| WRMEA Archives 2006-2010 - 2009 July |
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July 2009, pages 16-17
What He Said
Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem
MR. PRESIDENT,
Dear Friends,
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My visit to the Aida Refugee Camp this afternoon gives me a welcome opportunity to express my solidarity with all the homeless Palestinians who long to be able to return to their birthplace, or to live permanently in a homeland of their own. Thank you, Mr. President [Mahmoud Abbas], for your kind greeting. And thank you also, [UNRWA Commissioner-General] Mrs. [Karen] AbuZayd, and our other speakers. To all the officials of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency who care for the refugees, I express the appreciation felt by countless men and women all over the world for the work that is done here and in other camps throughout the region.
I extend a particular greeting to the pupils and teachers in the school. By your commitment to education you are expressing hope in the future. To all the young people here, I say: renew your efforts to prepare for the time when you will be responsible for the affairs of the Palestinian people in years to come. Parents have a most important role here, and to all the families present in this camp I say: be sure to support your children in their studies and to nurture their gifts, so that there will be no shortage of well-qualified personnel to occupy leadership positions in the Palestinian community in the future. I know that many of your families are divided—through imprisonment of family members, or restrictions on freedom of movement—and many of you have experienced bereavement in the course of the hostilities. My heart goes out to all who suffer in this way. Please be assured that all Palestinian refugees across the world, especially those who lost homes and loved ones during the recent conflict in Gaza, are constantly remembered in my prayers.
I wish to acknowledge the good work carried out by many Church agencies in caring for refugees here and in other parts of the Palestinian territories. The Pontifical Mission for Palestine, founded some 60 years ago to coordinate Catholic humanitarian assistance for refugees, continues its much-needed work alongside other such organizations. In this camp, the presence of Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary calls to mind the charismatic figure of Saint Francis, that great apostle of peace and reconciliation. Indeed, I want to express my particular appreciation for the enormous contribution made by different members of the Franciscan family in caring for the people of these lands, making themselves “instruments of peace,” in the time-honored phrase attributed to the Saint of Assisi.
Instruments of peace. How much the people of this camp, these territories, and this entire region long for peace! In these days, that longing takes on a particular poignancy as you recall the events of May 1948 and the years of conflict, as yet unresolved, that followed from those events. You are now living in precarious and difficult conditions, with limited opportunities for employment. It is understandable that you often feel frustrated. Your legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian state, remain unfulfilled. Instead you find yourselves trapped, as so many in this region and throughout the world are trapped, in a spiral of violence, of attack and counter-attack, retaliation, and continual destruction. The whole world is longing for this spiral to be broken, for peace to put an end to the constant fighting.
Towering over us, as we gather here this afternoon, is a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached—the wall. In a world where more and more borders are being opened up—to trade, to travel, to movement of peoples, to cultural exchanges—it is tragic to see walls still being erected. How we long to see the fruits of the much more difficult task of building peace! How earnestly we pray for an end to the hostilities that have caused this wall to be built!
On both sides of the wall, great courage is needed if fear and mistrust is to be overcome, if the urge to retaliate for loss or injury is to be resisted. It takes magnanimity to seek reconciliation after years of fighting. Yet history has shown that peace can only come when the parties to a conflict are willing to move beyond their grievances and work together toward common goals, each taking seriously the concerns and fears of the other, striving to build an atmosphere of trust. There has to be a willingness to take bold and imaginative initiatives toward reconciliation: if each insists on prior concessions from the other, the result can only be stalemate.
Humanitarian aid, of the kind provided in this camp, has an essential role to play, but the long-term solution to a conflict such as this can only be political. No one expects the Palestinian and Israeli peoples to arrive at it on their own. The support of the international community is vital, and hence I make a renewed appeal to all concerned to bring their influence to bear in favor of a just and lasting solution, respecting the legitimate demands of all parties and recognizing their right to live in peace and dignity, in accordance with international law. Yet at the same time, diplomatic efforts can only succeed if Palestinians and Israelis themselves are willing to break free from the cycle of aggression. I am reminded of those other beautiful words attributed to Saint Francis: “where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury, pardon…where there is darkness, light, where there is sadness, joy.”
To all of you I renew my plea for a profound commitment to cultivate peace and nonviolence, following the example of Saint Francis and other great peacemakers. Peace has to begin in the home, in the family, in the heart. I continue to pray that all parties to the conflict in these lands will have the courage and imagination to pursue the challenging but indispensable path of reconciliation. May peace flourish once more in these lands! May God bless his people with peace!
Pope Benedict XVI made these remarks May 13, 2009. Copyright © 2009–Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
SIDEBAR
Palestinian Christians’ Mixed Emotions Over Pope’s Visit to the Holy Land
“I come as a pilgrim of peace” stated Pope Benedict XVI, as he began his weeklong visit to the Middle East. It was the third visit to the Holy Land by any pope since the founding of the modern state of Israel.
