A Mercy Christmas in Response to ‘Blood and Violence’ in the Holy Land

The prelate highlights the “silence” regarding the deaths related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Concern over the language used by senior officials of the next Israeli government, whose prospects “are not encouraging.” The first “open” celebrations after the restrictions imposed by Covid-19 and the “surprising explosion” of pilgrimages.

Milan () – A “year of blood that has passed in silence” and “concern” about the “violent” language used by some members of the future government coalition, with the return to power of the veteran Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, are some of the issues that the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Msgr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, referred to in an interview with , upon his return from a pastoral visit to Gaza and on the eve of Christmas celebrations. The primate speaks of a celebration “without restrictions, open” after the confinements imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and characterized by the “surprising” arrival of a large number of pilgrims, especially from Asia, where the “devotional element” predominates. Lastly, he referred to migrations, which risk emptying the Holy Land of the Christian component. Here is the interview with the Pizzaballa patriarch:

Your Beatitude, what will Christmas be like for the Christians of the Holy Land?

It will be a Christmas without restrictions, open, with the presence of numerous pilgrims. We have returned to a normal situation [pre-pandemia de Covid]without particular problems.

Was such an important recovery of pilgrimages expected?

The numbers are exciting and amazing. We knew that there would be a recovery but, listening to the forecasts of the ministries, we thought that it would be gradual. Instead, we are witnessing a veritable explosion. In addition, the origin has changed: Europe is less numerous, while the United States, the Americas in general, Asia and even Africa are growing a lot.

What is the difference between those arriving today, especially from Asia, compared to the past?

In the past, both for visas and for economic reasons, the pilgrimage was much easier from Western countries, Europe and the US above all. Now the situation has changed, both economically and in terms of opening and international visas, after the pandemic. All this has facilitated the access of Christians – not only Catholics – beginning with Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, which today is the forerunner of Asia. In addition, there is a difference in the way of approaching the pilgrimage: the European one is more cultural, touristic, while in the Asian countries the religious and devotional element predominates.

Another recurring theme is migration, which particularly seriously affects Christians…

I always insist on saying that Christians are not a world apart but that we live the same reality as the rest. There is no Christian problem, but we can speak of a Palestinian Christian problem linked above all to the Palestinian question. The greatest difficulty is economic and is related to the political issue, with the fragility of the perspectives, with the tensions. Then there are the families worried about the future. Migration is a temptation for everyone, not only for Christians, but since we are few, it affects us more than Muslims, who continue to grow.

Speaking of migration, the incident at sea involving a boat carrying Palestinian migrants that left eight victims has sparked anger and sparked protests in Gaza. A new item?

The Mediterranean is not only a space for trade, energy and wealth, but has also become a basin of emigration, of population flows from the south of the world to the north, and this phenomenon also includes the Strip, as we have seen in Cyprus with the trafficking of human beings. [En el caso de Gaza] one more political issue must be added, because the Palestinians – and especially those from the Strip – have no other way out.

Patriarch Pizzaballa, ends a year of attacks and victims in Israel and Palestine, which in many cases have passed in silence: how do you explain this increasingly violent drift, in the face of general indifference?

True, this year many bloody events passed in silence. We Catholic bishops have also denounced it: this year we had the highest number of Palestinian deaths due to the political context in the Territories. They don’t talk about it anymore, although almost every day someone dies. We also know that the Palestinian issue is no longer the focus of international politics or the media, whose interest is concentrated in Ukraine and other parts of the planet. The Palestinian question seems to have tired the majority. Added to this is the complexity of the situation that is not adapted to current communication, which is increasingly accelerated and leaves no time or space for in-depth analysis.

The end of the year marks, among other things, the return of Benjamin Netanyahu to the post of prime minister and the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. What is the position of the church?

Talking about prospects with this government is complicated and we have already expressed our concern about the violent language of some members of the coalition. A tendency that should be excluded both within Jewish society and towards non-Jews in the State of Israel, in addition to the Palestinian issue that they really don’t want to hear about. The prospects are not encouraging and threaten the already delicate balance between the various communities that make up our society: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, Israelis. As a Church we will continue without letting our guard down and being very clear.

In these days you will publish the Christmas message. Which is the central theme?

In a context of violence, in all senses and at all levels, the Christmas message is a message of mercy, which, however, also awaits our response. It is God’s judgment on the people, which requires our response.