Holy Land – Communio

Holy Child Program: healing the brokenness of children in the Holy Land

Healing the wounds of the venerable and broken –body, mind and spirit– of children. A beautiful and much need program for the flourishing of children in the Holy Land is The Holy Child Program founded by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist (Meriden, CT). This charitable work is supported by many generous benefactors not least the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Sister Naomi writes about the mission of the HCP:

The mission of the Holy Child Program has always been to instill hope through healing. It is a safe place for those who manifest emotional behavioral problems resulting in difficulties at home, at school and in the community. While the attitude in this region is slowly changing toward those who have a disability, these children are still seen as outcasts in their society. Like St. Francis kissing the leper, these children and their families are given the time, attention and love necessary to heal. And not only to heal, but to become integrated and giving members of society. Graduating students are followed and supported for a minimum of two years after graduation.

Here’s the website for The Holy Child Program where you can make a sacrificial gift to support the mission.

An introductory word on the The Holy Child Program by Sister Naomi Zimmermann, FSE is helpful: “A time for healing“

Pope Francis at the Western Wall

Earlier today the Holy Father went to the Western Wall (AKA the “Wailing Wall”), where he silently prayed touching the remaining portion of Herod’s temple. I was profoundly moved by the simple gesture of the Pope; in fact, I was similarly moved in a deep way when Saint John Paul and Pope Benedict visited the Wall in silent prayer. All prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for the gift of peace.

The Vatican press says that Francis left a hand-written Our Father in Spanish; the tradition is to insert in the cracks of the Wall a prayer.

A very moving gesture for me, too, was the Holy Father’s fraternal embrace of the Argentinian Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Muslim leader Muslim leader Omar Abboudan from Buenos Aires –his longtime friends accompanying him. This is the first such walking with a Pope on a pilgrimage.

Before leaving the Wall, the Grand Rabbi of Israel, David Lau, asked the Pope to sign the Western Wall Book of Honor. The dedication begins by citing Psalm 121: “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’. And now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem. With these sentiments of joy to my older brothers, I have come now and I asked the Lord for the grace of peace.”

May the Pope’s prayer be our prayer, too: now and tomorrow. PAX!

Pope Benedict to Visit Cyprus: what are the preparations?

In early June, Pope
Benedict XVI travesl to Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean
and a mixed group of religions. He’s making a pastoral visit where he will give
the Middle East bishops the Instrumentum laboris (the working document focusing
the meeting) of the Synod of Bishops on the Eastern Churches due to be held
next October in the Vatican. This is yet another example of the Pope reaching out to the local Catholic churches and to the Orthodox Christians, Muslims and political leaders. It is hard for me to say this is a strategic visit but it certainly opens the mind that there are significant reasons in the pope’s mind as to why Cyprus and not another mixed culture. A good reason may be that he’s been to the Holy Land already and that neither Lebanon, Egypt nor Syria are willing to host the pope. At any rate, Cyprus is a logical choice because of the confluence of faith and reason.

For those who don’t know, Cyprus has a small
Catholic community of the Maronite and Latin Churches. The Latin Church is
governed by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude, Archbishop Fouad
Twal, and for centuries have been assisted by the Franciscan friars of the
Custody of the Holy Land. Giampiero Sandionigi’s interview with Franciscan Father
Umberto Barato, a parish priest in Nicosia and Vicar General for Cyprus of the
Latin Patriarchate follows in brief.

Father Barato, the Pope receives
invitations from many governments and episcopates but cannot accept them all.
How do you explain his decision to come to Cyprus, an island with, after all, a
fairly small Catholic community?

I don’t know how many invitations the Pope
receives and from how many countries. I only know that he decided to accept the
invitation of the Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II, and the
President Dimitri Christofias. There had been a precedent and perhaps that also
counted: John Paul II had wanted to visit the island but, due to questions of
time and the Pope’s poor health, he never made the journey. It is true that the
Catholic community in Cyprus is small, but I do not think that this is a
contra-indication. However that may be, I believe that Benedict XVI decided to
make the visit prior to the Synod on the Middle East. In addition, he will also
have thought about the political and religious situation of the island. It’s
not that the Pope can solve the problem of the division of Cyprus or tell the
leaders what they should do, but his presence can give courage and a positive
impulse to relations between the two sides.

When the trip was announced, some
people imagined that it would have particular consequences on ecumenical
dialogue at a European, or even global, level. What do you think about this?
What are the daily relations between Catholics and Orthodox like in Cyprus, and
with the Turkish Muslim minority?