After a three-day visit to Jordan, Pope Benedict XVI arrived May 11 in Jerusalem, where he met with Israeli President Shimon Peres and the family of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The pope’s busy schedule included a visit to Bethlehem, Nazareth, and the Old City of Jerusalem, as well as the Holocaust museum Yad Vashem.
By visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories, the pope entered not only a religious and cultural minefield, but a political one as well. Those organizing the trip hoped to avoid controversy, but given the pope’s comments during a 2006 lecture in a German University regarding Islam, and his reinstatement of Holocaust denier Richard Williamson, clouds of controversy were looming over Jerusalem, the city of peace, and the “Holy Land” for the three monotheistic faiths. Not only were Jews and Muslims astir, but the pope’s diminishing Catholic flock in the Holy Land seemed confused over his timing and itinerary.
“Why the pope has come and what he wants to say are among the unanswered questions,” said Father Manuel Mussalam, pastor of the only remaining Catholic church in Gaza, where about 3,000 Christian Palestinians still live (see Jan./Feb. 2008 Washington Report, p. 16). The Israeli occupation has made it nearly impossible for Palestinian Christians to practice their faith in the Holy Land, he added. Today, for example, he said, “the nuns are not permitted to get out of Gaza through the Erez crossing in order to serve in the churches in Jerusalem.”
As long as Jerusalem is occupied territory, Father Mussalam said, he did not believe the timing was right for the pope’s visit. He also expressed regret over the fact that the pope spent three days in Jordan and three days in Israel, setting aside only one day for the Palestinians. Despite his disappointment, Mussalam expressed his deep love for Pope Benedict.
Most disheartening to Palestinian Christians was the Holy See’s determination to exclude Gaza from the pope’s visit. In a letter to the Vatican, 40 of the most prominent Christians from the occupied Palestinian territories had appealed to the Holy See to add Gaza to the pope’s itinerary. They could not understand how the pope, who has been to Auschwitz to pray for the people murdered there “as a duty to truth and to those that suffered,” could not visit those presently suffering similar terrors in Gaza. “The pope is coming right after the war crimes in Gaza,” Father Mussalam pointed out. “We hoped that he could give Palestine more time, to see the destruction, colonialism, apartheid walls that block the roads to our churches, and the siege of our people.”
In Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers tore down a stage set up for the pope’s visit near the Aida refugee camp. Palestinians say it was torn down because Israel’s illegal wall and an armed tower were visible from that location—not a favorable backdrop for papal photo-ops. Israelis hoped the pope’s visit would benefit the Jewish state politically and increase tourism by Catholics around the world. Many Palestinians felt Israel’s actions revealed it wants non-Jewish tourist money, but not non-Jewish residents.
“I understand why people are protesting, and I even sympathize with them,” said Dudu Fischer, an Israeli cantor. “But I think today the pope represents billions who can benefit us politically and help our tourism.”
When asked about the destruction of the stage in Bethlehem, Raphael Ben-Hur, senior deputy director general of the Israeli Minister of Tourism, said, “We had cooperation with the Palestinians, but they have their own agenda, and we don’t get into politics.” According to Israeli spokespersons, the stage, which required an Israeli military permit, was “illegal.” Many Christian Palestinians, however, feel the only “legal” course Israel has left them is to leave or die. “We love the Pope,” Father Mussalam explained, “however, we feel offended that he has to go through the same humiliation as us by going through the gates of the apartheid walls.”
According to the Popular Committee Against the Siege in Gaza, it is “essential that the pope, Christian and Muslim figures visit Gaza in order to observe the suffering of the residents from the Israeli siege.” Commenting on the pope’s visit, Mazin Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian Christian who lives in Bethlehem, wondered whether “as [the pope] prayed Monday at Yad Vashem, did he know that just down the hill sits the ruins of the ethnically cleansed Palestinian village of Deir Yassin, where a massacre was committed by some of those Israeli elder statesmen who stood next to him speaking about crimes of another people?”
The pontiff’s historic visit did not receive much attention in the major Israeli newspapers. A few short articles appeared in the Hebrew editions of Haaretz and Yediot Ahronot, and Ma’ariv devoted a few lines to the visit. But even the pope’s official reception did not make the headlines.
According to Father Mussalam, “The pope must make it clear that the rights of all believers must be equally respected. Jews, Christians and Muslims must have the same right to practice their religion and equal access to holy sites.”Asked what he would say to Pope Benedict if he had the opportunity to see him for a minute at the gate of his church, Father Mussalam said, “I would say welcome to the Holy Land, but I won’t hold back my tears.”—Mohammed Omer
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