Patriarch honored for his commitment to peace

Source: http://www.lpj.org/images/stories/pdf/newsletter/2011/05/lettreinfoen2.pdf


His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, was conferred a Doctorate
in Theology, Honoris Causa by the Faculty of Theology of Paderborn, Westphalia
(Germany) on Monday, May 9th. The Faculty announced on January 4th that
the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land would receive
this honor for his great commitment to peace and reconciliation between religions
and peoples of the Middle East.

A tribute to the Patriarch was delivered by the former Israeli ambassador to Germany,
Avi Primor. He stated that “one could hardly find a man more worthy of this
honor. I congratulate Patriarch Twal for this award and all those who made that
decision.” He particularly emphasized the care with which the Patriarch worked to
build schools, universities and hospitals in the Holy Land. The former ambassador
highlighted the Patriarch’s efforts to overcome prejudices among peoples and religions.
Patriarch Twal dedicated the award to “all men of goodwill, the Middle East and the international community who are committed to building bridges of mutual understanding.” In accepting the honor, he then said: “I think we, Christian Arabs have an important role in the peace process. As Arabs, we have the same traditions, culture and language as our Muslim neighbors. At the same time we are Christians and have a Christian culture, which can perhaps be called Western culture, a possible bridge between Jews and Arabs caught in the conflict. There is a lack of attention on the part of the international community to recognize the role that we Christians have to play here.” More than 40 Knights and Ladies of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre attended the Mass and awarding ceremony.

--Christophe Lafontaine