It’s natural that people think like that.
Going to a country with an Orthodox majority, it is obvious that some people
think that the meeting between the Pope and the leaders of the local Church can
be ecumenical in character, that it is like a step ahead in the encounter,
understanding and reciprocal acceptance. However, I do not believe that it can
go further. I expect that after the visit, relations between the Catholic and Orthodox
Churches in Cyprus will become even closer. They are already excellent and at a
level that I do not believe can be found elsewhere in parts of the world where
the two Churches coexist. I’ll pass over the minor difficulties that sometimes
we come up against. In general, these are the fruit of ignorance or prejudice
fuelled by the long separation and reciprocal non-recognition between the two
sides. The positive fact is that the Catholic Church in Cyprus is accepted,
recognized and esteemed for its work of apostolate and education. There are
already some forms of collaboration, but the Pope’s visit will certainly be a
privileged occasion for the bonds to become even closer. With the Muslims, on
the contrary, we have no relations.

Holy Land facing hurdles too high to jump over?

A recently published story about the comments on the future of the Holy Land made by His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, are nothing new: the Holy Land is facing a significant reduction in the numbers of Christians living there and help from the world’s Christians is desperately needed. No one following the Church can say this is news since for years it’s been said that the various Christian communities are leaving in vast numbers each year due to oppression and other hardships. What may be new, perhaps, is that the Patriarch is now admitting that the methodology to secure a better life and peace in that region was wrong. Arab-Israeli problems are only the tip of the iceberg. Divisions in the Christian community have made matters worse, even hopeless for many. Even the Pope’s visit made little difference. Everything from the economy to education, to security, to personal freedoms, to religious sectarianism among the Christians has not produced one iota of hope for the future. What does a Christian presence in the Holy Land mean today? What difference does it make? What to do? First, one ought to pray. Second, one ought to find ways to understand the issues at hand; the witness of practicing Christians at the Holy Places in Jerusalem is crucial for the memory and active memory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; but knowing the facts can be hard to do since the media is controlled by the Israelis who ideologically spin the stories. Third, do something. Christians around the world need to do something to be in solidarity with Christians there. Fourth, respond with reason and humanity. Can one image in the Holy Land without Christians? I can. AND that’s a problem. Charity needs to have a presence. Charity needs a face and a voice. What about yours?

What’s happening in Gaza today? The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem gives a perspective

True to itself and its focus on what Eastern Christians have to say, Oasis asked His Beatitude, Archbishop Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, for his opinion about what is happening in Gaza right now. Oasis met him at this home, in Jerusalem, a few days after the start of Israel’s ‘Cast Lead’ operation. Archbishop Twal’s words show a man clearly affected by the situation, concerned that things might be going backward with disastrous consequences for the whole region.

Your Beatitude, what are your thoughts about the latest developments?

In our Christmas message we had given voice to hope for peace in the Holy Land. Things seemed close at hand. More and more private meetings were taking place; pilgrims were coming in greater numbers; the economic situation in the Territories was getting better. Now, things are back where they were years ago. Military solutions are never good; violence begets violence. There is a clear imbalance between the parties. There have been too many innocent victims who have nothing to do with Hamas: women, children, families who had a right to lead a normal life, free. Gaza is under siege by land, sea and air. The city has been turned into an open air prison. Objectively such conditions cannot favour peace and reconciliation. In any case it certainly will not boost hope that violence will stop one day. On the contrary!

Doesn’t Israel have a right to defend itself?

Of course! Everyone has the right to self-defence. Israel has won every war in defending itself, but has achieved neither peace, nor security. Counting only on the military option without offering people real alternatives is not a solution. Gaza’s siege does not date from yesterday. This applies to Palestinians as well because even the most extreme situation does not cancel one’s moral responsibilities vis-à-vis one’s actions. But this is true not only for Palestinians.

What is a way out then?

I’ll leave that to the politicians and the specialists. It’s obvious that diplomatic negotiations have not led to good results as far as violence in Gaza is concerned. And yet we can also see that awareness about solving this problem has increased at the international level. There are three or four good initiatives underway. The world seems to be doing more to solve the problems of the Middle East. Hope never dies, even if it is already very late. The only way out is political. But if there is no good will by the parties involved, all we’ll ever get are empty words, promises and meetings without any results.

What should Christians in the Holy Land and around the world do about events in Gaza?

First of all everyone must assume his or her responsibilities. Violence calls for our conversion. Our heart must convert, what we say must change, our outlook must change. Widespread mistrust does not help; it is very destructive.

Is the visit by the Holy Father a good idea?

