Madrid Conference of 1991 and what followed gave birth to hopes of a peaceful future. Hopes founded on a willingness to talk, to negotiate and to seek to compromise. Hopes which appeared well-founded also by reason of the commitment and efforts of a large section of the international community, and in particular of the United States of America, as the events which took place at Wye Plantation in the last few days have demonstrated. Let us hope that the b. aspirations for dialogue and peace will contribute to the implementation of what has been agreed upon. In this context, which is certainly both complex and delicate, the Jerusalem question has been placed at the bottom of the agenda. It is understandable that the difficulty and delicacy of the question of Jerusalem have meant that it has been left till last. But we all know, and the Israelis and the Palestinians are the first in this, that peace and coexistence in the Holy Land and Middle East have no future, unless an answer is found to the political question of Jerusalem. Allow me to quote once 9

13 again from "Redemptionis Anno" of 1984, in which His Holiness Pope John Paul II wrote: "I am convinced that the failure to find an adequate solution to the question of Jerusalem, and the resigned postponement of the problem, only compromise further the longed-for peaceful and just settlement of the crisis of the whole Middle East." What does the Holy See mean by an "adequate solution"? It means recognizing that the situation today is one of conflict. It means that Israelis and Palestinians, with the collaboration of all who can help them, have to reach an agreement which corresponds in some way to their particular legitimate and reasonable aspirations, and respects the principles of justice. c. As far as the Holy See is concerned, however, the solution of a territorial dispute alone is not enough for Jerusalem, precisely because Jerusalem is an unparalleled reality: it is part of the patrimony of the whole world. And the whole world has shown that it is fully aware of this when, for example, through resolutions of the United Nations it has sought to defend that patrimony. Looking to Jerusalem, the Holy See continues to ask that it be protected by "a special internationally guaranteed Statute". What is meant by this? In the Holy See's view: the historical and material characteristics of the City, as well as its religious and cultural characteristics, must be preserved, and perhaps today it is necessary to speak of restoring and safeguarding those still existing; there must be equality of rights and treatment for those belonging to the communities of the three religions found in the City, in the context of the freedom of spiritual, cultural, civic and economic activities; the Holy Places situated in the City must be preserved, and the rights of freedom of religion and worship, and of access, for residents and pilgrims alike, whether from the Holy Land itself or from other parts of the world, must be safeguarded. At stake is the basic question of preserving and protecting the identity of the Holy City in its entirety, in every aspect. For example, the simple "extraterritoriality" of the Holy Places, with the assurance that pilgrims would be able to visit them without hindrance, would not suffice. The identity of the City includes a sacred character which belongs not just to the individual sites or monuments, as if these could be separated from one another or isolated from the respective communities. The sacred character involves Jerusalem in its entirety, its holy places and its communities with their schools, hospitals, cultural, social and economic activities. Israelis and Palestinians, in the desired search for a political settlement of their conflict over Jerusalem, cannot overlook the fact that the City has aspects which go far beyond their legitimate national interests. They, therefore, have to take these aspects into consideration in looking for and in reaching a lasting political and territorial solution. In the same way, they will not be able to avoid giving due consideration to the efforts and demands of all legitimately interested parties. In this, Israelis and Palestinians must not feel in any way restricted, but rather honoured and reassured. 10

14 Jerusalem Update by Sami El-Yousef, Regional Director for Palestine and Israel, Catholic Near East Welfare Association (Oct. 2015, CNEWA.org) During the Fall of last year, as pressures mounted, clashes erupted in Jerusalem and throughout the Holy Land. I returned home on 3 October after a one-week visit to New York to attend CNEWA s annual planning meeting only to find a Jerusalem that was completely different from the one I had left a week earlier. After landing in Tel Aviv s Ben Gurion Airport, a normally quick drive to my home in the Old City of Jerusalem instead took me close to two hours, though it was a Saturday and traffic was very light. I learned later that coinciding with my arrival two Jewish people were stabbed, fatally, inside the Damascus Gate. I thought it an isolated incident, and the situation will quiet down and remain under control. Little did I know then! Is this the beginning of a new intifada? [Intifada is Arabic for uprising.] I guess at this point it would be anyone s guess; there are no experts in this particular field. We were caught off guard in 1987 with the first intifada, and again in 2000 with the second intifada. We were also caught surprised with the successive wars in the Gaza Strip. And what about the incidents when we thought that an all-out intifada just started, and again we were all proven wrong. I remember in early July 2014, when the 16-year-old Palestinian boy Mohammad Abu Khdeir was kidnapped from his East Jerusalem neighborhood by Jewish extremists and later burned to death we all thought this brutal action would spark an intifada. For a full month thereafter, we slept to the sound of gunshots and helicopters flying overhead as every neighborhood in East Jerusalem demonstrated every night. In frustration and anger, they demonstrated against the murder, the occupation [the annexation of Jerusalem by Israel after war in 1967 is not recognized by the international community]. However, it all stopped about a month later and, for Palestinians, life went back to its usual state of occupation, with all of its humiliations and injustices. Young worshippers being denied access to the Mosque. 11

15 Why now? One needs to mention that what is moving the masses today is the underlying threat to the Al Aqsa Mosque a mosque revered as the third holiest place on earth for 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide. More importantly, the brutal force used by the Israeli police against women, the elderly and youth who keep watch inside the mosque, and the repeated police raids on the entire compound. have led to arrests, beating and even the use of tear gas around and inside the mosque. There seems to be little respect to the compound as a holy site. The Palestinian perception today is that Israel is trying to change the status quo of Holy Land sites and move in a direction to limit access for Muslims to allow more access for Jews. Even though the Israeli prime minister has repeatedly assured everyone that Israel will continue to honor the status quo [which has been in effect since the 18th century], actions on the ground appear to be quite different. Allowing Jewish extremists to enter the compound and the mosque on a daily basis under heavy police guard while attempting to limit the hours when Muslims can enter the compound is a very provocative move. Various statements by other Israeli politicians and right wing settler leaders indicate their intentions to demolish the entire site and build a temple in its place, which has certainly inflamed this delicate situation. Since 3 October, and according to various press reports and government sources, as of this writing more than 30 Palestinians have been killed and some 1,900 injured. Some 6 Israelis have been killed and about 70 injured. Those Israelis killed were attacked by knife-wielding Palestinian youths acting on their own. According to B Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, of the Palestinian dead, 13 were accused of committing or having committed an attack. The remaining majority of those killed were innocent bystanders who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The remaining were active participants in demonstrations in various parts of the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. New policies and directives It has been suggested that the increased number of Palestinian civilian casualties may be the result of the Israeli government s new directives granting the army, police and even ordinary citizens with gun licenses greater latitude to shoot and kill those suspected of being dangerous. Social media is playing a significant role in revealing such cases, which are considered extra-judicial executions. Today s generation of Palestinian youth, unlike their predecessors, have greater access to mainstream technology and social media that is brimming with terrible images and videos that stereotype like never before, painting an evil picture of the people across the divide. One video of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who was hit by a settler car and left bleeding on the tram tracks in the Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze ev showed police at the scene, continuously kicking him and stepping on him while Israeli passersby were cursing at him and demanding that he be shot in the head immediately. Even paramedics at the scene stood idle and let him bleed, leading many to believe that true humanity was certainly lost on the streets of Jerusalem. Scenes such as these, which go viral, inflame the masses. 12

16 Exacerbating the situation are new policies and directives of the extreme right-wing Israeli government. In response to a recent incident when three Israelis were killed, the Israeli government decided to adopt a series of measures in East Jerusalem a collective punishment, intended to humiliate the population rather than bring security. Some of these measures included sealing off and imposing a curfew on Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhoods, which had been implemented overnight on the Mount of Olives, Sur Baher, Jabal al Mukabber, with others on the way including Shuafat and Beit Hanina to the north. Any individual involved in attacks whether proven or not faces withdrawal of residency status, along with their family members; all of the family s property and assets are confiscated, their home demolished, and land deemed government property. Furthermore, new measures have loosened the restrictions on owning and carrying firearms for Jewish Israeli citizens while thousands of border police reserves and army battalions are being called in to restore order, especially in East Jerusalem, giving total impunity to the military and police, and even regular citizens who are now allowed take law into their own hands. And what about the Palestinian position? The Palestinian leadership finds itself in a very difficult position. President Abbas has been very clear that he and his leading Fatah party wish to see the current cycle of violence stop immediately; he does not wish to see a third intifada and has repeatedly made unpopular statements to the Palestinians to stop any violent activity directed against the Israelis. Additionally, the Hamas leadership has repeatedly declared that they are not interested in any escalation with Israel, as articulated by written directives in Gaza, which go so far as to declare a 500-meter closed military zone on the border with Israel. Thus, the Palestinian leadership s position is against any escalation at this time. However, the question is whether they will be able to control an increasingly angry and frustrated population and if so, at what price? The sad reality for young people today Instructions are being given to school children on how to behave if approached by fanatic settlers whose new motto is Death to Arabs ; or approached by jittery police officers who suspect that these students may have a knife in their pocket or in their school bag. Keep your hands out of your pockets and do not run away from any scene even if you are frightened or attacked were my own instructions to my 14- year-old son as he was heading to school last Monday. I feel sorry for yet another generation of Palestinians whose childhood is being lost as they confront increased extremism and radicalized hatred. In this regard, all Palestinian schools in Jerusalem have been shut down since early this week as a precautionary measure, and it is hoped that they will return to classes by Saturday. Where do we go from here? The international community must exert pressure to end the occupation, as nothing short of freedom for the Palestinians will end the vicious cycles of conflict. Even though the reasons change every time 13

