Feature - Patriarch says Holy Land needs new leaders 30 Mar 2004, heraldsun, CathNews

The top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land is Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah. He says there are no signs that the current Israeli government is heading toward compromise. "The (Israeli) government is preparing for permanent war," he said.

VATICAN - ASIA/HOLY LAND - Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem issues Lenten Message: “However, the human person in this land is not called to live in a state of permanent war...those who impose oppression have the duty to put an end to it so that the land might then know the security and peace that are so much desired” 04-03-04, Agenzia Fides - Agenzia della Congregazione per l'Evangelizzazione dei Popoli

Jerusalem (Fides Service) - “Fasting is to return to God and thereby to return to all our brothers and sisters. It is to rid ourselves of all the evils that have accumulated in us, so that we acquire the strength of the Spirit in order to be strong in all the areas of our life. The others will then respect our strength, which will be then the fruit of love and not the fruit of pride or the oppression of others.” This is part of a Lenten message issued by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem His Beatitude Michel Sabbah.

In part one of his message “Our spiritual life”, the Patriarch says Lent is a time of penance, a time to return to God, time to be with the Lord. Amidst the daily difficulties and anxieties of life, the Spirit of the Lord, “sustains us and gives us the true strength to persevere and remain constant in our daily spiritual combat is our guide in the building up of the Kingdom of God on earth. Thus, every land and every parish might indeed become the abode of God on earth and a holy land..” In part two of the message “The conflict in the Holy Land in our lives in these days”, the Patriarch reminds his people that Lent is a time to share: “In the difficult times we are living and in face of the various deprivations imposed on many, sharing is a duty…By living, within our souls and within our prayers, the oppression of some and the fears of others and by becoming conscious of our part in the responsibility for putting an end to this, we carry out our Lent. Thus we are involved in constructing the Kingdom of God among us and within our society that is at war.” The situation in the Holy Land and Palestine is one of war, the Patriarch says: “ siege imposed on all, death imposed on some, prison and torture, various deprivations, house demolitions, destruction of agriculture, attacks and killings of innocent victims. In the midst of all this, our life is a difficult and painful search for justice and peace..” Although those responsible for the war act “as if they were planning for a permanent war and not for a permanent peace. However, the human person in this land is not called to live in a state of permanent war. God has said: Live in the land in peace, peace with God, who chose the land for his abode, and peace with those who live in it. Peace cannot be established while oppression and the violence that results from it continue. Depriving a people of its liberty and of its land is oppression that no conscience can accept. ”

The message voices sympathy with priests, religious men and women in every parish forced to spend hours of long waiting at road blocks in order to exercise their pastoral ministry, urging them to have patience and to pray to God for Palestinians and Israelis alike: “ Accept these difficulties as a sharing with all the poor ones of this land.” The message ends on a note of hope: “ Lent, a time of fasting and prayer, is a time to return to God. It is a time to be conscious of the Kingdom of God that is among us and that we are to establish in our society. It is a time when all believers in God might be filled both by His love and His force..”

(S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 4/3/2004; Righe 21; Parole 278)

Patriarch Sabbah: Living with fear gives insight into Lenten message NEWS BRIEFS Mar-5-2004, By Catholic News Service

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- By living with oppression and fear, Catholics in the Holy Land have an intrinsic understanding of Lent's message of love and repentance, said the Latin-rite patriarch of Jerusalem. The Lenten fast is a time of repentance and return to God and a time to cleanse and rid oneself of accumulated evils in order to strengthen the spirit, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah said in a message released March 3. "Others will then respect our strength, which will be then the fruit of love and not the fruit of pride or the oppression of others," he said. Lent is also a time of sharing, he said, noting that in a time of oppression and violence sharing is also a duty. "Spiritually speaking, we cannot build up the kingdom of God that is among us alone. We build it up with all those that suffer," he said. "By living, within our souls and within our prayers, the oppression of some and the fears of others and by becoming conscious of our part in the responsibility for putting an end to this, we carry out our Lent."

Jerusalem Patriarch raps Israelis, Palestinians alike Jerusalem, Mar. 04 (FIDES/CWNews.com)

Jerusalem, Mar. 04 (FIDES/CWNews.com) - The Latin-rite Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem strongly criticized both Israeli and Palestinian leaders in his annual Lenten message.

Patriarch Michel Sabbah issued a two-part message for Lent, with the first section devoted exclusively to the need for prayer, fasting, and spiritual renewal. In the second section, he addressed the continuing conflict in the Holy Land. He suggested that Lent would be a good occasion for both examining consciences and exhibiting Christian charity-- "living-- within our souls and our prayers-- the oppression of some and the fears of others." The struggle will end, he said, when leaders come to understand that they must be "the servants of the people, instead of serving themselves and their own interests."

The Palestinian prelate said: "Those responsible for war in this land seem to be acting these days as if they were planning for a permanent war and not for a permanent peace."

[The full text of the Patriarch's message is available through the Fides news service.]

In a statement clearly intended to challenge both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, he continued:

Peace cannot be established while oppression and the violence that results from it continue. Depriving a people of its liberty and of its land is oppression that no conscience can accept. Likewise, no conscience can accept killing innocent people in order to protest oppression.

The conflict in the Holy Land is severely handicapping the mission of the Church, the Patriarch continued. He noted that "priests and men and women religious in the parishes spend long hours at the military checkpoints in order to carry out their pastoral work." But Patriarch Michel urged Church workers to be patient in these trials. "Accept these difficulties as a sharing with all the poor ones of this land," he urged them.

The Patriarch concluded his Lenten message with a quotation from St. Cyril of Jerusalem: "Do not rejoice in the cross in time of peace only, but hold fast to the same faith in time of persecution also. Do not be a friend of Jesus in time of peace only but also in time of persecution.”