In Jerusalem we are grateful to the Pope for his constant attention and words. We are certain that a visit would help us a lot; the same is true for pilgrims who come to the Holy Land. They can help us remind the international community that joint action is always more courageous; they can exert pressure in favour of greater justice and peace for all. Pious words are not enough; we need acts of courage.

Courtesy of the Oasis International Studies and Research Centre

Pope’s Charity head for the Holy Land Speaks Out

by Manuela Borraccino

Rome – December 9, 2008

Christians in the Holy Land face innumerable hardships, but one organization committed to helping ease their suffering – and those of other religions who are struggling – is the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, a pontifical agency for humanitarian and pastoral support. The organization’s Secretary General, Msgr. Robert L. Stern, spoke with Terrasanta.net recently about the challenges facing Christians there, the Pope’s planned visit to the Holy Land next year, the possible impact of a new American President, and the importance of international aid to the region.

Monsignor Stern, what are the main problems from your perspective?

Christians in the Middle East are in a sense strangers in a strange land, even though they have been born there, because if they live in Israel, they live in a Jewish state and society. In all the other countries, they live in a Muslim state and in Muslim society. So even though they are descendants of the original inhabitants of the land, still they are made to feel that they don’t “fit” anymore. Sometimes, the way they live and talk encourages this because Christians identify with the West. The paradox is that sometimes in the Holy Land they say: you Christians don’t belong here, you belong to Western Europe. And yet, this is where Christianity started.

So they are second class citizens?

In Islam, Christians and Jews are considered people of the Book, and therefore they are respected as forerunners of Islam but not fully conforming to the Will of God. And so they are second class citizens, but they have a unique status. In Israel of course, in a Jewish state, if you are not a Jew, even though it’s a democratic society, you are in fact a second class citizen as well. So it’s the very nature of being a Christian in that part of the world. And in that part of the world your religious identity comes first; in the West it’s more your national identity that comes first.

In which countries is there discrimination against Christians?

If you don’t identify entirely with all their values, then, depending on the countries, it varies. Let’s take Egypt for example: to really succeed in many roles, in politics and business, your chances are better if you are Muslim. It doesn’t mean that to succeed is impossible, but it’s human nature…There’s a kind of discrimination which is the way people act when they deal with someone who is not quite a member of their own group.

What is the future for Christians in the Middle East?

Well, if you look at it very dispassionately, from a sort of sociological point of view (sociologists look at trends and the statistics of 500 years ago, 1000 years ago, 100 years ago), what seems to be happening is the exodus of Christians from all over the Middle East. Right now, Israel-Palestine has the smallest proportion of Christians than in any country of the Middle East…What we are really seeing over the centuries is an accelerating movement of Christians away from that part of the world.

What role can Christians play in those societies?

Christians as minorities are, generally speaking, well-educated professionals and compared to their numbers they have an important influence in each of the countries in which they live. And that’s a contribution. I also feel that the Christians can be a sort of bridge because in most of the countries they are Arabs, but they are not Muslims. They can be a connection between the modern societies of the Western world and emerging societies in the Islamic world because they are Arabs and they are Christians.

What are your expectations for Barack Obama’s presidency?

I guess my hope, especially as an American citizen, is that the new president will bring certain perspectives. If you grow up as a child of an American mother and an African father, if you grow up as a child of a Christian mother and a Muslim father, if you are born in Hawaii and you go to school in Indonesia, then you understand differences better – at least during his campaign he seemed to speak of that. So I hope that he would bring a type of perspective.

Next year the Pope will visit to Israel. Do you have any thoughts on that?

It’ll be a great shot in the arm for them. It’s exciting because when the Pope comes, the whole world follows him. I was there when Pope John Paul II came and, at that moment, everybody in the Holy Land – Muslim, Jew, Christian – everybody spent the whole day watching this white little man in a white robe praying and talking and offering Masses, visiting people. It was a moment of peace in the midst of the storm. In that period, and for a short while after, everybody seemed to be calm, and then, of course, the Second Intifada exploded and tensions renovated. I hope that Pope Benedict will be the same. He’s “Pontifex”, the bridge-builder. I hope he’s very “pontifical” when he’s there. I hope that his presence, his words and his prayers will bridge these terrible gaps between groups, religions and politics.

What are your views on international aid to Christians in the Holy Land?

We have to be concerned about the people who live there, our brothers and sisters, and all the people who live there, not only Christians. Sometimes we say: charity begins at home. At least, we have to be concerned about our fellow believers and with them and through them be concerned about them. Yes, they need a lot of help. They need to know that somebody cares. That’s the most important thing of all. They don’t quite “fit” in their own societies, and they don’t seem to have much consolation from their brothers and sisters elsewhere.

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