17 violence erupts, the common denominator the occupation, remains the same. Unless the root cause is dealt with and resolved, then this will go down in history as part of another cycle that will eventually end, but will be followed by more cycles in the future that will be more deadly, and more vicious. On a more practical note, one needs to highlight the continued important work carried out by Christian institutions working in education, health and social services that continue to provide safe havens and quality services with Christian values at heart. The value of Christian institutions shines brightest during times like these of crisis, killing, hopelessness and despair. The message of peace, respect, tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance continues to filter through, seeking to make a positive contribution in the societies where CNEWA operates. The poor and the weak become more desperate during times of crisis and this is when we need to intensify our efforts to ensure that faith and hope are not lost. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. The door to the offices of the Pontifical Mission Patriarch Twal: Education is the most powerful weapon Myriam Ambroselli, LPJ correspondent JERUSALEM In a meeting this Friday, November 21 with Joachim Herrmann, the Ministry of Interior of Bavaria, who is also a Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, Patriarch Fouad Twal spoke about the current tensions in Jerusalem and reiterated the importance of education to build a new society and bring about a culture of peace. It was a warm exchange in which the Patriarch expressed these concerns in light of current events. In recent weeks, the situation has taken increasingly worrisome proportions. We are part of this country and we suffer with it. What we want is that the last word is not left to the extremists. 14

18 The unrest began to intensify the violence when Israel allowed religious Jews to visit the Temple Mount. The Jews then touched the most sensitive place for Muslims. One of the most sacred places, which is the key to peace or chaos on earth. Religious coexistence in Jerusalem will be the ground for more peace or more violence in the Middle East and the world. The challenge is immense. The Patriarch welcomed the news of a forthcoming ban on religious Jews visiting the Temple Mount, a measure that will ease tensions. Bishop Shomali recalled in this regard the meeting of November 12 between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and King Abdullah of Jordan, a meeting during which Netanyahu pledged to respect the rights of Muslims to pray, and to observe the status quo that places the holy place under Jordanian protection. Since that meeting, no age limit was imposed for the Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa. Patriarch Fouad also condemned the Israeli Prime Minister s decision to arm the Israeli citizens living in Jerusalem. This decision encourages neither mutual trust nor peaceful coexistence nor cooperation between the two peoples. Entrust security to the police and not to every citizen. If our Land is Holy, then do works of justice that restore confidence by respecting the dignity of all. We want peace for all, peace will never come to one people, which is surrounded by the walls that have been built. Physical walls are the visible sign of the walls of hatred, fear and mistrust that inhabit the hearts of men. His Beatitude also condemned the collective punishment inflicted by Israel, including the destruction of the homes of the attackers families. Such practices only sow more hatred and violence. During the meeting, issues relating to free access to the Holy Places were raise, and also the reunification of families separated by the separation wall, and, above all, the Law on Citizenship and Entry into Israel (2003), that does not allow the spouse who is not a native of Jerusalem to come live with his/her family in the holy city. Inhumane Acts said His Beatitude. Secondly, the Patriarch spoke about his visit to Gaza, in early November, after the war ended. In an almost apocalyptic landscape where donkeys are now used as taxis and transport, he was struck by the thousands of children roaming the streets. 70% of schools were destroyed; daily school classes are held in rotation, three times a day, in the only schools that remain standing. And the Patriarch said, We believe in the power of education. This is our most powerful weapon. We have three schools in Gaza that welcome all Christian children, who represent about 10% of the students, and the other 90% are Muslims. At school, children learn together, play together, and eat together. This is the most favorable place for coexistence and dialogue for the formation of a new culture of peace. He invited the Minister and his delegation to continue to work for the establishment of peace through education, particularly the needs of the American University of Madaba where scholarships offered by Germany would be great support for students. The Patriarch and his Vicar finally gratefully thanked the German Church and in a special way the fraternal closeness of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, as well as solidarity and friendship of the German Lieutenancy. 15

19 Unprecedented Strike by the Christian Schools Sept. 2015, Jerusalem Christian schools demonstrated last Sunday in Jerusalem. As a sign of solidarity, all other Arab schools in the country joined this open strike starting Monday. Students and their families, professors, Christian and Muslim representatives, mayors of the Galilee, Arab Knesset members: altogether around 6,000 people, coming from Galilee and Jerusalem, gathered on Sunday in front of the offices of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to say no to the discriminatory policy of the Israeli Government against Christian schools. These schools, under the pretext of budget restrictions, have been on an open strike since the 1 st of September. A right, not a charity We are asking for a right, not for a charity! said Ayman Odeh, an Arab Knesset Member, in front of the crowd of demonstrators. We don t want to eat the crumbs that fall from the Ministers table, he further said, in reference to the Bible episode of the Canaanite woman (Mt 15). Indeed, equality of rights is one of the main claims of Christian schools, especially considering the outstanding results they achieve. About 34 % of Arab University students come from Christian schools while those schools represent only 4 % of the Arab schooling sector. An overwhelming majority of Arabs working in the field of High Tech in Israel comes from these same schools which the Government attempts to paralyze, Ayman Odeh said. We cannot talk about development and equality on the one hand, while threatening successful schools on the other hand, he pointed out. Mobilization goes higher Christian schools, called recognized but nonpublic ask the Government for a subsidy of 200 million shekels (US $ M 50), in order to face budget restrictions which entered in force two years ago: The Israeli Ministry of Education offers a maximum financing of 20 M NIS (US $ M 5). This proposal is not enough and unacceptable to Christian schools while they are close to the economic strangulation. More determined than ever, they assert the mobilization will carry on at any cost, and will spread wider, as long as their claims are not met. Meanwhile, the movement is gaining grounds: all Arab schools of Israel nearly students declared to join the strike movement, in sign of solidarity with Christian schools. It is noteworthy that a new meeting between the Ministry and the Office of the Christian Schools is scheduled for Wednesday 9 th of September. Manuella Affejee & Haaretz Source: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem 16

20 The Office of Christian Schools in Israel - Statement Follow up report to the 27-day strike of all Christian Schools in Israel in September 2015: 23rd May, 2016 The Israeli Government has not honored their commitment to transfer 50 Million Shekels to the Christian Schools. The Ministry of Education has not offered any solution for the financial crisis in Christian Schools. Christian Schools in Israel are in immediate danger of collapsing financially. Background The 47 Christian Schools in Israel owned by Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Church of Scotland, Christ Church, and Baptist Churches in Israel went on strike for 27 days in September These Christian Schools consist of 33,000 Christian, Muslim, Druze and Jewish students from all around the country. The Office of Christian Schools announced this unprecedented strike after the government had been constantly cutting the budgets allocated to these schools to a level of 45% in the last 6 years. Additionally, the Ministry of Education issued regulations that would limit the possibility for the Christian schools to collect fees from parents. These two measures made it impossible to keep operating. The Ministry of Education then suggested that Christian schools join the Israeli Public school system - a suggestion that we rejected. These measures caused great anguish among all those related to our schools, as ultra-orthodox Jewish Schools, who are supposedly in the same category of schools in the Israeli system, receive full funding from the government whilst keeping their autonomy. The unprecedented strike included demonstrations, tents for protest, meetings in the Knesset, meetings with ministers of government, and meetings with officials and foreign delegations as well as Israeli and worldwide media coverage. The strike ended after the government and the Christian schools reached an agreement. It stated that the Christian schools would receive 50 million shekels by the 31 st of March 2016 as compensation for the cuts in previous years. In addition, the agreement stated that a commission would be formed with the sole purpose of discussing recommendations to resolve the crisis. 17

