Pope Ends Rancorous Israel Trip With Visit to Other Christian Communities

May 15, 2009

Article originally printed here.

Pope Benedict XVI ended his five-day visit to Israel on a positive note visiting Christian churches of other denominations and solidifying his stance on anti-Semitism after a rancorous week laden with comparisons to his predecessor and disappointment among Israelis.

In his farewell address, the Pontiff emphasized the “solemn” occasion of visiting the Holocaust Memorial and hoped to shed some of the aspersion cast on his statements, which appeared to be rote and lacked enough remorse for the majority of the Israeli public. Local media was awash with criticism for the Pope’s statements since his first day in the country.

“I wish to put on record that I came to visit this country as a friend of the Israelis, just as I am a friend of the Palestinian people,” he said at the airport.

Addressing his speech on the Holocaust directly, Benedict said meeting Jewish survivors was a deeply moving encounter that brought back memories of those “brutally exterminated” he said, choosing the word “exterminated” rather than “killed,” a word many Jews felt wasn’t strong enough in his previous speech.

Compared to Pope John Paul II on virtually every leg of his journey, Benedict was accused of failing to follow the lead of his predecessor in expressing remorse for the Catholic church’s historic persecution of Jews. He also omitted his own experience in the German army.

But Rabbi David Rosen, a spokesman for interfaith dialogue in Israel, has said all along that this Pope is an academic, not a diplomat.

“Benedict is shier than his predecessor and not comfortable in public relations, dealing with image,” he said. “There is a big difference in style the way they communicate and the nature of their communication.”

During this papal visit, Palestinians scored a major political boost from the Pope as he called for a Palestinian state in several speeches and sermons and expressed empathy with the suffering of the people. And as he left the country, he again noted the separation wall, something he called “one of the saddest sights for me during my visit to these lands.”

“Let it be universally recognized that the State of Israel has the right to exist, and to enjoy peace and security within internationally agreed borders,” he said. “Let it be likewise acknowledged that the Palestinian people have a right to a sovereign independent homeland, to live with dignity and to travel freely.”

Israeli President Shimon Peres absolved Benedict of his statements on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, saying they carried “substantive weight.”

In a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pope Benedict condemned anti-Semitism and hate against the State of Israel, the prime minister’s office said. Netanyahu asked the Pontiff to sound his moral voice against Iran.

On his last day, Pope Benedict visited the Greek Patriarchate, the Holy Sepulchre Church, the tradition site of Jesus’ death and burial, and St. James Armenian Convent, where he praised progress in relations between Catholics and Orthodox faiths.

Archbishop Nourhan Manougian reminded the Pope that many nations have yet to recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in Turkey. The Pontiff did not address the sticky political situation in his speech, but the 200 Armenians gathered were nevertheless pleased for the recognition of their community as the last stop on the Pope’s tour in the Holy Land.

“The significance is that we are one of the Christian communities in the Old City and for us it is a great honor to be visited by the Pope,” said Michael Zakarian. “It is good for Armenians to be recognized especially being such a small minority”

More than 40,000 Attend Nazareth Mass

May 14, 2009

From an amphitheater built specifically for this mass, Pope Benedict XVI exhorted Christians and Muslims in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth to repair damaged relations between them and to “find the way to a peaceful coexistence.”

The Galilean city, with a 30 percent Christian population, has been marred by tensions in recent years between Christians and the Muslim majority. Muslims tried to build an unauthorized mosque that would have towered over the Basilica of the Annunciation, but the Israeli government put a stop to the construction in 2002 and offered alternative sites for the Islamic house of prayer.

Tensions persist, however. Prior to the visit, the Northern Islamic Movement called on Muslim leaders to boycott interfaith meetings with the Pope. Benedict offended Muslims worldwide when he quoted in September 2006 a medieval description of the religion as “evil and inhuman” and ”spread by sword.” Benedict made it clear that the text did not reflect his own views, but Muslims violently protested in cities around the world and even attacked churches in Palestinian areas. 

Earlier this month, an imam strung up a banner across Nazareth’s main square warning the Pope: “Those who harm Allah and His Messenger – Allah has cursed them in this world and in the hereafter, and has prepared for them a humiliating punishment.”

