Jerusalem: the Cross breaks down the wall of fear by Bernardo Cervellera A talk with Fr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, Custodian of the Holy Land. 24 March, 2005 ISRAEL – PALESTINE – HOLY LAND

24 March, 2005 ISRAEL – PALESTINE – HOLY LAND

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) – Jerusalem, the place of the Cross, is the city where one can feel close to God, but also where one can see the abyss caused by violence and man’s pretensions. It is the city touched by love but also stained by walls and divisions, fears between Israelis and Palestinians, between Jews, Muslims and Christians. The Holy City is a place where the signs of death live side by side with the signs of the resurrection.

Fr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custodian of the Holy Land, has accepted to talk to AsiaNews about the mission of the Christian minority in the land of Jesus and its need for support from the Churches of the rest of the world.

How does one experience Holy Week in the land where Jesus died and rose?

This year for the first time in a very long time, Jerusalem is full of pilgrims. The faithful are thronging the streets and the prevailing mood is one of celebration and prayer; this had been lost as a result of the second intifada and Israeli violence.

Easter celebrations in Jerusalem always have a special quality; people are more attentive and religious fervour is stronger.

Different but related rituals and ceremonies overlap: those of Passover, and Catholic and Orthodox Easter. This year they won’t occur at exactly the same time but most years one can see an intermixture of Jewish, Eastern and Latin rituals.

Is Easter in Jerusalem something of the past or is it still meaningful today?

It depends on whether one is Christian or not. As Christians we experience Good Friday with great intensity and emotion; we share in the suffering of Christ, His pain and the inequities of the world.

But walk just ten paces away and you step outside of this world into a society that knows nothing about it, that continues its own life. For us it is an exceptional moment; for them, just another day.

This is in no way meant to be a criticism of Muslims or Jews, but we must understand that an event so central and foundational for us leaves them totally indifferent.

In Europe, it is taken for granted that this is a time of celebration. Here, we must have different attitude. We know that Christ who died on the Cross is the source of salvation, for us both also for them even if they do not realise it.

For this reason, even though I respect their faith and their history, I am impelled to be more faithful and loving towards my faith, to be a better witness of the event that occurred here.

It is like bearing our own little cross: we feel the presence of Jesus in our inner passion.

For Christians Jerusalem is where the faith begins. But it is a place where humanity is bitter divided; the place of a war between Israelis and Palestinians that has lasted a hundred years; the place where Catholics and Eastern Christians cooperate with difficulty . . . Is it perhaps some kind of put-on? Some twisted sense of irony?

Absolutely not! Jerusalem is where God and man met. Its beauty lies in the marvel that this meeting inspired. It is where one can see the gap between God’s design and man’s pretensions. This might seem contradictory but the two go together.

There would not be so much pain in Jerusalem if Christ had not been here. At any rate, Christ took the pain of the world upon Himself and here we can see the pain of the world.

What are the signs of death and resurrection in Jerusalem?

There are inequities, pain and suffering that the Cross of Jesus embodies. But they all spring from a deeper emotion: fear. This is true for Israelis and Palestinians; for Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. Take us Christians! We talk a lot about reconciliation but are not credible.

The fear of others and the lack of trust in them have consequences that are visible to everyone.

These fears are like Jesus dying on the Cross all over again, but, as Saint Paul said, He came and “broke down the dividing wall of enmity” (cf Ephes, 2: 14).

Israel’s wall is a great injustice for it prevents so many people from going to work or school. Palestinians’ reluctance to fully accept the right of Israelis to exist and live in peace and security is another basic injustice.

Even so one can see small and quiet signs of the resurrection, which appear when conversion occurs in the heart, when the love for Jesus turns hatred into love.

There is teacher from Bethlehem who told me that every time she crossed Israeli checkpoints she was always humiliated. This went on for a long time, but, at one point, she decided she would no longer lower her eyes and hate the soldiers; she would instead look them straight in the eye as her equals. And she was freed.

In the midst of all the violence there are many groups, religious or secular, Israeli and Palestinian, who still meet despite the barriers.

There are also many people who help the poor, work for human rights and pay a personal price for their commitment.

The catechumens are another sign of the resurrection. This Easter, two Israelis are going to be baptised. In my old Hebrew-speaking communities some Palestinians will also be baptised, so will some Thais, Sri Lankans and Filipinos who have come here to work as care givers, bricklayers and domestic workers.

In Jerusalem the Church is truly the home of every nation.

Every Good Friday, money is collected for the Holy Land. What is the money for?

It was Saint Paul who first asked that money be collected for Jerusalem. We are thus in pure apostolic tradition.

The collection is important—it shows that Jerusalem belongs to every Christian in the world.

Christians are a minority in the Holy Land and alone we could not survive. For this reason the Universal Church feels the obligation to support us.

What is the money for? Of course, some of it goes into brick and mortar, i.e. to maintain and restore churches, schools and enterprises. But more than 60 per cent goes to projects that benefit the Christian population.

The Vatican Congregation for Eastern Churches led the way; it used money collected for Jerusalem to help people before it helped institutions.

What advice would you give Christians who would like to come to Jerusalem?

Thank God that pilgrims are back. I appeal to everyone to come to the Holy Land because it is safe—there are no dangers.

Coming to the Holy Land is one way to support local Christians, but also a way to find the roots of one’s faith and go to the heart of the mystery that gives life to the world.

Franciscans and the Holy Land Interview With Vicar of Custody JERUSALEM, MARCH 13, 2005 (Zenit.org)

JERUSALEM, MARCH 13, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Custody of the Holy Land was the first to promote dialogue and peace in the Middle East, a mission the Franciscans continue today, says a religious.

