WASHINGTON (January, 19, 2006)—A call for peace with justice for all
people and the three faiths of the Holy Land was issued by Catholic
bishops today (January 19). Bishops of the Co-Ordination of Bishops’
Conferences in Support of the Holy Land made the call at the conclusion
of a pastoral visit, hosted by the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in
the Holy Land. The assembly is an expression of the universal Church’s
support of the local Church.
“As Catholic bishops we came to the Holy Land to be in communion and
solidarity with the people and the bishops of the Mother Church as we
walk with them on the path to peace, justice and reconciliation,”
participants said in a communiqué issued after the meeting.
“As pastors we again call upon the faithful in our nations to remember
the Church in the Holy Land in prayer, to come here on pilgrimage, to
support generously the Church’s institutions here, and to promote
initiatives to bring peace and justice to all the peoples of the Land,”
they said.
“We do not wield political power, but we issue a moral call to public
authorities to work for a just peace. Borrowing the image used by Pope
John Paul II, together we must build bridges and not walls. We must work
for a just peace that recognizes the human rights of all: security for
Israel; freedom for the Palestinians; two viable states and three faiths
living side by side in peace.”
The visit was the sixth for the Co-ordination of Episcopal Conferences
in Support of the Church in the Holy Land. The Co-ordination represents
the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, the Commission of Bishops
Conferences of the European Union, and Catholic Bishops’ conferences
from Austria, Canada, England and Wales, France, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Participating was Bishop
William S. Skylstad of Spokane, President of the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
In the past the Co-ordination has met with political leaders of Israel
and the Palestinian Authority. This year they also met with King
Abdullah II of Jordan.
(Subsequent to the release of the press communiqué, a terrorist attack
in Tel Aviv killed the attacker and wounded 10 people. Bishop Skylstad
condemned “attacks on innocent civilians that cannot be tolerated.” He
expressed the hope that this attack “would not undermine the efforts to
resolve differences and bring a lasting peace for both Israelis and
Palestinians”).
Following is the full text of the communiqué.
The Co-ordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church
of the Holy Land and the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy
Land
19 January 2006
A call for peace with justice for all people and the three faiths of the
Holy Land was issued by Catholic bishops today. Bishops of the
Co-ordination of Bishops’ Conferences in Support of the Holy Land made
this call at the conclusion of a pastoral visit, hosted by the Assembly
of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land. The Co-ordination is an
expression of the Universal Church’s support of the local Church.
In years past the Co-ordination had met with political leaders of Israel
and the Palestinian Authority. This year, they had an encouraging and
important meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
The following bishops and bishops’ representatives participated in the
Co-ordination visit:
Patrick Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool and Vice-President, Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
Andre Gaumond, Archbishop of Sherbrooke and President of the Canadian
Conference of Catholic Bishops
Mgr Piergiuseppe Vacchelli, Under-Secretary, Catholic Bishops’
Conference of Italy
Mgr Peter Fleetwood, Deputy General Secretary of the Council of European
Bishops’ Conferences
Bishop William Skylstad, Bishop of Spokane, President, US Conference of
Catholic Bishops
Bishop Joan Enric Vives I Sicilia, Bishop of Urgell, Co-Prince of
Andorra
Bishop Dr Andreas Laun OSFS, Auxiliary Bishop of Salzburg, Austrian
Bishops’ Conference
Mgr Lucien Daloz, Emeritus Archbishop of Besancon, Bishops’ Conference
of France
Bishop Dr Reinhard Marx, Bishop of Trier, President, German Justice and
Peace Commission, Vice-President, DBK Commission for International
Church Affairs
Bishop William Kenney CP, Auxiliary Bishop of Stockholm, Delegate of the
Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union
Mgr Pierre Burcher, Auxiliary Bishop, Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva &
Freibourg, Swiss Bishops’ Conference
At the conclusion of their visit the Holy Land Co-ordination issued a
communiqué. The full text follows.