21 Update Today As of today, more than 50 days past the deadline, the government has not transferred the sum of 50 Million Shekels. The special commission was formed and headed by Dr. Shimshon Shoshani. It met 3 times. The conclusions included a recommendation to join the Public school system according to what will be agreed. It also included granting every Christian School 3 additional hours per class weekly to strengthen and preserve the Christian identity and the special style of living in Christian schools. It also stated that the level of tuition that Christian schools will be allowed to collect would be determined by the committee of the ministry of Education according to the same regulations that were the reason for the crisis in the first case. The Christian schools voiced their comments/reservations on the mentioned recommendations and these were brought in the report itself. It is clear to us that these recommendations do not solve the financial crisis that has resulted from the Ministry of Education s policy in recent years.we regret the fact that the Ministry of Education is trying again to force our institutions to join the Public system In light of these recommendations, the Christian schools in Israel are at risk of collapsing financially. If the government will transfer the promised 50 Million Shekel soon, then this collapse will be delayed for one year. Plea We are asking all those who see the importance of the continuity of Christian Schools in Israel (a vital component of the Christian presence in the holy land) for their help and support. We are asking that you approach the Israeli Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Education, and the Minister of Social Equality as well as the high officials in these offices and Israeli Embassies around the world asking that: a) The transfer of the sum of 50 Million Shekel be completed immediately. b) The government decide on a fixed sum to be paid annually to the Christian schools to compensate for the drastic cuts. c) Alternatively, that a new legislation be brought forward that will create a new status for the Christian schools that will ensure sufficient funding and take into consideration their uniqueness and long service in the land. Sincerely, Father Abdel Masih Fahim, General Secretary Office of Christian Schools in Israel 18

22 Gaza: A Mother's Smile GAZA (Feb. 2016) - It was hidden in a room of a dilapidated house made of brick blocks and sheets of Shujaya district. She was sitting on an old couch, surrounded by blankets, clothes, pots, and a small child swung in a metal cradle. The other little girl ran around, hiding behind her. He did not speak. We sat and smiled at us. Thus, a simple smile that created an unexpected bond. So we put aside the series and accomplish faces and we smile with her, in turn speechless! We were with Fr. Mario and Sister Milagro, accompanied by our friend Sabah. We had the food parcels, donated by benefactors of the parish, to be delivered. Talking to his mom then we realized that this woman is deaf and dumb from birth and was abandoned by her husband. We decided on the fly to allocate to this family a good offer came from Italy. They will be able to build the wall is lacking, the bathroom, the kitchen and the ceiling which is now made up of some cross-sheet. Saturday, February 2nd we visited 5 families, in Shujaya district. Each of them had a harrowing story to tell, the human limit. How can they live? Walking around the neighborhood we noticed that the debris of the summer 2014 bombings were almost all clean. Little by little, here and there we rebuild some houses. But poverty reigns supreme among most of the inhabitants of the strip. On Saturday afternoon, in the parish there was the oratory children. The new premises recently opened, make the most dignified and enjoyable games, also about the entertainers who are very honed in the organization. For some months the parish is a work in progress, thanks to the Patriarchate projects. Now they are focusing on the priests' house where we always were being hosted (this time we slept in the new computer room - music room!). The parish priest, Don Mario da Silva, will be a lot to do to follow all the work. Fr. Mario of Holy Family Parish joins the fun Andres Bergamini, LPJ Correspondent 19

23 Jubilee of Mercy: A Holy Door Opens in Gaza Gaza On Sunday December 20th, 2015, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over a Christmas mass in The Latin Parish of Gaza. The mass intentions were dedicated to the parishioners and benefactors of the parish. Just days before Christmas, HB opened the Jubilee year of Mercy in the Holy Family Church in Gaza, where he was welcomed by Fr Mario da Silva parish priest of Gaza, his parishioners and the local community. In his homily, Patriarch Fouad talked about the year of Mercy and the Mercifulness of Jesus Christ. He told Gaza Christians to have hope and patience despite all the difficult circumstances that they live. After the mass, HB attended a Christmas children play at the new parish hall. Moreover, HB visited the projects that were inaugurated in Among the LPJ and visitors who were present during the visit of His Beatitude, were Mgr. Boulos Marcuzzo, the Latin Vicar in Nazareth; the delegation of the priests of the Latin Patriarchate; the parishioners of Gaza; the local Government representatives; the donors and benefactors of the parish and the staff of engineers and professionals responsible for the works conducted in the Compound during The five projects at the compound were financed by World Vision, the General Consulate of France in Jerusalem, Kirche in Not, Catholic Relief Services and The Pontifical Mission. Saher Kawa, LPJ Correspondent Pictures: Andrea Krogmann 20

24 After 8 Years of Waiting, Young Christians Leave Gaza for Easter GAZA (March 24, 2016) The Israeli authorities granted the necessary permits to Christians to leave the Gaza Strip in order to take part in Easter celebrations. 95% of those who had applied for an authorization received a positive answer. It is the first time that the Catholic Church is directly involved in the process of getting exit permits. This role is usually fulfilled by the Orthodox Church. For Christmas and Easter holidays, requests to get permits should be made from the Israeli military authorities, which hold and watch over entries and exits at Erez check point. However, not everybody gets one. Young people in particular, namely those below 35 years, had never been included on the lists of people authorized to get into Israel. The Parish Priest Fr. Mario de Silva explains the steps: We had only one day to send our applications. On that day, February 20, 2016, 890 people showed up to register on the list of permit requests. Among them, there were many young people who didn t have much hope. We worked the whole day with some ten persons to prepare all necessary documents We had no idea of the number of permits which will be granted says Don Mario. To our astonishment we learnt few days ago that 822 people were approved, 25 others were added later. Altogether 95% of applicants. The most impressive thing was that the majority of young Christians got the permit. Some of them didn t leave Gaza since 8 years. We praise the Lord for this grace The news raised enthusiasm among faithful of Gaza, rejoicing at the idea of having permits for 45 days. Many of them posted a picture of their permits on social media, an action expressing the level of frustration and despair which prevails since many years among people of Gaza, more particularly the youth. For Easter this year their dream comes true; to get out of prison! Within the joy of visiting Jerusalem, logistical issues seem secondary trip costs, accommodation, and also consequences on a pastoral level: will the Parish priest of the Holy Family in Gaza find his church empty during Easter celebrations? Andres Bergamini Source: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem 21

25 Christians Concerned by Easter Restrictions Catholic News Service, Monday,21 Mar 2016 Faithful hold candles in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 2014 (CNS) Restricted access to Easter services is a point of contention between the Israeli police and Christians. Israeli restrictions on reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for Holy Week and Easter are part of the current Israeli government s policy of making Jerusalem an exclusively Jewish city, said Yusef Daher, secretary-general of the Jerusalem Interchurch Centre. The Jerusalem Inter-Church Centre (JIC) is a joint project of the Jerusalem churches, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). Describing the network of Israeli police barriers that disrupt the flow and number of people able to reach the church for Good Friday services and the Orthodox Holy Fire ceremony at the Easter Vigil, Daher acknowledged that although the single entrance and exit to the church cause a potential hazard in case of a fire, there had been no problem in more than a century. This (restrictions) did not happen 10 years ago, he said. The Holy Fire ceremony involves the sharing of fire which, according to tradition, is brought forth miraculously from the tomb of Jesus by the Greek Orthodox and Armenian patriarchs. The first flames are passed from person to person by torches to bundles of candles. Eventually fire from the ceremony is sent to the various parishes of the Holy Land. The ceremony has become a point of contention over the past 10 years between the Israeli police and local Christians. Police say the single exit into a plaza makes the ceremony a high risk for visitors if a fire breaks out. In 1808, a fire severely damaged the dome of the Rotunda, and dozens of pilgrims were trampled to death, while in the mid-1800s a fire during the Holy Fire Ceremony reportedly also killed hundreds of pilgrims. 22

26 Palestinian Christians living in the West Bank and Gaza also need special permits in order to attend Holy Week and Easter ceremonies. Israel grants the permits at the last minute, and then often does not grant enough for everyone in the family to travel. At a March 17 media briefing in Jerusalem s Old City, Fr Jamal Khader, rector of the Latin Patriarchate Seminary in Beit Jala, West Bank, compared the restrictions to the celebration of Holy Week, which reminds Christians that Easter is coming. It (reminds us) that this can t go on forever, there is an end; like with the Gospel there is a resurrection of light and of happiness, he said. The Status Quo, the 1852 agreement that preserved the division of ownership and responsibilities of various Christian holy sites, governs the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is shared by Catholics, Armenians and Greek, Ethiopian, Syriac and Coptic Orthodox. While the need for more exits has been acknowledged, because of the desire to maintain the Status Quo, church officials have been unable to reach an agreement on how do so. Israel has said it will refrain from taking unilateral action in order to avoid provoking church protests. Yes, there are some security issues (in terms of fire exits), Daher said. Christians say that on a holy day God will not allow anything dangerous to happen. Secular people say that is nonsense and something has to be done, but closing the plaza is not (the solution). There are about 8,000 Christians living in Jerusalem, he said, and 50,000 Christians in the West Bank, with fewer than 2,000 in Gaza. Over the past two years the Jewish Passover and Easter holiday have coincided and while the Jews entering the Old City have had complete freedom of movement, the movement of Christians celebrating Good Friday and the Orthodox Holy Fire ceremony have been restricted by the barriers, Daher said. Reprinted with permission of Catholic News Service - copyright 2016, 23

