Who are the Palestinian Christians? They are Palestinians as every other Palestinian.
1. They are neither numbers to be assessed nor a percentage. They are neither so many thousands nor so much percent. They are the people part of the entire population. They are one hundred percent human beings as every Palestinian is and as every human being is anywhere or in any nation or creed. On this basis interaction with every Palestinian is made.
Whatever distinctions exist between one human being and another, and whatever distinguishes one Palestinian from another, it is his competences and his education. Such a distinction is acceptable and needed for the building of a community. Yet, competences serve the community and strengthen its unity but they are not for domination or aggression. When competences are used as an excuse for domination or aggression they lose their value and deviate from their purpose. In such cases, then, the individual with these competences should begin with reforming himself so as to come back to serve and build and to put an end to his domination or aggression.
2. Palestinian Christians are Palestinians like any other Palestinian as witnessed by their current presence and by their history. History is replete with positive and negative events: peace and wars, successive cultures brought by the succession of conquerors and states.The history of the Christians goes back to the first century A.D. They are the children of the history that swept over this Holy Land. The history of Moslems goes back to the seventh century A.D., at the onset of the Arab Islamic conquests that reached Jerusalem and supplanted the Christian State and culture, its predecessor. Today, all Palestinians, Christians and Moslems alike, are the offspring of its entire history, viz. from its Christian inception then from its Moslem outset. It brought together monotheist religions with their different successive contradictory or complementary cultures. All of this - the Christian history and the Moslem history - is a heritage for every Palestinian.
Also, the history before the year of our Lord, which brought together Judaism, the Canaanite people and all others at the time of the Bible and those that succeeded the different ancient Empires with the conquests of Alexander of Macedonia, then the Roman conquests, all that history is a Palestinian Heritage, for both Moslems and Christians alike with all its positivity and negativity and the cultures that merged then.
History is a narrative of past events, of former modes of life that both Christians and Moslems have experienced individually and communally. History is the root of our present society. The Christian Arab History is the root for every Arab. Similarly, the Moslem Arab history is the root for every Christian Arab. The Christian History of Palestine is the root for every Palestinian. Similarly, the Moslem History of Palestine is the root for every Palestinian. History is a power that would restore unity among the factions that present events alineated, be it a tribal, national or religious alienation. All this goes back to the one and same history. The course and evolution of history constitute the root of our present. Once it becomes history no one is able to eliminate it. Christians were here. Moslems were here. Jews were here. All this is a fact of our life. All this represents our existence either with regard to “us” or to the relationship with “us”. Partially it became “us”, and that is the belief that each of us carries along with the social events that shaped us; whereas the other part became a vital relationship with “us”, such as the beliefs and the different cultures that successively swept over the land and the society itself.
History is the place and time where we, all those who are in the one camp today or on the opposite side, were born. In the Holy Land, currently, there are differences in political and national affiliations – Jewish or Arab with a difference in religious beliefs: Jewish, Christian or Moslem. Since no one can ever wipe out history, then no one should fear history, be it favorable or unfavorable to us. What is important is to affirm the present and to amend the relationship between all those who form the one society. The present may be affirmed by force, either the force of arms – a wicked and oppressive means - or by the force of the spirit and the force of love, which forces propel communities into stability. People are called upon to get to know and to love each another but not to fight one another, although, the history of peoples is one of wars and bloodshed, yet they are called upon not to wage wars. A new phase of humanity must be started wherein peoples would place their confidence in its own force of spirit.
A Christian in the Arab society plows this route, not because of his being helpless by the standards of human forces, nor because he is a minority and does not possess the weapons to fight, but because of his conviction and absolute will to remain human, to represent each and every human, and to interact as a human being with every other human being, whose soul is the common gift of the creator to humans, a power of love and an attribute of the creator as well. This is the Christian message in a society torn as a result of external or internal conflicts arising from disputes of tribal or partisan character and the like that can crush the human being whom God created to love.
3. The Palestinian has an advantage over all peoples of the world, and this is related to the land he lives upon at present, it being a Holy Land. The advantage of this land is its human universality, it being the cradle of monotheistic religions and the spiritual heart of every faithful, and a universal heritage. In addition to its being our land and homeland and the realm of our State, it is also a territory of universal interest as granted to it by God. This is the more important part of our history. Palestine would not be complete in its local dimension alone, but Palestine exists in two dimensions, the first is holistic and the second is local. The Palestinian stature would not be complete unless we appreciate and assimilate both these dimensions.4. Currently there is a Palestinian Christian issue. What brought it about?
