Make the Holy land really holy through peace, says Latin Patriarch
-12/04/06
In a bold
Make the Holy land really holy through peace, says Latin Patriarch
-12/04/06
In a bold message, the Latin Patriarch, Michel Sabbah, who is the top Roman Catholic leader in the Holy Land, has called on Christians to overcome the language of hate and violence as they celebrate Easter.
Sabbah says that leaders from all faiths must show courage and a change of heart that would instil security, justice and peace in Israel-Palestine and across the world.
He links the message of Jesusí death and new life to the social hope which is needed at a time of conflict and hatred.
And in the face of religious fundamentalists who claim the land as their exclusive divine possession, the Catholic primate argues that it is sharing which makes it truly holy ñ not occupation.
“We, Israelis and Palestinians, are capable of freeing ourselves from the fear that comes from violence and terrorism, from the occupation imposed by the law of the strongest, and by the logic of death and hate,î declares the Patriarch.
He goes on: ìYou, who are killing, stop killing. You, who hate, stop hating. You, who occupy the land, give it back to its owners.î
“We must believe in our capacity to love, all of us, Israelis and Palestinians. We are capable of loving and of making justice for ourselves and for others.
“We need a new beginning based on new principles and a new perspective on life in this Holy Land. We are capable of freeing ourselves from the death that has been imposed on us until now.”
“In our Holy Land which for many years has been witnessing hate, mutual rejection, and death, the actions of its leaders and the life of individuals and groups simply proceed according to this logic. Kill in order to live. Kill because we are being killed. Hate because we are afraid or because we are oppressed.
ìThese are the criteria according to which we are governed and we live in a holy land, in a land of the Resurrection, in a land in which God has spoken, and in which the three religions claim that they believe in God and listen to His word.
“The feast of Easter renews our courage and helps us to face the challenges of life, private and public, as well as the difficulties we meet in the various countries where our dioceses are located: Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and Cyprus. It invites us to renew our faith in God and our confidence in ourselves so that we can better contribute to the building up of our society, in which we are called to love everyone without distinction and beyond all religious or national barriers.”
“Love and trust are more efficacious in reacquiring your lost freedom, your lost security, and your desired independence.
“We also say to the governments: You, governments, who do not believe in this language, you also are capable of loving, of living, and of transforming in terms of life and peace the relations between the two peoples in this holy land.”
“We hope that the prophecy of Prophet Isaiah will becomes reality in his land ? ‘There will be a king who reigns uprightly and princes who rule with fair judgement” (Isaiah 32. 1).
The Patriarch concludes: “We pray and we hope that our leaders can let themselves be guided by new perspectives and a new courage that will change the face of this earth and fill the minds and hearts of the people with security, justice and tranquility.”
Make the Holy land really holy through peace, says Latin Patriarch
-12/04/06
In a bold message, the Latin Patriarch, Michel Sabbah, who is the top Roman Catholic leader in the Holy Land, has called on Christians to overcome the language of hate and violence as they celebrate Easter.
Sabbah says that leaders from all faiths must show courage and a change of heart that would instil security, justice and peace in Israel-Palestine and across the world.
He links the message of Jesusí death and new life to the social hope which is needed at a time of conflict and hatred.
And in the face of religious fundamentalists who claim the land as their exclusive divine possession, the Catholic primate argues that it is sharing which makes it truly holy ñ not occupation.
“We, Israelis and Palestinians, are capable of freeing ourselves from the fear that comes from violence and terrorism, from the occupation imposed by the law of the strongest, and by the logic of death and hate,î declares the Patriarch.
He goes on: ìYou, who are killing, stop killing. You, who hate, stop hating. You, who occupy the land, give it back to its owners.î
“We must believe in our capacity to love, all of us, Israelis and Palestinians. We are capable of loving and of making justice for ourselves and for others.
“We need a new beginning based on new principles and a new perspective on life in this Holy Land. We are capable of freeing ourselves from the death that has been imposed on us until now.”
“In our Holy Land which for many years has been witnessing hate, mutual rejection, and death, the actions of its leaders and the life of individuals and groups simply proceed according to this logic. Kill in order to live. Kill because we are being killed. Hate because we are afraid or because we are oppressed.
ìThese are the criteria according to which we are governed and we live in a holy land, in a land of the Resurrection, in a land in which God has spoken, and in which the three religions claim that they believe in God and listen to His word.
“The feast of Easter renews our courage and helps us to face the challenges of life, private and public, as well as the difficulties we meet in the various countries where our dioceses are located: Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and Cyprus. It invites us to renew our faith in God and our confidence in ourselves so that we can better contribute to the building up of our society, in which we are called to love everyone without distinction and beyond all religious or national barriers.”
“Love and trust are more efficacious in reacquiring your lost freedom, your lost security, and your desired independence.
“We also say to the governments: You, governments, who do not believe in this language, you also are capable of loving, of living, and of transforming in terms of life and peace the relations between the two peoples in this holy land.”
“We hope that the prophecy of Prophet Isaiah will becomes reality in his land ? ‘There will be a king who reigns uprightly and princes who rule with fair judgement” (Isaiah 32. 1).
The Patriarch concludes: “We pray and we hope that our leaders can let themselves be guided by new perspectives and a new courage that will change the face of this earth and fill the minds and hearts of the people with security, justice and tranquility.”