Holy See: World needs a revitalized United Nations capable of action in Syria, Iraq

 (Vatican Radio) The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine demand a revitalized United Nations where member states put their responsibility to protect persecuted peoples above personal interests and thoroughly apply international law.

This is according to the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was speaking on Monday at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly.


Cardinal Parolin, said the blood of the many Christians and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria, demands the international community assume its responsibility to protect populations under threat.

He said the world is in need of a UN capable of deploying the appropriate action and force.

“It is both licit and urgent to stop aggression through multilateral and a proportionate use of force. The Holy See hopes that the international community will assume a responsibility in considering the best means to stop all aggression and avoid the perpetration of new and even greater injustice.”

The Cardinal added it is disappointing, that up to now, “the international community has been characterized by contradictory voices and even by silence with regard to the  conflicts in Syria, the Middle East and Ukraine.  It is paramount that there be a unity of action for the common good, avoiding the cross-fire of vetoes".

He reminded all those present of the "responsibility to protect" principle adopted almost 10 years ago at a UN World Summit, which calls to protect civilians when a country is unable or unwilling to do so:

“It asserts… the responsibility of the entire international community, in a spirit of solidarity, to confront heinous crimes such as genocide, ethnic cleansing and religiously motivated persecution”.

What is needed, concluded the Cardinal, is “a far-sighted political approach” and “a genuine willingness to apply” the law which if “expressed in new juridical formulations, will certainly bring fresh vitality to the United Nations”.

Below the full text of the address of His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin Secretary of State of His Holiness Pope Francis 69th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations New York, Monday 29 September 2014

Mr President,
            In extending to you the Holy See’s congratulations on your election to the presidency of the sixty-ninth Session of the General Assembly, I wish to convey the cordial greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis to you and to all the participating delegations.  He assures you of his closeness and prayers for the work of this session of the General Assembly, with the hope that it will be carried out in an atmosphere of productive collaboration, working for a more fraternal and united world by identifying ways to resolve the serious problems which beset the whole human  family today.

            In continuity with his predecessors, Pope Francis recently reiterated the Holy See’s esteem and appreciation for the United Nations as an indispensable means of building an authentic family of peoples.  The Holy See values the efforts of this distinguished institution “to ensure world peace, respect for human dignity, the protection of persons, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, and harmonious economic and social development” (Address to the Secretary General of the United Nations and the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, 9 May 2014).  Along these lines and on numerous occasions, His Holiness has encouraged men and women of good will to place their talents effectively at the service of all by working together, in tandem with the political community and each sector of civil society (cf. Letter to the World Economic Forum, 17 January 2014).

            Though mindful of the human person’s gifts and abilities, Pope Francis observes that today there is the danger of widespread indifference.  As much as this indifference concerns the field of politics, it also affects economic and social sectors, “since an important part of humanity does not share in the benefits of progress and is in fact relegated to the status of second-class citizens” (Address of Pope Francis to the Secretary General of the United Nations and the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, 9 May 2014).  At times, such apathy is synonymous with irresponsibility.  This is the case today, when a union of States, which was created with the fundamental goal of saving generations from the horror of war that brings untold sorrow to humanity (cf. Preamble of the Charter of the United Nations, 1), remains passive in the face of hostilities suffered by defenceless populations.

            I recall the words of His Holiness addressed to the Secretary General at the beginning of August: “It is with a heavy and anguished heart that I have been following the dramatic events in northern Iraq”, thinking of “the tears, the suffering and the heartfelt cries of despair of Christians and other religious minorities of [that] beloved land”.  In that same letter the Pope renewed his urgent appeal to the international community to “take action to end the humanitarian tragedy now underway”.  He further encouraged “all the competent organs of the United Nations, in particular those responsible for security, peace, humanitarian law and assistance to refugees, to continue their efforts in accordance with the Preamble and relevant Articles of the United Nations Charter” (Letter of the Holy Father to the Secretary General of the United Nations Organization concerning the situation in Northern Iraq, 9 August 2014).

            Today I am compelled to repeat the heartfelt appeal of His Holiness and to propose to the General Assembly, as well as to the other competent organs of the United Nations, that this body deepen its understanding of the difficult and complex moment that we are now living.

           With the dramatic situation in northern Iraq and some parts of Syria, we are seeing a totally new phenomenon: the existence of a terrorist organization which threatens all States, vowing to dissolve them and to replace them with a pseudo-religious world government.  Unfortunately, as the Holy Father recently said, even today there are those who would presume to wield power by coercing consciences and taking lives, persecuting and murdering in the name of God (cf. L’Osservatore Romano, 3 May 2014).  These actions bring injury to entire ethnic groups, populations and ancient cultures.  It must be remembered that such violence is born out of a disregard for God and falsifies “religion itself, since religion aims instead at reconciling men and women with God, at illuminating and purifying consciences, and at making it clear that each human being is the image of the Creator” (Benedict XVI, Address to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 7 January 2013).

