Interview with the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa: “Millions of refugees have changed the shape of our parishes. I don’t think those who have fled will want to return to Syria and Iraq”
“The ideologies that destroyed Syria and Iraq are reaching us here Jordan too. The radicalism of young people is frightening”. Pierbattista Pizzaballa who recently took office as Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem returned home to the northern Italian city of Bergamo to attend a conference organised by the John XXIII Foundation for the presentation of the volume of the Good Pope’s Opera Omnia “A. G. Roncalli – John XXIII” which focuses on the period from 1911 to 1912. Vatican Insider interviewed him.
How have your first few weeks been? How did the Arab clergy take to having an Italian Administrator at the helm pf the Patriarchate after two Arab Patriarchs?
“They have accepted me quite well all things considered. I am doing a tour of the parishes: not a pastoral visit but a meeting with priests to see first-hand what the situation is and find out about any problems. I found people to be very open. I think they understood the reasons for my visit. Naturally, there is a great deal that needs to be done in organisational, administrative and pastoral terms. But I see there is a lot of good will. There are very young priests who need to be guided.”
Why did the Pope send you?
“You would have to ask him, I’m not quite sure what criteria he followed in making his choice. I think the aim is simply to help reorganise the diocese a bit from an administrative and organisational point of view also bearing in mind my previous experience as Custodian of the Holy Land. And to decide some courses of action for the future because the Middle East is changing too. It is a period of transition.”
In what way is the Middle East changing?
“Sadly we read about what is going on in the newspapers, on a daily basis. Thanks be to God, our diocese is a bit less caught up in what is going on, we are not experiencing the tragedies seen in Syria and Iraq. But we are directly influenced by these events: there are millions of refugees who have changed the shape of our parishes. The ideologies that destroyed those countries are reaching us here too somehow.”
What are you referring to?
“The younger generations are changing, radicalism has reached Jordan too and it is frightening. Young people don’t have the same relationship with the Church as their parents did. Their relationship is more emancipated, especially in Jordan and Israel. This calls for different pastoral approaches. The diocese of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem comprises stretches over four countries: Jordan, Israel, Palestine and Cyprus. We cannot have a one-size-fits-all pastoral programme, we need to think of the different areas and their different needs and this requires some serious reflection on the part of the clergy.”
What stage is dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians at, or not at?
“I have to be honest, there’s nothing at the moment. With all due respect, I do not believe it is possible to speak of any form of negotiation over peace or anything else for that matter. Communication is at a bare minimum and is reduced to technical issues such as movement between the zones but on political level, I see nothing.”
And why is that?
“There are many reasons. The lack of willingness on both parts, Israel which is moving toward the right and Palestinians are divided, perhaps the international community has tired of this subject, especially now that there are more serious and urgent problems that need solving such as the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. All of these causes have combined together, bringing everything to a standstill.”
How is Donald Trump’s election viewed?
“As it is everywhere. Some are happy, others aren’t. Many people and many observers are curious to see how he is going to act seeing as though he is a bit of a newcomer. Electoral campaign slogans aside, we will now have to wait and see who his collaborators are going to be and what decisions he is going to make. There is curiosity in the air.”
There has been talk of support for Trump in the new Israeli colonies. What impact will this have on the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians?
“The problem of the colonies has a major impact, it is an open wound that refuses to heal and instead is getting deeper and deeper, making any kind of future agreement impossible.”
So the idea of two peoples and two states has been ditched?
“That isn’t quite true. But it is an uphill struggle…”
How do you view the situation in Syria from where you’re standing?
“The situation is tragic, it is a country that has ceased to exist, it is destroyed. By now we know what’s going to happen: it is clear that Iran, Assad and Putin will have the last word but at what price? The country is in ruins and not just the infrastructure. Relationships between communities have been destroyed too. There is a deep hatred, everything will need to be rebuilt and no one knows yet when or how. I don’t think the Christians who have left will want to risk their future there. The same thing is happening in Iraq.”
Iraqi refugees in Jordan who escaped from Mosul say they don’t feel safe coming back…
“I was in Jordan until the other day. I visited a school where there were Iraqi child refugees. During one of the breaks I asked the teachers: what curriculum are you following, the Iraqi or the Jordanian one? They burst out laughing and said: ‘The British one! We’re all leaving…’” The military cannot bring peace, they can only win the war. Politics is needed in order to establish peace and here it is non-existent. No one knows what the future holds. After what the Christians saw…They left and it is unlikely they will return.”
How are Christians experiencing this situation?
“On the one hand there are fears and concerns for the future. This war, this type of war with its religious backdrop, has disoriented the Christian community. I see a great deal of concern. On the other hand, though, I tell myself, looking back through history, that this is not the first time we find ourselves in such a situation in the Middle East. I am thinking of what happened to the Armenians 100 years ago. Deep wounds were inflicted but to paraphrase St. Paul, Christians were beaten and humiliated but they were not finished off.”
Are Christians in the crosshairs?
“It must be said that the war going on is above all among Muslims. Each person sees things from their own perspective of course. Christians living in those countries feel that the world hates them. But so do Muslims It is a war between Muslims that is having these sad consequences for Christians too. There are forms of radicalism like Daesh… But I repeat, it is above all a war between them.”
What are the real reasons behind this war?
“A war fought with weapons coming from the West… There are many reasons: the power clash between Sunnis and Shiites, the energy issue, which is not just about accessing energy sources but also how these should be transported and finally, control over the Middle East. Then there are the positions of western and eastern countries that are divided.”
The refugees of this war are coming to Europe…
“They would have come anyway, though not in such numbers. We are talking about countries where 50 per cent of the population is under 30 while unemployment rates are sky high. When these young people look at Europe via the media they see Eldorado.”
What should Europe do for the Middle East?
“I don’t know, perhaps it’s too idealistic but I would like to say what it should have done. It should have accompanied these countries in their development and growth. I am thinking of Syria, Iraq and Egypt, great countries that are immobile from n economic and social point of view.”
As Christians of the Holy land and the Middle East do you feel you are receiving support and help from the other Churches?
“I would be unfair to say we feel abandoned. Although everything can always be improved, I have to say that looking at what is going on in Syria and Iraq, the universal Church and Caritas are doing a great deal.”
What stage are we at with the long, interminable negotiations over the tax and administrative agreement between the Catholic Church and the State of Israel?
“Negotiations resumed this month, in a spirit of goodwill it seems and this is a good sign. We have seen this scenario repeat itself on a number of occasions and we hope it will lead to real solutions. After so much stalling no one is keen to hazard guesses or opinions, although I have seen gestures of goodwill from both sides. It’s time to wrap things up, there are so many fiscal and administrative problems that need to be resolved.”