The Custody is part of the Order of Friars Minor that maintains 26 holy sites that represent the fundamental stages of the life of Christ and the Holy Family.

Father Artemio Vitores, vicar of the Custody, has been in the Holy Land for 34 years. The Custody today is composed of 200 Franciscans from 35 nations.

In this interview with ZENIT, Father Vitores talks about the development and mission of the Custody over the centuries.

Q: What legacy did St. Francis leave in the Holy Land?

Father Vitores: The destruction of the Holy Sepulcher by Caliph Hakim in A.D. 970 opened the doors to the age of the Crusades, that is, to war and blood. St. Francis preferred to conquer the holy sites through the method of dialogue.

His first rule, "Non Volata," says: "Brothers who go to the Holy Land must not engage in litigation or disputes, must be at the service of all, and manifest with their life that they are Christians."

If moved by the Spirit, they preached. This attitude allowed them to be free to move in Mameluk territories.

Q: Was Francis, then, the first to use the weapon of dialogue?

Father Vitores: He was the first to use the weapon of dialogue and love at the time of the Crusades. The Franciscans desired to be at the service of all, Christians and Muslims, and showed that they had a modern universalistic spirit ahead of their time.

The protection of the holy sites was the fundamental reason for the Franciscan presence in the Holy Land, which they exercised through enormous difficulties and conflicts. The Franciscans initiated a social service of assistance and formation around the sites.

In the reception hall of our convent, there are five paintings that exemplify the Franciscans' mission in the Holy Land. Among these, there are two portraits of Robert of Anjou and Sancha of Majorca, sovereigns of Naples, who acquired the Cenacle from the Sultan of Egypt in 1333, and gave it to the Franciscans, who established their first monastery there.

In 1342, Pope Clement IV institutionalized the mission of the Franciscan Custody in the Holy Land.

When Pope John Paul II went to Nazareth in 2000, he said that God's providence willed that St. Francis, the saint of peace, dialogue and love, protect the holy sites.

Q: We return to the Franciscans' social mission. In what does it consist?

Father Vitores: The Franciscans sought to provide instruction, work and a home. Around the churches that were erected next to the holy sites, they opened schools, artisan workshops and built housing. In this mission, which still continues today, the Franciscans were the vanguard in a region of Muslim majority.

In 1520, they opened the first school, while the Turks, who dominated the Holy Land for four centuries until World War I, opened their first school in 1892. In 1808, the Franciscans decided that non-Catholic boys, namely Orthodox, not be obliged to become Catholics to study in their schools.

In 1841, they instituted the first girls' school in the Holy Land, while the first Jewish girls' school was instituted in 1864, and the first Muslim girls' school in 1892.

>From 1925 to 1948, our Holy Land College welcomed Christians, Muslim and Jews anticipating modern ecumenism. In 1957, the Franciscans introduced in their schools the study of the Koran, that is, before the Second Vatican Council.

The Franciscans had an important role also in the promotion of languages. In our parochial schools Italian and French was taught, training translators and guides, while our press published in Arabic, contributing to its rescue from decadence in Palestine. The Franciscans opened mother-of-pearl and olive oil workshops and promoted other arts and trades. In addition, they constructed accommodations for needy Christians.

Q: Of what does the protection of the holy sites consist?

Father Vitores: Conservation and restoration, archaeological and biblical study of the veracity of the sites, reconstruction, appreciation of the spirituality of the sites and of their fruitfulness.

Q: The status quo regulates life at the Holy Sepulcher and the Basilica of the Nativity. Is there no other interreligious institution that regulates the religious sites, such as the mixed commission of Christians, Muslims and Jews proposed by Lord Balfour, the British foreign secretary, in 1922?

Father Vitores: This is a sore point and religions have not made the necessary efforts to overcome the division that still exists among them. Meetings are organized, but a permanent interreligious commission was never instituted to regulate religious affairs, when in reality there is a need for it, in particular in Jerusalem.

Because of its universal character, the Catholic Church -- despite the fact that Catholics represent less than 2% in Jerusalem -- would be a bridge to bring together again several faiths, Christian and non-Christian.

Q: You have lived in the Holy Land for more than 30 years. How has the role of religions evolved in the Holy Land?

Father Vitores: Unfortunately, I must say that we have witnessed a radicalization of the role of religions, which have always tried to assume a political role in society. The emergence of Orthodox political parties, above all among the Jews and Muslims, demonstrates it.

The creation of Israel as a state with a strong religious identity -- I am not questioning the creation of Israel, to avoid misunderstandings -- has therefore had a role in this sense. The result is that the Orthodox political formations have gained ground, and with these formations dialogue is not easy, either on the Israeli side, or on the Palestinian.

What will happen? Jerusalem's situation worries me. Orthodox Jewish groups received 40% approval and are growing. Wherever they control the local administrations, they apply their rules of life to public affairs -- timetables, transit -- thus discriminating against those who do not follow them. I hope that in the future we won't come to the point of limiting access to the old city to non-Jews.

Q: How do you support yourselves financially?

Father Vitores: With the Good Friday collection, also called "of the Holy Sites," promoted by the Holy See in all churches worldwide, and with the support of faithful through "Holy Land Commissions," which depend directly on the Custody and are spread throughout the world. Government aid is no longer allowed, so in some cases our mission's projects are supported in an indirect way.

The Spanish government, for example, finances some measures for Palestinian Christians as a policy of "help to minorities."

With the intifada, for example, we made ourselves responsible for the support of the poorest Christian families by allocating family quotas of 80 euros [$108] per month. Our parishes -- many Franciscans are also parish priests -- have replaced Israel and the Palestinian Authority in their social assistance responsibility.

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