In this year’s Christmas message, the Patriarch of Jerusalem has invited the Holy Land’s parishes to switch off their Christmas tree lights for five minutes in solidarity with the those who tragically lost their lives in recent months. Addressing the Middle East which has been rocked to its core by wars and intifadas, he said: “Mercy is a political act par excellence”.
It has been a long time since Bethlehem last enjoyed war and violence-free Christmas celebrations. But this year, the knife intifada – which is continuing despite no longer getting any mention in the international press – and the many Middle Eastern fragments of the “piecemeal Third World War”, are making the situation even more critical. In light of this, the Christmas message of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, published in Jerusalem today, takes on an even greater significance.
His words are laden with weariness and despair at the blood that continues to be shed. This year, the Church of the Holy See has decided to highlight this with two meaningful gestures: “The current political situation,” the Patriarch writes, “suggests for moderate celebrations and deepening our spiritual sense of this remembrance. For this reason, we invite every parish to switch off Christmas tree lights for five minutes in solidarity with all victims of violence and terrorism. Similarly, our Christmas Mass will be offered for the victims and their families, that they take to heart, the participation in the joy and peace of Christmas.” Suffrage in the very place where faithful celebrate Jesus’ birth. It is a paradox, which contains both all the suffering of Middle Eastern Christians and faith in the only path towards real change. “What a suffering it is, to once again see our beloved Holy Land caught in the vicious cycle of bloody violence!” Patriarch Twal noted. “ What a pain to see anew, hatred prevail over reason and dialogue! The anguish of the people of this land is ours, which we cannot ignore or disregard. Enough! We are tired of this conflict as we see the Holy Land sullied with blood.”
The Patriarch’s message to Israel and Palestine’s political leaders is crystal clear: “Enough of stalling, reluctance and false pretenses! Respect international resolutions! Listen to the voice of your people who aspire for peace, act in their best interests! Each of the two peoples of the Holy Land, Israelis and Palestinians, have the right to dignity, to an independent state and sustainable security.” But he also strongly condemned the attitude of the international community towards the conflicts that are rocking the region: “We are facing a situation of total absurdity and duplicity. On one side, some speak of dialogue, justice, and peace, while on the other hand promote the sale of arms to the belligerents! We call to conversion, these unscrupulous arms dealers who may be without conscience, to make amends.”
“Military response and the way of force cannot solve the problems of humanity,” the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem insisted, pointing politicians down a different path, the path of mercy announced by the Jubilee. “Mercy is a political act par excellence, provided the policy is set in its noblest sense, of caring for the human family beginning with ethical values, of which mercy is a principal component opposed to violence, oppression, injustice, and the spirit of domination.”
Finally, he invited pilgrims not to abandon he Holy Land, but to continue to visit it, especially during the Holy Year. “Pilgrims should not be afraid to come. Despite the tense situation in this land, the pilgrim route is safe”. Last Sunday, Twal opened the Holy Door of Jerusalem in Gethsemane, the garden of olives mentioned in Jesus’ Passion. In a significant gesture, a cross was placed at the entrance, to mark the route Jesus took in order to live mercy to the max.
“The birth of Christ,” Francis concluded, “is a sign of the Mercy of the Father and a promise of joy to us all. This message shines upon our wounded world, to console the afflicted, the oppressed, and to bring about conversion to violent hearts.”