27 Bethlehem Celebrates Another Occupied Christmas Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah 12/24/2015 Whether the city of Jesus' birth will be a symbol for peace or for war lies in the hands of Israel's leaders. Can they respect the legal and moral imperative to respect Palestinians' inalienable rights? At this holy time of the year, Bethlehem, the city of the Nativity, stands at the center of attention of the whole world. What the world might overlook as it watches is that the very city where Jesus was born celebrates yet another occupied Christmas. This year, Israel, a selfproclaimed safe haven for Christians, has presented to Bethlehem a few unwelcome Christmas gifts. Israel s Christmas gifts to Bethlehem this year serve towards consolidating the separation between Bethlehem and its twin city, Jerusalem; the city where Jesus was born and the city where he was resurrected the essence of the Christian faith. Aside from the daily violations that the besieged Bethlehem suffers as a result of the occupation, Israel issued a military order last week announcing that it has confiscated 101 dunams of Bethlehem s northern lands. In the same week, the Israeli government approved the expansion of the illegal settlement of Gilo - built on privately owned lands of Bethlehem - by 891 new housing units. Right to the west of the Gilo settlement lies the Cremisan valley in Beit Jala with its two Salesian monasteries and privately owned agricultural lands. Despite a nine-year legal battle, tremendous diplomatic lobby efforts and civil resistance, Israel continues to build the annexation wall in Cremisan, leaving 58 Palestinian Christian families robbed of their lands. Where do these families go now and to whom do they have recourse? Despite Israel s claim that it is the only country in the Middle East where Christians prosper, the unspoken message it sends on the ground is that it has no respect whatsoever for their rights as Palestinians and for their existence in their homeland. It is claimed that Islamic extremism is the reason behind the massive emigration of Palestinian Christians. In reality, the problems of Palestinian Christians stem essentially from the fact that they are Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation. What drives a Palestinian Christian out of his homeland to seek a better future elsewhere is the daily harassment of the occupation, and Israel s land confiscation policies fall at the heart of the matter. The Israeli government is quick to cite security justifications for its oppressive policies - while in reality, land grab and settlement expansion motives under the pretext of security - cannot be concealed. 24

28 Nevertheless, I will not call on anyone. I will not make yet another failed call on the international community. This time, I only call on the Israeli leaders in search of security. I call on them to finally see the inevitable result of walls, stolen lands and illegal settlements: it will only bring more isolation, rejection and hatred, hence, more insecurity. I call on them to see that justice, education for mutual respect and acceptance will bring security and peace. Bethlehem is now either a symbol for peace, or war. I invite the Israeli leaders to make it a symbol for peace, and for a new just approach for Palestinians. Palestinians deserve the full achievement of their inalienable rights, and neither, Israeli leaders, your ability, nor your legal responsibility and moral obligation to do that should be questionable or optional. Reprinted Haaretz.com Christians and Muslims in Bethlehem Franciscan Holy Land Review, June 23, 2016 For up to date issues related to Christianity in the Holy Land, subscribe at theholylandreview.com Franciscan Father Marwan Di des, director of Terra Sancta School in Bethlehem, describes the challenges facing Christians living in the city today. In 1948, the population of Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born, was 85 percent Christian and 13 percent Muslim. Today the relationship is reversed: Christians represent less than a third of the 31,500 inhabitants of the city. The reason is the exodus of many Christians and the arrival of Palestinian Muslim refugees from wars with Israel. To understand more clearly religious coexistence in this extraordinary city, we interviewed Franciscan Father Marwán Di des, a native of Jerusalem, who has served in Bethlehem for 10 years, and is the director of the Terra Sancta School. Do you think religious tensions exist between students? No. Of our 1,104 students, 38 percent are Muslims and 62 percent are Christians. There are no tensions in daily life. There are no groups of Muslim or Christian children who play or are isolated, neither in recreation nor in the classroom. This absolutely does not exist. 25

29 Do Muslims work in this school? In this school, Muslims are among the teachers. There are also other Muslim employees. And, of course, the professor of Islam is a Muslim. What is the climate in Bethlehem between Christians and Muslims? Islam in Bethlehem is moderate. In fact, there have always been few Muslims in Bethlehem. Those born and raised here are used to living with Christians, who before were the majority in the city. However, everything began to change about 20 years ago. Many people came to settle in Bethlehem for economic reasons. Many of them were not accustomed to see, for example, friars, religious and monks in processions or hear the pealing of bells. Because of this, it is important to explain who we are, why we are here and the meaning of Bethlehem. What relations do you have with religious and lay Muslims? We get to know Muslim religious figures. When we meet, it s not an ordinary gathering of daily life, but for other motives: to promote harmony, coexistence and brotherhood between Christians and Muslims. In this case, it is not just a Christian and a Muslim meeting, but a religious Christian and a religious Muslim, something different. Our meetings are very formal. Meanwhile, secular Christians and Muslims meet every day in schools, in the city, work, etc. In these meetings, there is no religious prejudice. Are interreligious meetings important? Yes. They are very important, above all for local lay people. It is clearly positive that lay people see that religious leaders meet, greet each other with a smile and sit down together for an hour talking of simple things. Furthermore, during our Christian holidays, religious Muslims come and congratulate us. We return the favor. In general, these meetings are very important because here, in Bethlehem, there still is a certain tribal mentality. The tribal chief often goes to resolve the problems of his people. This happens among Christians as well as Muslims. That religious people know each other helps a lot to resolve these conflicts. What does it mean for a Christian to be a minority? I think that Christians have a vocation to be here. Their presence is not trivial. For the other two religions (Judaism and Islam), nationality and political identity are strictly tied to religious affiliation. When speaking of Arabs, one thinks almost always of Muslims; and when speaking of Israel one thinks of the Jews. In the middle are the Christians who don t fall into this framework. They are not a nationality. They belong to Jesus Christ. The Christian objective is to be in the middle, to mark the difference with all the values in the heart of Christianity: fraternity, love, service. The Christian must become steeped in these biblical and universal values and transmit them to others as a beacon, an example to follow. Within this framework, of course, everything is more complex. Is this mission of the Christian minority feasible? It s possible. If we want it, it s possible. As the whole world knows, every Palestinian family has suffered the pain of losing someone. I even lost my brother in the second intifada. He was killed in Yemin. Despite this, we have to mark the difference. Seeking peace is not a phrase. It is something concrete. Was it easy to forgive those who killed my brother? Forgiveness is an exercise which needs to be done each morning, upon waking up. Shower, shave and tell the mirror: Today I m going to forgive. What must I do to forgive? How is this mission lived in Bethlehem? Principally through being present, being here. It s easy for Christians to pack their bags and go to America, to Europe where there is a history and a strong Christian presence, more than here. 26

30 Have Christians chosen to remain in Bethlehem? Despite difficulties, many people have opted to stay. In general, those who emigrate are moneyed people. Those who have land, houses, factories. They sell all and go. Is this exodus also due to fear of Islamic fundamentalism? With all that is taking place in the Middle East, we can t deny that we are afraid. We, Christians, are not afraid that Muslims live among us. We fear outside influences: Daesh [the self-styled Islamic State or ISIS], Al Nusra [the Sunni offshoot of al-qaeda operating in Syria and Lebanon] the fanatic fundamentalist groups. We are afraid that this influence might secure a place in the heart of the people. Precisely because of this fear of Islamic fundamentalism. They fled because of this. Even though the Muslim refugees from Syria and Iraq also fled Daesh or the Al Nusra front, the fear of infiltrators exists. However, we can t stop everyone because of this. These people also have a right to live. Putting Hope Into Practice: An Interview with Bethlehem Mayor Vera Baboun Holy Land Review - Winter 2016 For up to date issues related to Christianity in the Holy Land, subscribe at Across Manger Square from the Church of the Nativity is the office of the Mayor of Bethlehem. Vera Baboun, 51, mother of five children, was elected in October 2012, the first Palestinian woman to occupy that post. She is Roman Catholic, and attended St. Joseph s Terra Sancta School, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph and supported by the Franciscans of the Holy Land. What is your vision of the city of Bethlehem? We talk about a political dimension, and we talk about a religious dimension. We re talking about Palestine and Israel as two states, as two people politically speaking and we re living a conflict that has proceeded for almost 63 years.we deserve to live in equity and equality and justice like the rest of the human race. We are not less. We are not more. And the religious dimension? We need to remember that this part of the world is where all the *monotheistic+ religions and faiths started.within this conflict, the significance, the importance, the message of the Holy Land is losing its meaning. Why? When I talk about Bethlehem, I talk about a city that 2,000 years ago witnessed the birth of our Lord and, for me, the birth of our Lord brought with it perspectives and understandings and messages that changed the whole understanding of existence a message of love, of peace, and not simply a message of Do that, don t do that. Through love, we create miracles, and that word Bethlehem has given to the world. Look at the world from through the lens of loving the other, of wishing peace for the others. 27

