Statements by First Apostolic Nuncio in Israel
VATICAN CITY, MAR 16 (ZENIT.org).- For many years, John Paul II has dreamed of visiting the Holy Land, as the climax of his Jubilee pilgrimage to places of salvation, given the 2000 years since the birth of Christ. Here Christians barely reach 3% of the population, and Catholics in particular, just 1%, half of whom are of the Latin rite. Moreover, the Christian community is highly divided: in Jerusalem there are 13 Christian communities, with their respective representatives at the hierarchical level.
Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, Nuncio in Italy for the past 2 years, was named the first Apostolic Nuncio in Israel in 1994, after having been Apostolic Delegate for many years in Jerusalem and Palestine. Speaking to Vatican Radio about the Holy Father's forthcoming trip, Archbishop Cordero Lanza said that the journey is of "historic" importance.
In addition to being the third time in history that a Pontiff has visited these lands (St. Peter and Paul VI were the first two), the visit is historic "because it takes place in a situation in which the Middle East is living through important processes: a political peace process that seeks peace to establish borders and rights, something which the Holy See is very interested in, although it doesn't involve itself directly; and a process of reconciliation among religions, which is one of the important aspects. The Pope insistently and urgently calls for greater solidarity and unity within the Catholic Church in its different rites present in the Middle East, but above all to union, solidarity, and understanding so that there will really be only one Church of Christ."
Archbishop Cordero Lanza believes that this trip will also serve as a crowning of the process of normalization of relations between Israel and the Holy See. The Archbishop, who was present first hand at the beginning of this process, recalls that the formal contacts began between 1991 and 1992 and reached a fundamental agreement in 1994, and a succeeding agreement of international law with a Treaty that served to normalize the relations from the juridical point of view. "Now [the Treaty] must be applied and respected. I think that the Pope's visit not only confirms these agreements, but is an invitation to implement them in a genuine, sincere, respectful and serene manner," the first Nuncio in Israel said.
As regards the contribution the papal trip could make to the peace process in the Middle East, the Archbishop believes the repercussions will be "indirect," "as neither the Holy See nor the Pope enter the negotiations that affect the peace process."
"However, we are all interested in obtaining peace with justice and respect for the rights of all. Therefore, the Pope's voice will become a strong invitation to find the solutions that are yet to be reached with sincerity and good will." He added, "In any event, I am convinced that all the parts are keen to achieve it."
Concerning ecumenical dialogue, the Archbishop assured that the Holy Father "will push hard to be able to have, once again, that unity that Christ desired, specifically in the Cenacle, when he established that the Church is one and that He is united to the Church and that, consequently, the components of this Mystical Body of Christ that embraces all Christians of the world must make every effort to reach and live the unity He wanted."
Zenit - The World Seen From Rome