Despite these threats though, Muslims, Druze, Jews and Christians participated in the interfaith dialogue in Nazareth and during a song about peace sung in three languages, the Pope and the representatives of different religions on the platform clasped hands and stood together - a far cry from the interfaith meeting in Jerusalem on Monday that ended abruptly after an Islamic judge  used the platform to criticize Israel in unscheduled speech.

The Pontiff also met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon to discuss the peace process and agreements on land and taxes between the Vatican and Israeli government. 

Some 40,000 worshippers attended the mass on the hill surrounding the 7,000-seat amphitheater, the biggest in Israel. The theater was built on Mount Precipice, where a mob tried to throw Jesus off a cliff according to the New Testament.

“This is first-class exposure and will encourage tourism in the future. We are expecting a wave of tourism following this,” said Mayor Ramiz Jaraisy told reporters prior to the mass. “We hope for a specific call from the Pope for people to come and make prilrimage to the Holy Land.”

At the mass, Archbishop of Galilee for the Greek Melkite Church Elias Chacour welcomed the pope and pled for his”moral and spiritual support” to stem the exodus of Christians from the Holy Land. The flight of Christians “fills me with pain” and that the future is not encouraging.

But while exhorting local Christians to stay in the Holy Land and calling on several occasions for a Palestinian state, the Pontiff failed to address Muslim persecution of Christians. He blamed the economy, limited movement and Israeli policies as the reasons Christians are leaving the Holy Land.

Tomorrow, the Pontiff will visit the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried, and Saint James Armenian Church before he returns to the Vatican.

Palestinians Boosted by Pope’s Call for Statehood

May 13, 2009

BETHLEHEM - Palestinians scored a major political boost from Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the Holy Land as he called for a Palestinian state in several speeches and sermons and expressed empathy with the suffering of Palestinians on Wednesday. 

“It is understandable that you often feel frustrated,” the Pontiff told residents living in the Aida refugee camp. “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.”

Earlier addressing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the Pope said: “the Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders.”

Speaking in the shadow of the concrete barrier erected by Israel in response to terror attacks, the Pope appealed for an easing of Israeli security restrictions on Palestinians.

“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.”

He also called on Palestinian youths to “have the courage to resist any temptation you may feel to resort to acts of violence or terrorism.”

The Palestinian Authority deployed 4,000 police throughout the city and closed several roads. The city was decorated with Vatican and Palestinian flags side by side and posters declaring, “Our Pope is our hope.” 

If any group needed his support, it was the Palestinian Christians, a minority of just 2 percent whose numbers remain under threat by a flagging Palestinian economy, Israeli military control of the borders and Muslim persecution. The Pope personally encouraged Gaza Christians as well, 100 of whom were able to attend the mass in Bethlehem with special permission from the Israeli army. 

“My heart goes out to the pilgrims from war-torn Gaza: I ask you to bring back to your families and your communities my warm embrace, and my sorrow for the loss, the hardship and the suffering you have had to endure,” the Pope said in his sermon at Manger Square. “Please be assured of my solidarity with you in the immense work of rebuilding which now lies ahead, and my prayers that the embargo will soon be lifted.”

Of Gaza’s 1.6 million population, about 3,000 Christians remain. The Pontiff bolstered Christian communities in the West Bank as well asking them to persevere and exhorting them to build up their churches, consolidate their presence and “offer new possibilities to those tempted to leave.”

The Christian population of Bethlehem, once at 80 percent, has gone down to 20 percent now. Many have left for safety, comfort and better opportunities in other countries. Rami El-Araj, a Bethlehem resident, said he attended Pope John Paul II’s mass in 2000 with a group of his friends.

“Now I’m alone - everyone left since then,” he said.

Mass in Jerusalem Gets off to Political Start

May 12, 2009

JERUSALEM - The Pope’s first mass in Israel became a political platform when Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal blamed Israel for the problems facing Christians in the Holy Land.

“Holy Father, you stand before a small flock that is shrinking, that suffers from emigration, largely due to the effects of the unjust occupation and all its humiliation, violence and hatred,” he said referring to Israeli authority in some Palestinian areas and at checkpoints. “Jesus wept in vain over Jerusalem and continues to do so.”

Most Christians in Israel and the Palestinian Authority are Arab, and many relate nationalistically as Palestinians, not Israelis. Palestinian flags flew in the crowd and the traditional mass songs were sung in Arabic by local congregants at the mass site, an outdoor area in the Kidron Valley built specifically for the mass.