31 How does the current situation between Palestinians and Israelis with the separation wall and restricted movement affect the message Bethlehem communicates to the world? When we wall [in] Bethlehem, we wall [in] peace. And peace for Bethlehem is not only for the Holy Land. The message of peace in Bethlehem was given to the whole world, so we not only wall [in] peace between Palestinians and Israelis, the understanding of global peace is walled [in]. If this city does not live peace, how can we radiate peace? And the restrictions on the residents of Bethlehem to come and go to Jerusalem? There is an affinity, whether topographical, geographical or symbolic, between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. In Bethlehem, the moment of the Nativity took place, and the Church of the Nativity is here. In Jerusalem, the moment of the resurrection took place, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is there. By putting up that wall, literally, you breach the path of faith between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. In practice, now in Bethlehem, we have a full young generation of Palestinian Christians who ve never been in the Holy Sepulchre *in Jerusalem+ This affects the nature of practicing our faith and thus the faith itself and this is another danger. Apart from the political dimension--equality and equity and justice by separating Jerusalem from Bethlehem, we are separating.faith and the practice *of faith+. How do such restrictions relate to Jews and Muslims? When we talk about Jerusalem, we have the Al-Aqsa Mosque [for Muslims] and the [Western] Wall for the Jews, right? The Jew has all the rights to be in and to live his place of worship directly, but many Muslim Palestinians are also like the Christians we are not able to go.i want to go. I want to pray. I pay for a ticket to a bus, and I arrive, simply a worshiper. I have the right as one of the faithful to be there. But for the last 12 years, this normal process is stopped for us Christians and Muslims. It is impossible to consider the abnormal as normal, and this is an abnormality for us Christians and Muslim vis-à-vis Jerusalem and all the places of worship. Where does this abnormality lead us? Two tracks Palestinians start internalizing the concept *that it is] normal not to go, to forget the place, to put it completely out of their consciousness, and that is very dangerous, because what makes the identity of every human being is the complexity of different perspectives. It can be your national entity, your gender identity, your religious identity, your values.*y+ou are affecting the fullness of my identity, a part of our identity as a human, right?.but it has another very important dimension...is *the Holy Land + exclusive to the Jews? No, it is not exclusive to the Jews. It is for us all, Christians, Muslims and Jews all together. But why are we excluded from the process?...how can you threaten our message, our peace? It is not only the perspective of territory, of citizenship. No, it is a package. So it diminishes the culture of Bethlehem. The Christian culture but you know very well that we within Bethlehem are living a Palestinian culture, where Christians and Muslims live their Palestinian identity first, right? We are together under these circumstances as Palestinians. But as well, we have to keep in mind that Bethlehem is and needs to keep faithful the profound identity of Christianity. If you track [the population over] time, we were in greater numbers. Now we are 48,000. Fifty years from now, if things remain like this, where do we want to go? The message is a message of practice What do you mean by practice? You need somebody to practice, right? Someone to live here, to keep [their culture] reviving and alive. Speaking specifically of Bethlehem s Christian culture, what has been the effect of the emigration of so many over the last century? 28

32 In 1967, after the Occupation, we lost the national identity of those who were out in diaspora.*over+ time, those who were out couldn t return, and as you know, immigration gives rise to immigration. *It s not permitted] for the Bethlehemites in South America and North America to return.israel *also has blocked+ the entry of others to Palestine they don t want to issue visas, thus blocking international interaction in the real sense of the word.nobody *has+ witnessed the conflict since they cannot enter to live and to see. So we ended up living our conflict alone and lonely. Inside the Church of the Nativity When a Bethlehemite, a Christian of Bethlehem, is away, from generation to generation to generation, separation between the place and the living place creates an absence of consciousness of the meaning [of the place]. So maybe your grandfather understood the Holy Land or Palestine or Bethlehem, but the grandson does not. It s starting to fade and fade. And another very important dimension: The Arab world is open today [with] new job opportunities.in Bethlehem, 50 percent are under 29 years old. We are a young population. It s a two-edged sword. Either they stay here and build if there are job opportunities, or they can seek other places. And now we have a new emigration or a new target for our young people to start working in the Gulf countries. Your administration has increased the municipal borders in order to provide areas for development and produced a master plan to create jobs in tourism and industry. What obstacles have you faced in this effort? Bethlehem is very well known for its tourism and pilgrimage *experience+. But who s controlling it? Who s controlling it? The tourist or the pilgrim gets into Bethlehem, visits and prays at the Nativity Church, stays in Bethlehem only for two hours, going to and from the bus but doesn t live Bethlehem, does not walk in its streets. The people do not talk to the tourists. Economically Bethlehem does not have this cycle, except some souvenir shops and dining. This is completely abnormal. Further, Bethlehem suffers from the highest rate of unemployment in all the West Bank; 27.3 percent suffer from the highest rate of poverty.let me share with you a very dramatic reality. Eighty-two percent of the Bethlehem governorate is Area C, [which] is under the management and security of Israel. That means if I want to open a road, I need to go to Israel to get the permission. Developmentally, this is completely eradicating, killing.so how can I create better job opportunities? So all the way around, this is suffocation. And within this area there are Jewish settlements as well? Twenty-two settlements, yes.tourism is controlled, the area is controlled, and we end up with Bethlehem as a municipality, trying to serve *our people+, with *not+ enough capacity to develop. How do you face such obstacles and still remain hopeful? We believe as Christians that grace comes only from the womb of suffering. Without the crucifixion of our Lord, we wouldn t enjoy the grace that we live in today. So from the moment you start to see that in hardship there is a moment of grace, you start looking at difficulties and challenges as something that will become positive at the end of the way. 29

33 I don t try to be utopian, I don t try to be perfect.we get sad. We get tired. We feel that we are alone in many instances. But the main aura that really vibrates and vibrates around me, stems from [the] understanding [that] it is impossible for a faithful [person] to diminish the meaning and the symbolism of the faith and the sacrifice. If you live it from that perspective, life becomes easier, at least from my point of view. So there is hope for the Palestinian people? Without it, we cannot live. Without hope, we don t keep going on. But is it only our hope? It is Bethlehem in the end, it is not just any place. Daily Mass at a Cremisan Olive Orchard by Judith Sudilovsky catholicherald.co.uk, Sept. 10, 2015 Fr. Hijazin offers Mass in the Cremisan Valley. A separation barrier was put up in the Cremisan Valley in August. Since then hundreds of olive trees were uprooted to make room for a separation barrier through the Cremisan Valley, a stretch of land between the West Bank and Jerusalem, adjacent to the largely Christian village of Beit Jala. Fr Aktham Hijazin, Annunciation Parish priest, has been celebrating Mass daily at the site. Israeli Border police who patrol the area have prevented some 56 Palestinian landowners from reaching their land. In April, residents celebrated an Israeli Supreme Court decision, which seemingly blocked a plan to build the separation barrier. But just three weeks later the Ministry of Defense sent a letter to the private landowners attorney and the Beit Jala municipality, announcing its intention to build the wall anyway. Despite several legal appeals, the court declined to issue an injunction, and on August 17 bulldozers and tractors began uprooting hundred-years-old olive trees and clearing dirt paths. Attorney Raffoul Rofa, executive director of the Society of St Yves of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, who represented the Salesian Sisters affected by the construction, said a gap is expected to be left open in the barrier around the monastery and convent at least initially until a solution is devised to allow the institutions to remain in contact with the Palestinian side, where the parishioners live. Everybody expected them to come up with an alternate route for the whole wall, not just for the convent and monastery, but our expectations were not accurate, said Rofa. Basically we won (the nuns ) case, but those who lost are the landowners. The Latin Patriarchate believes the people here are very important and will not be left on their own, so we are still involved in the case. 30