The Co-ordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church
of the Holy Land and the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy
Land
Communique of the Sixth Co-ordination of Episcopal Conferences in
Support of the Holy Land
19 January, 2006
As Catholic bishops we came to the Holy Land to be in communion and
solidarity with the people and the bishops of the Mother Church as we
walk with them on the path to peace, justice and reconciliation. We are
deeply grateful to the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy
Land for hosting our visit. We came as pilgrims in prayer, praying for
the welfare of the Church and all peoples in the Holy Land.
This visit was the sixth for the Co-ordination of Episcopal Conferences
in Support of the Church in the Holy Land. The Co-ordination represents
the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, the Commission of Bishops
Conferences of the European Union, and Catholic Bishops’ conferences
from Austria, Canada, England and Wales, France, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America.
Once again we witnessed the vibrant faith of the Church at worship and
in service to the people through many Church institutions. We took part
in a children’s parade and Christmas celebration. Many schoolchildren
had travelled long hours through security checkpoints to come to
Bethlehem for the first time. We met with youth in Ramallah and learned
of their work. We also celebrated Mass and visited with Hebrew-speaking
Catholics and with parishes in Aboud, Nablus, Ramallah, Taybeh,
Bethlehem and Jerusalem. We prayed together and listened to the
testimonies of local people and bishops who shared the struggles of the
Church in a difficult social and political reality.
As pastors we again call upon the faithful in our nations to remember
the Church in the Holy Land in prayer, to come here on pilgrimage, to
support generously the Church’s institutions here, and to promote
initiatives to bring peace and justice to all the peoples of the Land.
Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the Church’s mission of peace in his address
to the diplomatic corps earlier this month. We echo the Holy Father’s
admonition regarding the Holy Land: “There the state of Israel has to be
able to exist peacefully in conformity with the norms of international
law; there equally, the Palestinian people has to be able to develop
serenely in its own democratic institutions for a free and prosperous
future.”
Our pastoral concerns for the local Church lead us to share the fears
and sufferings as well as the joys and hopes of the people. We recognise
the legitimate right for Israel to take appropriate security measures,
but all such measures should protect the dignity, human rights, lands
and water of the Palestinian people. We have witnessed the hardship and
poverty suffered by Palestinians as a direct result of checkpoints and
the wall that impair economic development and freedom of movement.
Security for Israel is linked to justice for Palestinians.
We do not wield political power, but we issue a moral call to public
authorities to work for a just peace. Borrowing the image used by Pope
John Paul II, together we must build bridges and not walls. We must work
for a just peace that recognises the human rights of all: security for
Israel; freedom for the Palestinians; two viable states and three faiths
living side by side in peace.
We will encourage our respective communities and governments to help
create a just resolution of the conflict so that each individual across
the Holy Land can live in dignity and fulfil his or her human potential.
For the first time our Co-ordination visited the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan. We met with King Abdullah II of Jordan. We discussed the
importance of the Christian presence in the Holy Land, the hope for a
just peace and his invitation to work together.
We celebrated the Eucharist with a parish in Madaba, visited Holy sites
in Jordan, and learned of the many ways that the Catholic Church serves
both Muslims and Christians in Jordan, particularly in education and
health care. The vitality of the local Catholic Church in Jordan
testifies to the importance of security, stability and respect for human
rights and religious freedom.
Our pilgrimage took us to the top of Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the
Promised Land, a land for which we pray for the promise of peace. From
there we visited the baptismal site of Jesus at Bethany beyond the
Jordan, where we were inspired by the presence of thousands of Orthodox
pilgrims. Our prayer is that the waters of justice will flow throughout
this Land.
The difficult situation in the Holy Land does not lead us to optimism
but our faith and our encounters with young people lead us to hope in a
new beginning. We pray for the flourishing of the Mother Church and for
the flowering of peace with justice for all peoples and the three faiths
of this Land we call Holy.
|