“Around us, we have the agony of the Palestinian people, who dream of living in a free and independent Palestinian State, but have not found its realization; and the agony of the Israeli people, who dream of a normal life in peace and security and, despite all their military and mass media might, have not found its realization,” Twal continued.

An Israeli official rejected the accusation and said Israel views her Christian residents as allies. 

 

“Don’t blame us for the decreasing numbers of Christians in the Holy Land. It has to do directly with Palestinians themselves,” Raphael Ben-Hur, senior deputy director-general of the Tourism Ministry told Newsmax. “There is a diminishing number of Christians in Bethlehem and it has nothing to with Israel and nothing to do with occupied territories. It has to do with the Muslims. 

Without addressing the politics of the situation, Pope Benedict XVI empathized with the local Christians and called on local authorities to take care of the minority group.

“I wish to acknowledge the difficulties, the frustration, and the pain and suffering which so many of you have endured as a result of the conflicts which have afflicted these lands, and the bitter experiences of displacement which so many of your families have known and – God forbid – may yet know,” he said in his homily at the foot of the Mount of Olives. “I hope my presence here is a sign that you are not forgotten, that your persevering presence and witness are indeed precious in God’s eyes and integral to the future of these lands.” 

The head of the Catholic Church also addressed the “tragic reality” of Christian emigration from the Holy Land that leaves a “great cultural and spiritual impoverishment to the city.”  

“As I urge the authorities to respect, to support and to value the Christian presence here, I also wish to assure you of the solidarity, love and support of the whole Church and of the Holy See,” he exhorted.

Following the Pope’s statements, Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat told Newsmax he accepts the challenge to care for the Christian flock in his city.

“I accept the urging. I think we should make the Christians that live in Jerusalem feel more comfortable as residents of the city and I’m committed to serve them as much as I am any other resident of the city,” he said. “I accept the challenge and I hope Christians around the world also accept the challenge that I am giving them to see all the Christians in the world come here at least once in a lifetime.”

Barkat, who was elected in November, has a goal to attract 10 million tourists, of all religions, each year to Jerusalem. 

To shouts of “Viva il Pappa” (long live the Pope), strains of bagpipes, organ choruses and cries from emotional worshipers, the Pope rode in on the “Popemobile,” his trademark vehicle, which Israeli security deemed unsafe for most locations on this visit. 

Meanwhile the Vatican sought to clarify issues its spokesman said were misreported.

“The pope was never in the Hitler Youth, never, never, never,” the Rev. Federico Lombardi told reporters in Jerusalem.

He said that the Pope, like all other youths in Germany, was forcibly drafted into the Wehrmacht for a short time till his capture by the Allied forces. However, in “Salt of the Earth,” then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said that he was automatically enrolled into the Hitler Youth: “At first we weren’t, but when the compulsory Hitler Youth was introduced in 1941, my brother was obliged to join. I was still too young, but later, as a seminarian, I was registered in the HY. As soon as I was out of the seminary, I never went back.” 

Lombardi did not explain the discrepancy. 

“It was not his choice,” Lombardi said. “If you know the Pope you now he is absolutely not a militaristic person. He was compelled to be in this group.”

Controversial Headlines Greet Day Two of Pope Visit to Israel

May 12, 2 009

JERUSALEM - Israeli papers were awash with disappointment in the Pope’s speech at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, while several Muslims were arrested Tuesday morning for distributing fliers condemning the Pontiff’s visit.

Day two of the Pope’s visit to Israel, before the Holy Father even presided over his first mass, and controversy is coming from all sides. Several Jewish officials were expecting specific condemnations and an apology from the Pope for the Holocaust. But the Pope addressed these issues in his first speech at the airport, according to Vatican Spokesman Federico Lombardi.

“He already named at the airport the Shoah (Holocaust) and the 6 million Jews murdered and ... anti-Semitism,” Lombardi said at a news conference. “His meditation was centered on ... the engagement of the Catholic church to engage themselves forever against the crimes against humanity and the right of the peoples.”

After his closely watched speech on Monday, many Israelis expressed disappointment. Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau called the speech “a missed opportunity” without personal remorse and mention of 6 million Jews killed. Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said the Pope was detached.