34 Meanwhile, Palestinians say, Israel is creating space for more settlements while legal appeals are still in the works. Since then, local Christian leaders have been holding the daily Masses. People were getting angry and began to protest and demonstrate, said Fr Hijazin earlier this month. We as a church decided to come here and do daily worship. This is the third week we are holding Masses, and it will go on indefinitely. Sometimes priests from the local Greek Orthodox and Lutheran churches join Fr Hijazin. The problem is that the Palestinian people have been living with this situation for 60 years, he said. The church tries to give them hope and keep them in their faith, not only in their religion but also in this land, but many people have left, and many people are really thinking of leaving. The Israelis are not only deleting our history by uprooting the trees, they are also deleting our presence they are deleting our future. With the olive harvest season just weeks away, the landowners were not even permitted to harvest the fruit from their trees one final time before they were dug up in August, he said. They have been told they will be permitted to harvest the olives from the remaining trees, but the landowners are unsure whether this will continue in the years to come. Israeli bulldozers destroying the olive trees in the valley Though it is painful to see what has happened to his family s olive orchard, Issa Shatleh, 43, said he comes to pray almost every day. Only two trees are left in his orchard one excruciatingly out of reach just beyond the police tape and the other a few feet behind. This is very terrible for us. The land has been in our family for hundreds of years, it is our main source for olives and oil. Now how are we going to go harvest just one tree even if they allow us to get there, said Shatleh. He said he had not brought his elderly mother to see what has happened, but he did bring his three young children to show them what the soldiers were doing to their land not to implant hate, but so they keep the trees in their memories. This is our land, even if they destroy the trees and take the land, we still own this land and some day it will be returned, he said. Nakhleh Abu Eid, 76, said the Israelis had destroyed 15 of the remaining 20 trees which had been left him following a previous land confiscation on another part of his family s land. I was shocked. It was as if they had killed my son, said Abu Eid. I played here as a child. Now they didn t even wait two weeks to allow us to harvest the olives. We eat from them, sell them, live from them. I am very sad. It is not easy to accept something like this. It is difficult to forgive. He said tries to instill in his teenage grandsons the tenants of Christian forgiveness to temper their anger and frustration, so they do not turn to violence. I tell them we lost the land, we don t want to lose them, too, said Abu Eid. 31

35 In Solidarity with Cremisan the Best Way We Know How! The Cremisan Monastery as it overlooks the Valley. The Catholic world has done everything in its power to try to stop the Israeli military from constructing an Annexation Wall in the Cremisan Valley on land belonging to both the Catholic Church and some 60 Palestinian families from Beit Jala. A new report published by the Society of St. Yves Catholic Center for Human Rights: The Last Nail in Bethlehem s Coffin: The Annexation Wall in Cremisan ( documents this long legal battle meant to bring justice to the Church and people of Beit Jala. The report also states the advocacy efforts by the governments of the European Union as well as various Catholic Bishops conferences to prevent the construction of the Wall in the area. How We Are Helping From our perspective, the Pontifical Mission-Jerusalem (PMP) has been quietly working on the ground to solidify one of the most important and historically significant Catholic institutions in the area, being the Salesian Sisters Laura Vicuna School. Over the past few years, PMP has provided several grants to help with the operating costs of the school such covering teachers salaries and school utility bills, especially the high electricity bill during the cold winter months. Over the past year or so, financial support for the school from our partner donors has intensified so as to help ready the school and ensure it continues to provide a solid education for some 420 children (60 kindergarteners and 220 elementary students in addition to 140 youth club members of the school) despite the wall s path. In the next few weeks, the school will have a new solar power system that will generate free electricity for the school which will help reduce costs. The school has also been academically expanded twice in the past two years. Donor contributions in 2014 supported the renovation of a classroom upgrading the school to the 7th grade level. In 2015, another grant rehabilitated an old unused annex building which was divided: a classroom was constructed for a new 8th grade class as well as a multipurpose space for catechetical activities and an indoor play area for the younger students during the winter. With financial support, the school has also been able to save a nearly collapsing retaining wall after the last few snowstorms damaged its foundation. The wall has now been fixed and reinforced which will allow the school to reopen the children s newly equipped playground. 32

36 Activation is Preservation! The underlying message of funding and implementing projects like the Salesian Sisters Laura Vicuna School and other Church-affiliated institutions is to demonstrate that the Church is alive, active and even expanding despite the difficult circumstances of the occupation. That they are still steadfast in various sectors -education, health, and social services, which continue to serve all people demonstrating Christian values of love, tolerance, forgiveness and certainly, a continued call for peace and justice. PMP is proud of its work which joins donors worldwide and the local partners in the Holy Land together to improve and enhance these services that benefit all. We convey our sincere thanks to the donors who saw the need to support the Laura Vicuna School and believed in its sacred mission the Archdiocese of Cologne, Polish Aid, and the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Holland which would not have been possible without their moral and financial support. Since Activation is Preservation there is still a great need for financial support to preserve and cultivate 100 dunums (25 acres) of the Salesian Sisters olive and almond orchards which have been untouched for decades. Working and developing this last remaining green space in Bethlehem will help deter any further confiscation by the Israeli military. Plans include constructing an agricultural road for tractors, rehabilitating the land s old stone retaining walls as well as plough and plant more fruit-bearing trees. Not only will the land be utilized, the produce will help generate an annual income for the Sisters as well as provide employment for unemployed agricultural laborers from the surrounding villages. Sami El-Yousef 4 September Pontifical Mission for Palestine Our Lady Who Brings Down Walls : an Icon of Christian Resistance June 15, 2016 BETHLEHEM Graffiti painted along the Separation wall, charged with political and social messages, have always been a form of protest against Israel s unjust measures. Near the Emmanuel Monastery in Bethlehem, an icon of the Mother of God emerges on the 8-meter high concrete wall, revealing with its beauty the failure of communities to love one another. 33

37 Made at the request of the local faithful and some internationals, the icon of Our Lady who brings down walls was written on the Separation wall between Bethlehem and Jerusalem in The purpose of their request was clear; an icon that could bring along hope that the wall would come down some day. Pope Benedict XVI, an inspiration behind an icon According to Ian Knowles, the iconographer who wrote the icon, the inspiration behind Our Lady originated from a speech that Pope Benedict XVI had given at a special assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops in During the assembly, His Holiness referred to chapter 12 of the book of Revelation and talked about a woman who is clothed with the sun and gives birth with a cry of pain. He linked how this chapter in the Bible is a prophecy about the suffering of Christians in the Middle East. That gave me an image of Mary, who is pregnant, clothed with the sun chased by the beast that wants to devour her child, Ian pointed out. Before the visit of Pope Francis to the Holy Land in 2014, graffiti of a giant serpent, that is eating babies, was painted along the wall that leads to the icon of Mother of God. It is quite prophetic to see this serpent near the icon of Our Lady. In the book of revelation, the woman is chased by the beast, which wants to eat her child Ian said. Once the image was complete, it was as though it called out the hideousness of the wall. Describing the icon, Ian said in the icon of Our Lady, we can see that her hand is touching her forehead as if she has an intense pain in her head. The suffering of Christians is something that Mary embraces in her maternal heart so her relationship to Christians here is like the mother who suffers. Also, the fact that her arm and cloak are held open as a place of refuge and safety is an important part of this image. The Separation Wall: A violation of basic human rights Almost 85% of the Separation wall, which saw the start of its construction in 2003, is built in the West Bank. The wall disregards international law and to this day continues to annex fertile lands for settlement expansion and deprives Palestinians of basic human rights, including the freedom of movement. Amid the wars, conflicts and injustice that are wreaking havoc in the Middle East and on both, the Palestinian and Israeli sides, resistance, that uses humanity as its anchor, is a right and a responsibility 34

38 for those who seek an alternative resolution. In the art of the church, you show humanity with real beauty and grace. The resistance in the icon of Our Lady lies in exactly that. It s a beauty that exposes the ugliness and evil of the wall, Ian explained. The hope of those who requested the icon is seeing that the Mother of God is involved in the agony of those who are suffering. Hope doesn t mean accepting and surrendering to oppression but rather resisting it and looking forward to living a better future. Prayer to Our Lady Who Brings Down Walls Most Holy Mother of God, We pray to you as mother of the Church, mother of all Christians who suffer. We beg you, through your ardent intercession, to bring down this wall, the walls of our hearts, and all the walls that generate hatred, violence, fear, and indifference between people and between nations. You who crushed the ancient Serpent by your Fiat, gather and unite us under your virginal cloak, protect us from all evil and open forever in our lives the gate of Hope. Bring to birth in us and in our world the civilization of Love that sprang forth from the Cross and Resurrection of your divine Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever. Amen. Article by Saher Kawas, LPJ Correspondent The Latin Patriarch at the Atlanta Summit of Churches: Our Church must use her potential to break down all kinds of walls USA On April 19, 2016, The Atlanta Summit of Churches in the USA and the Holy Land was held at the Carter Center in Atlanta. The conference, entitled Pursuing Peace and Strengthening Presence was coordinated by the Higher Committee of Churches Affairs in Palestine. The conference dealt with many issues pertaining to the plight of the Palestinian people, the daily hassles that they face passing through Israeli checkpoints and preventing them from accessing holy 35