- It existed as Christians were assessed by their small numbers and their dwindling percentage, as a basis for their being considered. It existed with the ignorance or neglect of their presence as Palestinians by the “large numbers” because they are different in terms of their religion. It existed when many could not feel that Christians suffer from a problem particular to them.
- It existed with the religious and general education in school curriculums that cared for the religious education of the majority and ignored or willingly or unwillingly attacked the Christian Palestinian being.It existed due to internal Christian factors, of which are:
- Self-enclosure of some Christian communities within a spiritual shell out of apprehension.
- A circumspect and limited Christian religious education that does not view the Christian as any other man who is not only responsible for himself but for all his people.
- It does not prepare the Christian to rise up to the level of the universality of his territory and homeland that would prepare him to look at the world and address it; and impose his opinion and spirituality.
- Christians themselves are not united at heart and in spirit as Christ wanted them to be, due to the lack of unity among the various Churches, and lack of unity among the members of the one Church, and between the Church leadership and its faithful.
- Finally, due to the political and global challenges facing Palestine as a whole, its Moslems and Christians alike, of which the occupation is a reality together with the absence of God-given dignity to all peoples and to each individual as well as the absence of independence and sovereignty. As also, the ensuing difficulties of daily life in all its political, economic and social aspects.
5. “Christian numbers dwindle.” We hear this admonition from all corners, and it has an echo that plants apprehension in the hearts of many of us. The decreasing numbers is a phenomenon and it is one of many facets of the Christian problem in Palestine and the Holy Land. This phenomenon warrants an independent study and an analysis of its causes and results to decide upon what practical stance we should take with regard to this segment of the General Christian problem.
The Christian problem has a personal dimension as well as another relational dimension with regard to the community and all its members. I mean who is the Christian and what is he?
A Christian is an individual who carries a spiritual power inherent to him. The individual action is achieved with the perception of a Christian as to what he is, in what he believes and in the person in whom he believes, i.e. Jesus Christ, the Word of God, incarnate in our nature and upon our land, carrying a message of salvation for each human being, a message for a life spiritually and materially fulfilled. He is a person who tries to fulfill himself as best as possible. With his perseverance and his stance he is accepted by his community.
The relational dimension is complementary to the personal dimension. An individual is an integral part of his community as a whole. He is the “community itself” because the community is a part of him. Therefore, numbers should not be reckoned with and a community must not be assessed by its count, such as so many thousands or this much percent, be it high or low. He is a human being one hundred percent, he is a Palestinian one hundred percent, and he is a citizen one hundred percent. His being is fulfilled by the whole state of affairs wherein he lives. Such a state of affairs is a gift of God and the site of his grace. Each state of affairs could be either tough or lenient. His logic and his comportment is love and his aim is to build together and for all, while he is conscious that nothing can be achieved “for oneself” but it is possible when it is meant “for all” and “with everyone”. He could face rejection from this “everyone” or from a section of it, but this should not dissuade him from his mission, because, whether he is rejected or accepted, he carries a message, the message of love and construction, a message that he carries to those who accept him and do not reject him, to those who know who he is and to those who do not know him, to those who care for him and to those who do not.
The Christian problem can be tackled on this basis of knowledge and self-confidence. Upon this basis a Christian is educated in a way so as to prepare him for an individual and social life with all its aspects.
6. Epilogue
I say to the Christian: You are neither a number nor a percentage, but one hundred percent a human being with a message to deliver. You have to cooperate with your society, whereas your community is not your enemy. However, even if a part of the community were an adversary and maltreated, oppressed and deprived you of your liberty and of access to work, you have to continue to work and to persevere in your mission.
You are the person who has received strength by the power of the Spirit and not by the power of materialism. Even if the power of materialism was to reign and it did away with your life, literally or indirectly through the deprivation of freedom and the means of livelihood, you must face the oppression for the sake of your liberty and the liberty of your oppressor. You will spend your life for the sake of a fulfilled life and for that of your killer. You will continue on your path and so will your children carry on after you on the same path.
By Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah
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