“He came and told us as if he were a historian, someone looking in from the sidelines, about things that should not have happened,” Rivlin told Israel Radio. “He was a part of them.” 

On Tuesday, the Pope headed out on a tour of holy sites in Jerusalem. Removing his red shoes, the Pope entered the Dome of the Rock, a Muslim shrine and part of the compound that comprises Islam's third-holiest site, the Al Aksa Mosque. A rock in the shrine is believed to be the place Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. 

“Here the paths of the world's three great monotheistic religions meet, reminding us what they share in common,” Benedict XVI said while visiting with Muslim leaders.  

“Fidelity to the One God, the Creator, the Most High, leads to the recognition that human beings are fundamentally interrelated, since all owe their very existence to a single source and are pointed towards a common goal,” he said.

The quick tour was followed by a prayer at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, directly adjacent to the mosque area. The Pontiff placed a note in the wall, as is tradition. 

“God of all the ages, on my visit to Jerusalem, the ‘City of Peace,’ spiritual home to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, I bring before you the joys, the hopes and the aspirations, the trials, the suffering and the pain of all your people throughout the world,” the note read. “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, hear the cry of the afflicted, the fearful, the bereft; send your peace upon this Holy Land, upon the Middle East, upon the entire human family; stir the hearts of all who call upon your name, to walk humbly in the path of justice and compassion.”

At the Heichal Shlomo synagogue, Benedict reaffirmed Christian-Jewish cooperation and “lasting reconciliation” between the two faiths as he met with the two chief rabbis of Israel, Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar.

“Jews and Christians alike are concerned to ensure respect for the sacredness of human life, the centrality of the family, a sound education for the young, and the freedom of religion and conscience for a healthy society,” he said. “An indication of the potential of this series of meetings is readily seen in our shared concern in the face of moral relativism and the offences it spawns against the dignity of the human person."

The Pope noted the Christian population in Israel which also values “opportunities for dialogue with their Jewish neighbors.”

Metzger, the chief Ashkenazi rabbi, thanked the Pope for his visit to “the eternal capital of the Jewish people,” Jerusalem.

Metzger thanked Benedict for preventing the return to the Catholic Church of the Holocaust denier Bishop Richard Williamson to his position as an example to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“Had you not done so a message may have been understood by another Holocaust denier, the president of Iran, granting legitimacy to his sinful declarations of his will and intention to destroy our country,” he said.

Despite Talk of Compassion, Pope Speech Failed to Please Some

May 12, 2009

By Nicole Jansezian

JERUSALEM - Two heads of state, symbols of their religion and nation respectively - Pope Benedict XVI, 82, and Israeli President Shimon Peres, 85 - met this afternoon both appearing slightly frail and walking tentatively, a cautious pace that seemed to characterize their mission of peace.

The pair of octogenarians planted an olive tree at the official residence of the president and attended a somber ceremony at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, where the Pope met six Holocaust survivors.

“The Catholic Church feels deep compassion for the victims remembered here,” Benedict said at the memorial service. “As we stand here in silence, their cry still echoes in our hearts. It is a cry raised against every act of injustice and violence. It is a perpetual reproach against the spilling of innocent blood.”

Peres, meanwhile, sought to anoint the Pope as the spiritual leader who would provide the impetus for peace in a conflicted region. 

“In you we see a promoter of peace; a great spiritual leader; a potent bearer of the message of peace to this land and to all others,” he said at the official welcoming ceremony in his garden. “This year, the year of your visit here, may reveal an opportunity for us and our neighbors, to attain peace.” 

Significantly, Peres noted “ties of reconciliation and understanding” emerging between the Holy See and the Jewish people. 

While the Israeli public is generally amiable toward the Pope’s visit, some groups were expecting specific statements. Ha’aretz newspaper noted that the Pope has a dangerous balancing act, especially at Yad Vashem where he will “make do with the adjacent memorial hall.”

“Many Jews will feel that this is not enough, and will expect the German Pope, with his own Hitler Youth past, to make a further gesture, perhaps an apology for the Holy See's conduct during the war years,” the newspaper continued. “Whatever he says, there are too many people to run afoul of.” 

Indeed, the offense began with one of the attendees at the ceremony. Buchenwald survivor and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau called the speech “a missed opportunity” without personal remorse and mention of 6 million Jews killed.