39 sites. The General Churches in America and the Holy Land Conference opened its sessions on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 at the Jimmy Carter Center in Atlanta State under the title, Devote Peace and Promote Resilience. The conference was attended by 22 heads of American churches, and six heads of Christian churches in the Holy Land. They are represented by Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem Theophilos III, Custodian of the Holy Land Father Ibrahim Faltas, Chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate Fr. George Ayoub, Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem Suhail Dawani, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land Munib Younan, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Holy Land, Rev. Mitri Raheb, director of Dar al- Kalima Model School, and Dr. Farzeen Aghakebian, member of the independent Commission for human rights in Palestine. In a speech by His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, he said: in light of the continuing tragedy and injustice being perpetrated against the Palestinians, don t allow the continuing failure of the US government to find a solution but instead you should become stronger advocates. He added One of our major challenges is standing alongside all those trying to find a solution to issues that spark violence, conflict and war, like building of new settlements. Therefore Church leaders must have the courage to speak up for justice and freedom, for Jews and Arabs alike. At the same time the Patriarch emphasized that reaching this aim requires using means that are coherent with the Christian identity. Another challenge that the church in the Holy Land faces is persuading the faithful to stay and build their future in a land where many of them feel marginalized and threatened. This challenge requires us to be more creative and effective in addressing job training, employment and housing issues. He added The Church must be capable of exciting the energies of all men and women of good will in the service of education, spiritual, political and economic development. We have what it needs to build the culture of peace and mutual respect which will guarantee a better future for our children. In a region where building walls that separate one community from another is the norm, the Church open her doors to all regardless of their religion, gender or nationality. Our Church must use her potential and good relations with the Universal Church and worldwide humanitarian and religious organizations for greater solidarity and advocacy to break down all kinds of walls. All our institutions contribute to be grounds of encounter and dialogue to create new mentality and a new generation of leaders for a new society At the conclusion of the conference, the participants issued a statement that underscores the theological and ethical urgency for a just peace in the Holy Land. The document, titled Pursuing Peace and Strengthening Presence: The Atlanta Summit of Churches in the USA and the Holy Land, affirmed that Christian churches have a responsibility to take an active role in bringing the chronic conflict to a just Media Office at Latin Patriarchate 36

40 peace. The full text can be found online under, The Atlanta Church Summit Document. In Strengthening the Christian Presence in the Holy Land (Document excerpt): a- Engage in mutual visits and exchanges with the Churches and their leaders, to strengthen the resolve for ongoing commitment and hard work for peace and justice in the Holy Land. b- Increase community-based pilgrimages and authentic tourism to the Holy Land with the intent to stay in Palestinian towns and villages in order to engage with indigenous communities, to experience firsthand their hopes and fears and to contribute to their community and economic development. c- Work with denominational, ecumenical, and interfaith partners to strengthen relationships and efforts towards a common witness for peace in Palestine and Israel. d- Support development in Palestine through creative social and economic investment, thus witnessing to our commitment to operate at the intersection of faith and finance. e-strengthen existing efforts and identify new models of church solidarity in action. f- Support local churches and Church related organizations not only to survive, but also to thrive and continue their ministries through educational, health, cultural and social services. g- Encourage reference to the Kairos Palestine message as an established initiative We remain committed to work on these issues and to follow up on this Summit and on the issues presented above including a possible conference in the Holy Land. Source: Abouna.org A woman prays inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre 37

41 Restoration of the Holy Tomb of Christ: The Aedicule a bit Hidden yet Accessible JERUSALEM (Jul 14, 2016) Restoration of the Holy Tomb of Christ at the Holy Sepulchre started some three months ago. Blocks & scaffoldings now surround the Aedicule for reconstruction works 24 hours a day. Pilgrims who come to worship at the Holy Sepulchre will be surprised at the view in front of their eyes: for several weeks the Tomb of Christ, under the big dome of the Basilica, is almost entirely overshadowed by scaffoldings and blocks protecting the working site. The facade of the Aedicule was stripped of, and the many decorative oil lamps were replaced by security inlets, allowing worshippers to walk without risk inside the Holy Tomb, the space surrounding this, filled by workers, is now closed to public. Regularly the Custody of the Holy Land, guardian of the site together with the Greek Orthodox Community and the Armenian Church, works up a summary of the progress of restoration work: the most important work is focused on the Northern facade. The Ottoman baroque architecture had drawn on the facade three windows as walled in. They are no more. Marble stone plaques which shut them off were removed, revealing masonry, was indicated lately. The dismantled pieces are brought inside the Franciscan Convent, where a workshop was set up. They are being regularly cleaned and restored, exactly as they are, then interposed prior to reconstruction. The work includes dismantling, cleaning and reconstruction of the Tomb, becoming more and more fragile over the year because of the inflow of pilgrims and tourists. Built in 1810 by the Greek Orthodox Community, in the wake of an arson, which gutted the older construction of 1808, the present Edicule is the latest to be built on this site since the time of Emperor Constantine in the 5 th Century. The Tomb of Christ will remain accessible to pilgrims during the progress of the work and the restoration is expected to be completed in early next year. The worshippers who will spend the night locked inside the Basilica will witness yet noisier works which could require the closure of the whole structure. Article: Thomas Charrière - Photo: LPJ/Thomas Charrière 38

42 New Hope for Holy Land s Minefield Churches Caroline Wyatt, BBC Religious Affairs correspondent BBC News at bbc.co.uk, 16 May 2016 Qasr El-Yahud is on the edge of a minefield surrounding a cluster of churches. (Image copyright Israeli MOD) The soil is parched clay and crackles underfoot, and the only sound we can hear is birdsong. The seven buildings on this site have lain silent and empty since This is a place where pilgrims fear to tread, fenced off with barbed wire and a locked gate, even though it is bisected by the road leading down to the site on the River Jordan where Christians believe Jesus was baptized by John, and began his public ministry. For almost 50 years, the churches - built in Byzantine times but later booby-trapped, mined and pockmarked by artillery fire - have been crumbling gently in the middle of a minefield. It was laid mainly by Israeli troops during the 1967 War, when Israel captured the land west of the River Jordan, known today as the occupied West Bank. The sensitivities of the site have made clearing it and making it safe something of a political minefield that the British charity, the Halo Trust, has had to negotiate with caution, making clear its credentials as a neutral humanitarian mine-clearance organisation. More than 300,000 pilgrims make the journey every year to the west bank of the River Jordan to the baptism site known as Qasr El-Yahud. Its name is said to come from the "Crossing of the Jews", as it is where Joshua is believed to have led the Israelites and the Ark of the Covenant over the river to safety. The site on the riverbank is once again a major place of pilgrimage for Christians around the world since its reopening in In fact, it is one of the most important Christian sites in the Holy Land. Pope Saint John Paul II visited by helicopter in And, in 2014, Pope Francis went to the Jordanian site on the opposite bank of the river, before he entered Israel. Building community links The Halo Trust is well aware of the many sensitivities involved here, and has spent much time negotiating the agreement to make safe this sacred site, hoping not just to clear the mines but to help build links between fractured communities. 39

43 Agreement was reached not only with the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, but also with the seven Orthodox denominations represented on the site - by the Greek, Russian, Syrian, Coptic, Romanian and Ethiopian churches, as well as a plot of land owned by the Armenians - and the Roman Catholics, represented on the site by a Franciscan church. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, describes it as a "great sign of reconciliation" and a way of illuminating the sacred history connected to the land. The Halo Trust is already involved in other mineclearance projects in the West Bank, but this may be its most challenging yet from the perspective of keeping united all those with a stake in the clearance of this high-profile site. The Holy Land has long been a place where sacred sites can divide, rather than unite. According to Michael Heiman, technology and standards manager at the Israeli National Mine Action Authority, one of the reasons that the area was not made safe sooner was thanks to fears that the churches could suffer further damage during the clearance. As we walk cautiously closer towards the sealed-off churches, the West Bank project manager at the Halo Trust, Ronen Shimoni, says the 1-sq-km (0.4-sq-mile) site contains more than 2,600 anti-tank mines, another 1,200 anti-personnel mines, and an unknown number of booby-traps within the churches, as well as unexploded ordnance left behind after the fighting. Those carrying out the actual clearance of the site will be Georgians who have already worked on other projects here, although the director of the Palestinian Mine Action Centre, Brig Juma Abdeljabbar, says Palestinians will be involved as part of the wider team. "We have one and a half million mines in the Palestinian Territories and the Jordan Valley," he says. "There are a huge number of mines and unexploded ordnance in some areas. "There are kids who don't realise the danger of these things and they collect one and take it home, then they play with it, so it explodes. "We have an injury every 10 days because of the unexploded ordnance." With the temperature rising to over 40C, Major General James Cowan, chief executive of the Halo Trust, visits the site with us, treading carefully beside the barbed wire fences bearing signs warning of mines. Visiting pilgrims The site is otherwise sealed off to visitors, with buses full of pilgrims speeding straight past on the road that leads down to the river. As a former commander of British forces in Helmand, Afghanistan, from , after serving in Iraq and Northern Ireland, Major General Cowan became all too familiar with the human cost of war. "This project means a lot to me," he says. "I used to be a soldier, and I served in lots of places where mines were killing and injuring soldiers. "Many of my friends and comrades were hurt or killed by improvised explosive devices. "So it matters to me on a personal level, as well. " "Our purpose is to return this very ancient site to its former purpose, to something that will endure long into the future, and help the Christian communities, the Israelis and Palestinians and all mankind to be able to come here. 40

