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Latin Patriarch Bridges Talks Between White House and Roman Catholic Church to Extend Hand to the Situation in Gaza
With the intense challenges of the situation in Gaza, protecting humanity and attempts to achieve peace in the forefront of many minds, Arab America sought to receive insight from those presently working to diffuse the state of affairs with high-level discussions.
One world leader who is striving to shift current talks toward building peace, no matter one’s religion, race, or nationality, is His Beatitude Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal. His Beatitude was born in Jordan and is currently the Palestinian archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since June 2008. This week he will be meeting with many heads of state including White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.
When asked if Pope Francis’s recent plea for ceasefire was enough restraint expressed from the Roman Catholic Church, it was conveyed that the Latin Patriarch believes Pope Francis is doing a great deal of effort to this major issue. The public needs to remember that sometimes not all Pope Francis and the church are doing is seen because there are enormous amounts of diplomacy taking place.
His Beatitude Patriarch is currently on a tour of engagements within the United States to establish awareness, raise the topic as a vanguard issue, and personally invite fellow leaders to visit the Holy Land to see the region’s current state through their own eyes. His tour included stops in New York and San Francisco. He is presently in Washington D.C. speaking on the situation in Gaza and of the children of Jerusalem.
In a historic meeting arranged by the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF), His Beatitude Patriarch met with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to discuss the challenges facing Christians in the Holy Land. The Delegation to the Commission included His Beatitude and Rateb Y. Rabie, KCHS, HCEF President/CEO, Father Michael McDonagh, International Advisor to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and Father Drew Christiansen, member of the Board of Directors of the HCEF and Distinguished Professor of Ethics & Global Human Development at Georgetown University.
In the United States, His Beatitude is working closely with The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF). HCEF envisions a world where Americans and others understand the plight of Arab Christians, the Arab Christian identity, and that there are strong bonds of solidarity between Arab Christians in the Holy Land and elsewhere.
Sir Rateb Y. Rabie oversees Business activities of His Beatitude within the United States. “We need to all work together, extend a hand to every faith, toward lasting peace and justice. We must not be distracted…(until that is achieved),” stated Rabie on the His Beatitude’s thoughts toward resolving the current situation in Gaza.
The Christian population continues to shrink as they emigrate for safer conditions. Today, the Christian population of the Holy Land is less than 2%, totaling near 9,000. The estimated number of Christians in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem is 1.37% of the population. The percentage of Arab Christians in Israel, including Israeli controlled parts of Jerusalem is 1.66%. Yet this small population cannot be forgotten.
“Both Christian and Muslim alike, are being traumatized by the excessive use of force. The result is that many civilians, including women and children, are suffering.” His Beatitude addressed the commission on other such important topics as Israel’s confiscation of Catholic Church lands, specifically the Salesian Monastery of Cremisan, to build the Separation Wall, and the question of freedom of movement for priests traveling between Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories.
His Beatitude declared to the commission “It is our fate and our destiny to live together, so let us be friends. Uniquely, of all the people in the Holy Land, the Christians proclaim a truth which is non-partisan, which is based on the achievement of justice – our fundamental human right.” His Beatitude concluded by inviting all present to visit the Holy Land as his special guests. “It is crucial,” he explained, “to come and see the Holy Land, to understand the circumstances, in order to formulate more effective and relevant policies.”
Rachel Partain
Arab America