Christian churches in the Holy Land defend themselves against suspicion and instrumentalization.
Papal almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski is staying in the Holy Land over Christmas at Francis' request. Here he tells us about his first…
Jerusalem's patriarchs and religious leaders released a clarification on Saturday regarding their recent meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog two days earlier. The statement emphasizes that the meeting was not a mere exchange of pleasantries at Christmas time. On the contrary, it was about conveying the Church's position on the current situation and calling for an immediate cessation of the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, on behalf of Christians around the world.
Arab Christians in the region, especially in Jordan, reacted with incomprehension to the fact that Christian leaders agreed to a Christmas meeting with the Israeli head of state, despite the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Hamas terrorists also condemned the meeting in a statement. On the Catholic side, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custodian of the Holy Places, Francesco Patton, also participated in the meeting between ecclesiastical leaders and President Herzog.
“Distorted representation”
Religious leaders say the meeting was about their stance on Gaza, as well as the situation of civilians and restrictions on movement in the West Bank, especially around Bethlehem during the Christmas season. Some Israeli media outlets focused on “marginal aspects of the meeting” for political reasons and hid the central message from Church leaders, the statement claims. “Unfortunately, some social media influencers have adopted the distorted portrayal of this Israeli media, resulting in a completely false representation of the meeting and its objectives.”
The Patriarchs and Leaders of the Church reiterate that their message since the beginning of the war in Gaza has been: “immediate and lasting humanitarian ceasefire, protection of civilians and security of facilities that provide services to them”. That was exactly what the meeting with the President was about. They defend themselves against attempts to “damage the image of Christians and churches and to subject them to political objectives that churches do not respond to or do not want to address”.
(Vatican news – sk)