44 "The great joy of being able to clear it of landmines is that once a mine is gone, it's gone forever, so pilgrims can come and they can celebrate all that this place means." That afternoon, Canon Andrew White - best known as the "Vicar of Baghdad" - visits the site, viewing the project as one that brings hope of a rebirth on many levels. "This is a site of restoration, and we hope not just of restoration but also of reconciliation and of rebuilding relationships," he says. "I would love to see this place, so known for destruction and death, become a place where those who have hated each other can come together as friends." The work itself will not be easy or quick; it is likely to take between 18 and 20 months. The soil is treacherous, and prone to flooding, meaning that mines have moved from where they may originally have lain. There is also the small matter of the $4m ( 2.7m) the Halo Trust needs to raise before the demining can be completed. Then, the plan is for the site to be designated a national park, rather than a military area. Peace in the Middle East may still be a distant dream, but at least this one small but significant corner of disputed land may soon be cleared of the deadly debris of war. 41

45 Visiting a Detention Camp in Holot On Monday, January 18, 2016, a delegation of about twenty from the Coordination for the Pastoral Among Migrants (CPAM) visited the asylum seekers who are detained in the Holot facility in the Negev. The CPAM decided to pay a solidarity visit to the Catholics detained in Holot in order to wish them merry Christmas and a blessed new year. The visit also came the day after the World Day for Migrants and Refugees. The delegation was made up of priests, sisters and laity who work with migrants coming from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Beer Sheba. The delegation arrived in Holot just after 9.00 in the morning as a dust storm began to build up. Mikele, one of the leaders of the Geez rite community in Jaffa, was waiting for the members of the delegation and led them to a small shelter, just outside the Holot facility, where tens of detainees were waiting. The majority of the Catholics, about sixty in number, are Eritreans but there are also a few Sudanese. The group was joined by a few Eritrean Orthodox and Sudanese Muslims. During the three hours that were spent with the group of young men from Eritrea and Sudan there was time to hear from them about their life in Holot. The young men, with determination and faith, described the tragic circumstances of their detainment. All of them have been in Israel for years, speak Hebrew, had found work and were trying to make lives for themselves when they were detained and exiled to this desolate place in the middle of nowhere. They are part of a population of around people whom Israel refuses to recognize as refugees and continues to pressure to leave the country. After a time of listening to the detainees and asking questions, there was time for prayer and song, led by Mikele and Father Medhin, the chaplain of the Geez rite Catholics in Israel. After this, Father David, coordinator of the Church s pastoral for migrants, gave a brief presentation on the Year of Mercy in English with brief summaries in Hebrew and Arabic. Sister Azezet translated into Tigrinye. Other members of the delegation offered short messages of encouragement. The visit was an emotional time for the Church to show her solidarity with her children who are excluded and marginalized and to pray that they will be restored to a life of dignity soon. St. James Vicariate: catholic.co.il 42

46 Choirs Gather in Taybeh TAYBEH Friday, June 17, 2016 Members of the parish choirs in the districts of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nablus, met in Taybeh for a special day dedicated to the sacred song. LPJ In each of the parishes of Holy Land, the choir is the lung of the liturgical life of the faithful. The choir members gather weekly to rehearse, learn new songs and prepare to lead liturgical song at the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. On Friday, June 17, one hundred and fifty members of the choirs of the regions of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nablus, met in Taybeh for a special day of meeting and singing. Bishop William Shomali, patriarchal vicar in Jerusalem and Palestine, during the conference, stressed the importance of religious chant in the liturgy, especially during Sunday Mass. He invited the choirs to always give the best of themselves while stressing the importance of alternating between the people and the choir between the Assembly and the soloist, to not make liturgical singing the monopoly of the choir but to engage the faithful and help them to pray. Bishop Shomali then celebrated Mass, during which combined choirs performed various sacred songs, including some from the new Hymn Book published a year ago by the Latin Patriarchate. At the end of the celebration, a fellowship meal was provided by the liturgical Committee of the Patriarchate. In the afternoon, the different choirs performed in concert, one after the other, new hymns of the repertoire, rated each time by an ad hoc committee. The efforts made by the choristers were acknowledged and welcomed each time, including the professionalism of the choirs of Taybeh and Jerusalem. The meeting ended in a spirit of recognition: Fr. Ibrahim Nino and Father Johnny Abu Khalil, parish priest of Taybeh, were warmly thanked for the organization of this day. Hania Soudah and Sister Léonie, head of the evaluation Committee, were awarded the Medal of Merit of the Holy Sepulchre for the quality of their appraisals. Gratitude was also conveyed to the senior parish choir members, serving more than thirty years, among them a woman vocalist since the age of eight and now 80 years old. For the Latin parishes of Holy Land, singing has become a tradition, a vehicle of the living transmission of the faith from one generation to another, adding to the beauty and the fervor of the liturgy. 43

47 Holy Land Pilgrimage Guidelines (excerpt) Solidarity with Holy Land Christians Just as the Gospels are continued in the Book of Acts, so too pilgrimages are made complete by encounters with the living Church in the Holy Land. The Church of Jerusalem was the Mother Church for us all. It was from Jerusalem that the apostles went forth to spread the Gospel. It was to the Church in Jerusalem that other early communities of faith looked for guidance. So, we also hope that pilgrimages to the Holy Land will be an occasion to build solidarity between American pilgrims and the Church in the Holy Land whose center today is Jerusalem. The great majority of Christians in the area are either Catholic or Orthodox. Most of the Catholics belong to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, a church of the Byzantine tradition whose patriarch resides in Damascus. There is also a sizable Latin-rite community under the jurisdiction of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. The local Orthodox Christians are part of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It has possession of many of the major Christian Holy Places. It shares custody (with the Franciscans and the Armenian Apostolic Church) of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, known to Greek Orthodox as the Church of the Resurrection. Your pilgrimage can offer a valuable opportunity to make contact with these groups, most of which have maintained a prayerful presence at the Holy Places for many centuries. Awareness of the richness of the manifestations of Christian faith, especially in Jerusalem, can make every pilgrimage an encounter on the road to Christian unity. The Holy Land includes Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jerusalem and Jordan. For some Eastern Churches, the Holy Land also includes Lebanon and Syria. The Christians of the Holy Land have a difficult vocation to live out in the land of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Pilgrims should be attuned to the people, places and situations along their journey of faith. The whole Church will be strengthened by special efforts of solidarity on the part of pilgrims toward the local Christian communities. The Arab Christian presence in the Holy Land is part of the Church's historic witness to the Gospel. By experiencing the local Church's travails, pilgrims can share in the wider struggle for justice and peace, and can strengthen the bonds of solidarity between the Church in the United States and the Church in the Holy Land. Solidarity with the Christians of the Holy Land is particularly necessary at the present time. The pressures faced by Christians of all denominations throughout the Middle East region and the ensuing emigration are major concerns for the bishops of the region. The Holy Land is of particular concern, for the whole Church has an interest in the survival and well-being of living communities of faith there. 44

48 Support for the Christian Situation in the Holy Land Series His Beatitude Michel Sabbah Patriarch Emeritus Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Dear Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, With great pleasure and gratitude I recommend this Christian Situation in the Holy Land booklet, in its ongoing efforts to build awareness and support for the Catholic communities in the Holy Land, and in publishing this fifth volume for the annual Investiture. We are very grateful to all of you for much needed support and action in the field of justice and peace. This booklet contains many statements from the Church of the Holy Land which can give light and guidelines to understanding what is happening here. Our situation is indeed a situation of a permanent conflict. All inhabitants of this Holy Land need and call for serious efforts from people of faith and conscience to bring reconciliation to our Holy Land. The future of the Christians in this land, in particular, depends upon the solution of this conflict and upon justice and peace for all. Pray for us, and do whatever you can: prayer, advocacy, understanding our situation, and help, for the restitution of peace, justice, and redemption for this land of peace and redemption. Wishing you a blessed yearly meeting, I accompany you all with my prayers, asking for your own prayers and dedication for the land of the Lord and for the permanence of the Christian presence in it. + Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Emeritus