“A few points were missing in the pope's address,” Lau told Israel’s channel 1. “There was no mention of the Germans, or Nazis, who conducted the massacre. ... Instead of the word ‘murdered’ as the previous pope John Paul II used, Benedict XVI used the word ‘killed.’ There is a very clear difference between the two verbs.”

At the President’s House, Pope Benedict said his pilgrimage to the holy places “is one of prayer”  for peace for the Middle East. The Pope empathized with “ordinary” Israelis as in his speech. 

“What parents would ever want violence, insecurity, or disunity for their son or daughter? What humane political end can ever be served through conflict and violence?” he asked. “I hear the cry of those who live in this land for justice, for peace, for respect for their dignity, for lasting security, a daily life free from the fear of outside threats and senseless violence.”

 

The Ministry of Tourism is expecting between 10,000 to 15,000 additional tourists in conjunction with the Holy See’s tour of the Holy Land. At the Nazareth mass, an outdoor arena will hold 40,000 people, while the Jerusalem mass will accommodate 5,000 to 6,000. The State of Israel has alloted about $10 million for this visit. 

This is Benedict’s first visit to Israel as Pope, but not his first visit. The Pope was friends with the late Teddy Kolleck, Jerusalem’s legendary mayor. As Pope he is literally following in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II, according to Rabbi David Rosen, an Israeli expert in Jewish-Christian relations.

Rosen warned that while political leaders, religious officials and journalists would be analyzing all of the Pope’s words, the truth is “Benedict is shyer than his predecessor and not comfortable in public relations.”

With a placid demeanor, the Pope appeared drained from days of travel and showed little reaction at the events he attended on Monday. 

“John Paul II had to work on relations before he came,” he said. “Now Benedict is walking in his footsteps, literally, the same agenda.”

Rosen said the order of Benedict’s agenda is symbolic. He first visited the President’s house showing the importance of office, then headed to Yad Vashem empathizing with the Holocaust and lastly to Notre Dame for an inter-faith dialogue to stress the importance of building bridges between the faiths.

Pope Benedict Welcomed in Jerusalem

May 11, 2009

JERUSALEM - With church bells ringing, sirens of a police motorcade wailing and helicopters whirring overhead, Israel’s capital welcomed Pope Benedict XVI.

The city’s mayor, Nir Barkat, greeted the Pope and other dignitaries at helipad near Hebrew University and told His Holiness to feel at home during his stay.

“In Jerusalem, the capital of Israel and the Jewish people, we promote pluralism, dialogue and freedom of religion,” said Barkat. 

In his five-day visit, the Pope will tackle divisive religious issues in a city that three religions claim as holy. This evening, he will meet the parents of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit at President Shimon Peres’ official reception, he visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial,  then immediately following that, he will attends an inter-faith dialogue with Jewish and Muslim leaders.  

As he did in Jordan during the past three days of his journey, Benedict XVI will also encourage the Christian community in Israel and the Palestinian territories, a minority living among Jews and Muslims here.

The Pope took the opportunity at Ben Gurion Airport to address anti-Semetism upon his arrival in Israel.

“Sadly, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world. This is totally unacceptable,” said the pontiff. “Every effort must be made to combat anti-Semitism wherever it is found, and to promote respect and esteem for the members of every people, tribe, language and nation across the globe.”

The German pope has been criticized for lifting an excommunication order on a bishop who said the Jewish death toll during the Holocaust was exaggerated. The bishop has not been reinstated to his position. 

“Tragically, the Jewish people have experienced the terrible consequences of ideologies that deny the fundamental dignity of every human person,” the Pope said.  “It is right and fitting that during my stay in Israel I will have the opportunity to honor the memory of the 6 million Jewish victims of the Sho’ah (Holocaust), and to pray that humanity will never again witness a crime of such magnitude.”

Tomorrow the Pope will tour Old City sites, including the Dome of the Rock. He will end the day with a mass in Jerusalem’s Kidron Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives. His visit follows months of preparation regarding security, infrastructure and tourism.

“I take my place in a long line of Christian pilgrims to these shores, a line that stretches back to the earliest centuries of the Church's history and which, I am sure, will keep and continue long into the future,” the pope said during his address on the tarmac. “I come, like so many others before me, to pray at the holy places, to pray especially for peace - peace in the Holy Land and peace throughout the world.”