            In a world of global communications, this new phenomenon has found followers in numerous places, and has succeeded in attracting from around the world young people who are often disillusioned by a widespread indifference and a dearth of values in wealthier societies.   This challenge, in all its tragic aspects, should compel the international community to promote a unified response, based on solid juridical criteria and a collective willingness to cooperate for the common good.  To this end, the Holy See considers it useful to focus attention on two major areas.  The first is to address the cultural and political origins of contemporary challenges, acknowledging the need for innovative strategies to confront these international problems in which cultural factors play a fundamental role.  The second area for consideration is a further study of the effectiveness of international law today, namely its successful implementation by those mechanisms used by the United Nations to prevent war, stop aggressors, protect populations and help victims.

            Following the attacks of 11 September 2001, when the world woke up to the reality of a new form of terrorism, some media and “think tanks” oversimplified that tragic moment by interpreting all subsequent and problematic situations in terms of a clash of civilizations.  This view ignored longstanding and profound experiences of good relations between cultures, ethnic groups and religions, and interpreted through this lens other complex situations such as the Middle Eastern question and those civil conflicts presently occurring elsewhere.  Likewise, there have been attempts to find so-called legal remedies to counter and prevent the surge of this new form of terrorism.  At times, unilateral solutions have been favoured over those grounded in international law.  The methods adopted, likewise, have not always respected the established order or particular cultural circumstances of peoples who often found themselves unwillingly at the centre of this new form of global conflict.  These mistakes, and the fact that they were at least tacitly approved, should lead us to a serious and profound examination of conscience.  The challenges that these new forms of terrorism pose should not make us succumb to exaggerated views and cultural extrapolations.  The reductionism of interpreting situations in terms of a clash of civilizations, playing on existing fears and prejudices, only leads to reactions of a xenophobic nature that, paradoxically, then serve to reinforce the very sentiments at the heart of terrorism itself.  The challenges we face ought to spur a renewed call for religious and intercultural dialogue and for new developments in international law, to promote just and courageous peace initiatives.

            What, then, are the paths open to us?  First and foremost, there is the path of promoting dialogue and understanding among cultures which is already implicitly contained in the Preamble and First Article of the Charter of the United Nations.  This path must become an ever more explicit objective of the international community and of governments if we are truly committed to peace in the world.
 At the same time we must recall that it is not the role of international organizations or states to invent culture, nor is it possible to do so.  Similarly, it is not the place of governments to establish themselves as spokespersons of cultures, nor are they the primary actors responsible for cultural and interreligious dialogue.  The natural growth and enrichment of culture is, instead, the fruit of all components of civil society working together.  International organizations and states do have the task of promoting and supporting, in a decisive way, and with the necessary financial means, those initiatives and movements which promote dialogue and understanding among cultures, religions and peoples.  Peace, after all, is not the fruit of a balance of powers, but rather the result of justice at every level, and most importantly, the shared responsibility of individuals, civil institutions and governments.  In effect, this means understanding one other and valuing the other’s culture and circumstances.  It also entails having concern for each other by sharing spiritual and cultural patrimonies and offering opportunities for human enrichment.

            And yet, we do not face the challenges of terrorism and violence with cultural openness alone.  The important path of international law is also available to us.  The situation today requires a more incisive understanding of this law, giving particular attention to the “responsibility to protect”.  In fact, one of the characteristics of the recent terrorist phenomenon is that it disregards the existence of the state and, in fact, the entire international order.  Terrorism aims not only to bring change to governments, to damage economic structures or simply to commit common crimes.  It seeks to directly control areas within one or various states, to impose its own laws, which are distinct and opposed to those of the sovereign State.  It also undermines and rejects all existing juridical systems, attempting to impose dominion over consciences and complete control over persons.

            The global nature of this phenomenon, which knows no borders, is precisely why the framework of international law offers the only viable way of dealing with this urgent challenge.  This reality requires a renewed United Nations that undertakes to foster and preserve peace.  At present, the active and passive participants of such a system are all the states, which place themselves under the authority of the Security Council and who are committed not to engage in acts of war without the approval of the same Council.  Within this framework, military action carried out by one state in response to another state is possible only in the event of self-defence when under direct armed attack and only up until such time as the Security Council successfully takes the necessary steps to restore international peace and security (cf. Charter of the United Nations, Art. 51).   New forms of terrorism engage in military actions on a vast scale.  They are not able to be contained by any one state and explicitly intend to wage war against the international Community.  In this sense we are dealing with criminal behaviour that is not envisaged by the juridical configuration of the United Nations Charter.  This notwithstanding, it must be recognized that the norms in place for the prevention of war and the intervention of the Security Council are equally applicable, on varying grounds, in the case of a war provoked by a “non-State actor”.

