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In 2008, Monsignor Fouad Twal will become new Latin Patriarch of
Jerusalem, replacing Michel Sabbah. “Peace will be possible only
with a strong Palestinian state,” he explains. “And we
Christians will be living better too.”
Born in Madaba (Jordan) in 1940, former archbishop of Tunis and
Chairman of the Episcopal Conference of North Africa, Mons.
Fouad Twal has been the coadjutor archbishop of Mons. Michel
Sabbah, Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch, since November 2005. This
means that, from 2008, Mons. Twal will be the new Latin
Patriarch in the Holy Land.
Thanks to his past experiences, (studies at Beit Jala seminary,
near Bethlehem; service as a parish priest in Ramallah; and
service as a Vatican diplomat for many years), and his more
recent ones (just one example: one of his cousins is a nun in
the convent in Gaza, which was assaulted during the days of
reckoning between Hamas and Fatah), he is an unparalleled
observer of the conflicts between Palestinians themselves and
between Palestinians and Israelis, in addition to understanding
the difficult situation that Christians in the Middle-East have
undergone.
Q: They have been trying for years to implement the strategy of
two independent and sovereign states, one for the Palestinians
and one for the Israelis. Now we risk having two Palestinian
rival states. A dangerous paradox….
A: “We all are concerned. Yet, even the most recent facts must
be set in perspective. Now, everyone is rushing to help Mahmoud
Abbas and Fatah but it makes one wonder why they hadn’t done it
before, when the President could have relied on a solid power.
Mahmoud Abbas is the most moderate man one could ever imagine,
yet the US, Europe and Israel pushed him towards elections that
he could only lose. The Christians from Bethlehem and Beit Jala
regarded his government as being incapable of settling even one
of the problems and therefore they said to themselves: ‘let’s
try voting Hamas.’ Not just because they’re as fanatical and
radical as Hamas militants but because they were feeling
exasperated. It’s the absence of a strong Palestinian state that
paved the way to chaos and the deeds by the strongest and most
unscrupulous adventurers.”
Q: Yet there are people who think that a strong Palestinian
state might cause the by-product of cutting off Palestinian
Christians even more …
A: “The Palestinian Muslims are aware of the importance of the
Christian community in the Holy Land. They know that the Vatican
is with us, that the West is watching us. When Benedict XVI
addressed a speech in Regensburg, which, to many within the
Muslim environment, was used to distort for polemical purposes,
Hamas dispatched its soldiers to protect churches
round-the-clock. I think we don’t have to fear a Palestinian
state. If a strong government is to arise, we’ll be living
peacefully; otherwise, it will be chaos for everyone.”
Q: Hamas, in Europe and the US, is nearly synonym of terrorism,
suicide-bombers. They can hardly be trusted….
A: “Terrorism can never be accounted for. Never. Yet, all kinds
of violence must be condemned. Also the context that provokes
total despair must be condemned. Any time there’s no work, no
future, no dignity, it’s possible, not to say probable, that
some violent reactions, capable of bringing about many innocent
victims, come about. Luckily enough, it’s been almost two years
since the last terrorist attack took place.”
Q: That is, thanks to the Wall, the Israelis say, and they are
not the only ones, …
A: “Asserting this is a bad mistake. It was a political
decision, since the Palestinian has at last become aware that
the terrorism policy, apart from being dreadful, was also
damaging their own interests and was bound to fail. In Israel
there are some 1.3 million Muslims with Israeli passports. The
Wall is useless against them. Unless you think that there are no
fanatic or violent people amongst them. At any rate, if we
believe this to be the right solution, there’s nothing left but
to build walls anywhere there is a problem or a crisis. In the
end, we’ll all have imprisoned ourselves.”
Q: What about the Christians?
A: “We are between the devil and the blue deep sea. Our weak
points are blatant. We are few: 2-3% in Jordan, 2% in the
Occupied Territories. We’re divided: there are 13 different
Christian Churches, hence, I know that when I speak, I’m not
doing it on everyone’s behalf. And then, of course, the Israeli
military occupation brings about many difficulties to pastoral
activity. Just some examples: we have 12 Palestinian priests
who, in order to move, always need permits. Transferring a
priest is always a tragedy, first we need to know whether or not
Israel will allow him to leave one parish for another. The Latin
Patriarchate covers Jordan, Israel and Palestine, hence, three
borders and hundreds of check-points: the Franciscan parish
priest of Bethlehem isn’t permitted to arrange a pilgrimage to
the Holy Sepulcre; we’re not allowed to have a spiritual retreat
in Jerusalem with all the priests. And so on. A final problem:
the haemorrhage of Christians who choose emigration. In
Jerusalem there are 8-10 thousand Christians, 200 thousand
Muslims and half a million Israelis. We believe, we preach, we
shout that the presence in the Holy Land is a vocation, a
mission. Yet, when a father sees that there’s no peace or
tranquillity for his children, the temptation to leave is
strong. Despite this, we remain optimistic and don’t give up
hope. And each group of pilgrims that comes here tells us that
the universal Church is with us.”
Q: Would you like to ask something of Western Christians?
A: “In January 2006, the co-ordination of worldwide Episcopal
Conferences was held here and adopted the four P’s. The first is
“Prayer”: preach for us, praying is a very effective means.
Second, “Pilgrimages”: pay trustfully a visit to us. Try to
visit also Bethlehem, to buy something at the stores, to lodge
at the hotels and go to the restaurants, since, if the agency,
the guide and the hotel are Israeli, you’ll never see the
Christian Community of the Holy Land. It’s a way of concretely
supporting the Christian Palestinians, besides strengthening
one’s own faith at the origins of the mother Church. “Projects”:
they may be social, educational, sponsoring parishes, long
distance-adoptions of seminarians and students. Apropos of
students: we, as Latin Patriarchate and Holy Land Custody, have
over 50 thousands of them. After Hamas’s electoral victory,
Europe and the US called off aid to the Palestinians. Outcome:
150 thousand state employees were left with no wage and couldn’t
any longer pay for their children’s school fees. We’ve not even
dreamed of leaving them at home. The deficit has done nothing
but rise, yet the Lord will reward us with vocations. And last,
“Pressure”: this final “p” was added by the American Catholics,
who number about 70 million and can exert influence on the
politicians they had a share in appointing. In Europe, this fact
is rarer, yet people can at least give correct information.”
http://www.tlaxcala.es/pp.asp?reference=3561&lg=en
Source: Famiglia
Cristiana n°32 |
