LONDON, Jan. 24, 01 (CWNews.com/Fides) - Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem visited London this week to address a forum on Christianity in the Holy Land.
"Violence in Jerusalem goes against the very nature and vocation of this city. Although God created this city to be the city of reconciliation, today it is a city of non-reconciliation," said the Catholic Patriarch at the seminar on "Christians in the Holy Land: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives," being held at Westminster Cathedral Hall.
"Concretely the question of Jerusalem has a double aspect, political and religious," the Patriarch explained, "The political question is to be settled by both political parties involved, Palestinians and Israelis, removing all forms of oppression and occupation and on the basis on international resolutions. At this level the East Jerusalem of 1976 can be the capital of Palestine and West Jerusalem the capital of Israel."
Once the political aspect of the conflict is settled, the second aspect, the religious aspect is to be approached, Patriarch Sabbah said. "Political authorities have to find a special way which ensures all that is needed to keep the holiness of the city, to respect and safeguard historical and present-day religious and civil rights, to ensure freedom of worship and freedom of access in all times of peace or war. They should present this special regime to be recognized by the international community, in order to guarantee its stability."
Regarding Christians in Jerusalem, Patriarch Sabbah recalled their right to freedom of worship, but also "dignity of life, equal opportunities for all, equal rights for every religion and every person to enjoy full freedom in their own city. Christians do not ask for privileges, he said, or special protection: they are citizens and believers like the others. The only valid protection for all, Jews, Muslims and Christians, will be to create just laws which do not discriminate, because the nature of Jerusalem and its divine vocation do not admit any sort of discrimination or exclusivity."
The Patriarch concluded with a message of hope: "The conflict will one day come to an end, but authentic Christian life will always remain a struggle in order to love and to build, to keep up the ecumenical spirit, to work for constructive inter-faith dialogue and justice and peace."
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
24. januar 2001