            In the first place, this is because the fundamental objective of the Charter is to avoid the scourge of war for future generations.  The juridical structure of the Security Council, for all its limits and defects, was established for this very reason.
  Moreover, Article 39 of the Charter of the United Nations assigns the Security Council the task of determining threats or aggressions to international peace, without specifying the type of actors carrying out the threats or aggressions.  Finally, the states themselves, by virtue of membership to the UN, have renounced any use of force which is inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations (cf. Charter of the United Nations, Art.2, 4).

            Given that the new forms of terrorism are “transnational”, they no longer fall under the competence of the security forces of any one state: the territories of several states are involved.  Thus the combined forces of a number of nations will be required to guarantee the defence of unarmed citizens.  Since there is no juridical norm which justifies unilateral policing actions beyond one’s own borders, there is no doubt that the area of competence lies with the Security Council.  This is because, without the consent and supervision of the state in which the use of force is exercised, such force would result in regional or international instability, and therefore enter within the scenarios foreseen by the Charter of the United Nations.

            My Delegation wishes to recall that it is both licit and urgent to stop aggression through multilateral action and a proportionate use of force.  As a representative body of a worldwide religious community embracing different nations, cultures and ethnicities, the Holy See earnestly hopes that the international community will assume responsibility in considering the best means to stop all aggression and avoid the perpetration of new and even graver injustices.  The present situation, therefore, though indeed quite serious, is an occasion for the member states of the United Nations Organization to honour the very spirit of the Charter of the United Nations by speaking out on the tragic conflicts which are tearing apart entire peoples and nations.  It is disappointing, that up to now, the international community has been characterized by contradictory voices and even by silence with regard to the  conflicts in Syria, the Middle East and Ukraine.  It is paramount that there be a unity of action for the common good, avoiding the cross-fire of vetoes.  As His Holiness wrote to the Secretary General on 9 August last, “the most basic understanding of human dignity compels the international community, particularly through the norms and mechanisms of international law, to do all that it can to stop and to prevent further systematic violence against ethnic and religious minorities”.

            While the concept of “the responsibility to protect” is implicit in the constitutional principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of Humanitarian Law, it does not specifically favour a recourse to arms.  It asserts, rather, the responsibility of the entire international community, in a spirit of solidarity, to confront heinous crimes such as genocide, ethnic cleansing and religiously motivated persecution.  Here with you today, I cannot fail to mention the many Christians and ethnic minorities who in recent months have endured atrocious persecution and suffering in Iraq and Syria.  Their blood demands of us all an unwavering commitment to respect and promote the dignity of every single person as willed and created by God.  This means also respect for religious freedom, which the Holy See considers a fundamental right, since no one can be forced “to act against his or her conscience”, and everyone “has the duty and consequently the right to seek the truth in religious matters” (Second Vatican Council, Dignitatis Humanae, 3).

            In summary, the promotion of a culture of peace calls for renewed efforts in favour of dialogue, cultural appreciation and cooperation, while respecting the variety of sensibilities.  What is needed is a far-sighted political approach that does not rigidly impose a priori political models which undervalue the sensibilities of individual peoples.  Ultimately, there must be a genuine willingness to apply thoroughly the current mechanisms of law, while at the same time remaining open to the implications of this crucial moment.  This will ensure a multilateral approach that will better serve human dignity, and protect and advance integral human development throughout the world.  Such a willingness, when   concretely expressed in new juridical formulations, will certainly bring fresh vitality to the United Nations.  It will also help resolve serious conflicts, be they active or dormant, which still affect some parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, and whose ultimate resolution requires the commitment of all.

Mr President,
            With Resolution A/68/6 of the 68th Session of the General Assembly, it was decided that this present Session would discuss the Post-2015 Development Agenda, to be then formally adopted in the 70th Session in September 2015.  You yourself, Mr President, aptly chose the main theme of this present Session: Delivering and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda.

