IMAGE: CNS photo/Debbie Hill
By Judith Sudilovsky
JERUSALEM (CNS) — Except for specific incidents in Egypt
and one in Libya, Christians in the Middle East are suffering the same fate as
their fellow citizens, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic
administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, told media in response to
a journalist’s question at his first Christmas news conference.
Because of the political chaos and the destruction of parish
records, there are no statistics of how many Christians have been killed in the
conflicts, he said, but the numbers of Christians who have been killed because
they are Christian is low. Thousands of Christians have been killed as victims
of war just like others in the region, he said.
Nevertheless, Christians have remained strong in their
witness to their faith, Archbishop Pizzaballa added.
The archbishop, appointed in June, released his first
Christmas message, followed by the news conference, Dec. 19. In his message, he
said Advent and Christmas are times to “prepare for God’s surprises”
and to remember the “incredible gift” with which God surprised
humanity.
“We need God’s surprises. With these surprises God
opens up the horizon and brings the novelty that can change our world and our
lives,” Archbishop Pizzaballa said.
He also blamed the Mideast violence on the arms trade, power
interests and “relentless fundamentalism.”
“The situation of Christians in Syria, Iraq and Egypt
is a complete tragedy. In these countries, (the) cradle of our civilization,
the vicious cycle of violence which is at work seems hopeless and endless,”
he said in the message. “Wars and the way of force have not been able to
bring peace and justice; it only brought more violence, death and destruction.”
He told journalists at the news conference: “The images
of Aleppo we see in front of our eyes are shocking. …Those who are suffering
the price of this abnormal tragedy are the people.”
While the Holy Land is not facing such an extreme situation
as in the rest of the region, Christians have still had to confront several
cases of vandalism of church property, the construction of the Israeli
separation barrier in the Cremisan Valley on property belonging to dozens of
Christian families and unresolved budgetary issues regarding Christian schools,
said Archbishop Pizzaballa.
In response to a journalist’s question, Archbishop Pizzaballa
noted that the tiny Christian community in Gaza, numbering 1,000 people, is
also facing the same difficulties all Gazans face living inside the enclave as “one
big prison.” In
addition to the political and military role they play in Gaza, Hamas is also an
Islamic religious movement, and its fundamentalist religious pressure is felt
strongly by the Christian community, he said.
He also noted that, in Jordan, the patriarchate has welcomed
thousands of refugees: With a population of 7 million, the country has taken in
3 million refugees, he said. In addition, in Israel the patriarchate has also
taken on the responsibility of administering to some of the needs of a smaller
refugee community.
Commenting on a Dec. 18 terrorist attack in the Jordanian
city of Karak, where a police standoff with gunmen at a Crusader castle left 10 people dead,
including a Canadian tourist, Archbishop Pizzaballa said he hopes this was an
isolated incident and that he is “confident authorities in Jordan are
doing their best to isolate all ideological movements.”
Throughout the region, the church and Christian charities
have a presence, and one concrete way Christians can help is to financially
support these groups in their work, Archbishop Pizzaballa said, adding that there
do not seem to be any serious political attempts to resolve the conflicts.
“The circumstances are not always easy, and we know …
we have to talk of justice and mercy, but sometimes in front of these tragedies
it seems like slogans, and people are tired of slogans with no change,” he
added.
The archbishop also said education is essential to combating
all cases of extremism.
“We have our part of responsibility in those
devastating tragedies: We cannot continue to only speak about dialogue, justice
and peace. Words are not enough. We must combat poverty and injustice, and give
a continual testimony of mercy to reveal to the world the love and tenderness
of our God,” he said in his message.
Despite all of the tragedies, Christians must have hope, he
said in the message.
“This hope is the light that is continually guiding us
among the darkness and confusion of this region and of the whole world. Our
broken hearts should be ready for surprises. And Christmas is actually the time
to renew our faith in the God of surprises as we go to Bethlehem to venerate an
apparently powerless God: The child Jesus,” Archbishop Pizzaballa said. “In our
prayers, we are and we will continually carry this wounded world.”
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