HOLY LAND Patriarch Pizzaballa: the “law of the strongest” rules in Jerusalem

The Latin primate participates in the work of the Synod on synodality that takes place from February 13 to 18. The holy city is losing its peaceful heart and its status as a reference point for the three great monotheistic religions. The need to defend identity borders and the “difficult” situation of Christians in the region.

Beirut () – “We come from different realities, but we have in common the fact that we belong to countries at war, characterized by political tensions and deep divisions. And then there are the distances, whether geographical or cultural.” Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the 56-year-old Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, is currently in Lebanon. The prelate presided over the Conference of Latin Bishops of the Arab Region (CELRA). which held its annual session, and participated in the continental phase of the synod on synodality from February 13 to 18. “Only in my region -he adds- we speak three different Arabic dialects: Jordanian, Egyptian and Lebanese and now, due to Cyprus, we also have to speak Turkish.”

At a time when the situation in Israel is becoming explosive, the patriarch addressed various issues related to the Church and the region. Indeed, deep social disparities exist in the societies where the Latin Church lives and works, not to mention Jerusalem, the spiritual heart of Christians, Jews and Muslims. With the current government “there is no longer a peaceful status quo” or, in any case, a truce between the parties, but rather “the law of the strongest” seems to be imposed more and more.

Defend the “frontiers of identity”

“In general, we talk about our need to defend ourselves: to defend our identity, physical, political confines, etc. The role of Jerusalem is to remain an open city, as the Holy See has always maintained. Sure, some doors are necessary, but they don’t have to end up excluding. We must learn to be inclusive, not to reject”, he adds, speaking for the holy city’s vocation to welcome, which can count on the creation of jobs and the economic prosperity of its native population.

From his way of speaking it is evident that the concern of Patriarch Pizzaballa is not limited to Latinos -whose number does not exceed 55,000 faithful between Israel and the West Bank- but encompasses all the peoples present in the diocese, including tens of thousands of immigrants from Asia who work there. The pastoral network of the Latin Church includes numerous reception centers (parishes, kindergartens, dispensaries and hospitals, schools, universities, institutes of higher studies and youth organizations), within which one can see a mixture of these very diverse groups among Yeah.

Hard times

“We live in difficult times,” acknowledges the Latino primate, taking into account the manhunt launched by the Israeli army and the acts of vandalism and anti-Christian hatred that some Jewish extremist groups are multiplying. “All the countries in the region, in one way or another, seem to have been taken hostage, which explains the human hemorrhage that we are all witnessing,” the patriarch continues. “This especially affects Christians – he continues – but the younger generations cannot be prevented from wanting to escape from a situation without horizons”. And Lebanon is “the country to which all the Christians of the Arab world turn, to regain strength and give meaning to their presence” in the region.

The educational mission of the Latin Church, the true “backbone” of the Christian presence in Lebanon according to the Lebanese Bishop of the Latins César Essay, runs serious risks of bankruptcy due to the depreciation of the lira. The issue is included in the agenda of the work session, together with the situation of the clergy, reduced, like the entire population, to a state of precariousness. “The collapse of these structures would be a fatal blow to the country,” insisted the bishop, who added that almost half of the students who attend Catholic schools belong to the Latin Church. This missionary work “is also of primary importance in Syria and Iraq”, added the patriarch, citing two other realities of great relevance.

Synod on synodality

The Synod on Synodality convened by Pope Francis is one of the most important items on the session’s agenda. “Things don’t change on their own,” the Pizzaballa patriarch told . “We must, first of all, design a clear personal vision of the work to be done and then we must work at an institutional level, which is much more difficult.” Taking as an example the conservation work of the Holy Sepulchre, which began in 1947 and took 70 years to complete, the primate of Latinos comments: “You have to know how to wait for the people you work with to understand. And not give up. If they feel loved, people end up accepting. It takes longer, but that way lasts over time!”