            During your recent meeting with all the Chief Executives of Agencies, Funds and Programs of the United Nations (cf. Address to the Secretary General of the United Nations and the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, 9 May 2014), His Holiness requested that future objectives for sustainable development be formulated “with generosity and courage, so that they can have a real impact on the structural causes of poverty and hunger, attain more substantial results in protecting the environment, ensure dignified and productive labour for all, and provide an appropriate protection for the family, which is an essential element in sustainable human and social development.  Specifically, this involves challenging all forms of injustice and resisting the ‘economy of exclusion’, the ‘throwaway culture’ and the ‘culture of death’”.  Pope Francis encouraged the Chief Executives to promote “a true, worldwide ethical mobilization which, beyond all differences of religious or political convictions, will spread and put into practice a shared ideal of fraternity and solidarity, especially with regard to the poorest and those most excluded” (ibid).

            In this regard, the Holy See welcomes the 17 “Sustainable Development Goals” proposed by the Working Group (Open Working Group for Sustainable Goals), which seek to address the structural causes of poverty by promoting dignified labour for everyone.  Equally, the Holy See appreciates that the goals and targets, for most part, do not echo wealthy populations’ fears regarding population growth in poorer countries.   It also welcomes the fact that the goals and targets do not impose on poorer states lifestyles which are typically associated with advanced economies and which tend to show a disregard for human dignity.  Furthermore, with regard to the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the incorporation of the results of the OWG [Open Working Group for Sustainable Goals], alongside the indications given in the Report of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing and those arising out of the interagency consultation, would seem indispensable for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Post-2015 Development Agenda.    
     Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the efforts of the United Nations and of many people of good will, the number of the poor and excluded is increasing not only in developing nations but also in developed ones. The “Responsibility to protect”, as stated earlier, refers to extreme aggressions against human rights,  cases of serious contempt of humanitarian law or grave natural catastrophes. In a similar way there is a need to make legal provision for protecting people against other forms of aggression, which are less evident but just as serious and  real. For example, a financial system governed only by speculation and the maximization of profits, or one in which individual persons are regarded as  disposable items in a culture of waste, could be tantamount, in certain circumstances, to an offence against human dignity. It follows, therefore, that the UN and its member states have an urgent and grave responsibility for the poor and excluded, mindful always that social and economic justice is an essential condition for peace.

Mr President,
            Each day of the 69th Session of the General Assembly, and indeed of the next four Sessions, up until November 2018, will bear the sad and painful memory of the futile and inhumane tragedy of the First World War (a senseless slaughter, as Pope Benedict XV referred to it), with its millions of victims and untold destruction.  Marking the centenary of the start of the conflict, His Holiness Pope Francis expressed his desire that “the mistakes of the past are not repeated, that the lessons of history are acknowledged, and that the causes for peace may always prevail through patient and courageous dialogue” (Angelus, 27 July 2014).  On that occasion, the thoughts of His Holiness focused particularly on three areas of crisis: the Middle East, Iraq and Ukraine.  He urged all Christians and people of faith to pray to the Lord to “grant to these peoples and to the Leaders of those regions the wisdom and strength needed to move forward with determination on the path toward peace, to address every dispute with the tenacity of dialogue and negotiation and with the power of reconciliation.  May the common good and respect for every person, rather than specific interests, be at the centre of every decision.  Let us remember that in war all is lost and in peace nothing” (ibid).

Mr President,
     In making my own the sentiments of the Holy Father, I fervently hope that they may be shared by all present here.  I offer to each of you my best wishes for your work, while trusting that this Session will spare no effort to put to an end the clamour of weapons that marks existing conflicts and that it will continue to foster the development of the entire human race, and in particular, the poorest among us.

Thank you, Mr President.


(Emer McCarthy)

Good Wishes to the Galilee Latin Patriarchate Schools

 

Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, GALILEE – During the third week of September, Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Israel, and Canon Faisal Hijazin, general director of the Latin Patriarchate schools in Israel and Palestine, made a visit to inaugurate the beginning of the school year. 

They visited schools in Reneh – greeted by the pastor, Fr. Elias Odeh, and the Principals, Father Elias Tabban and Mrs. Yvette Sayegh – and Rameh, greeted by the Principal, Jiries Mansour, which are full (from kindergarten to the final grade) and in Jaffa of Nazareth – greeted by the Principals Qaysar Rahhal and Saad Rashed – a growing school which will be full next year. The Patriarchate also has two nurseries in Shefaamer and Haifa.

The bishop and the director of schools met with principals, teachers, staff and all students in the school yards, but also in the classrooms. On behalf of His Beatitude Patriarch, they wished everyone a good and happy new school year and encouraged them to academic success and to live out their human, social and Christian formation.

They got acquainted with new teachers and were interested in the former and current needs faced by schools. They were particularly impressed by the very good results of the last Baghrout examination.

Patriarchal schools, like all Christian schools in Israel, face in recent times some serious administrative and cultural challenges presented by the Ministry of Education. They are in danger of no longer being subsidized by the state or, if they want to go public, they will lose their Christian identity and therefore the purpose for which they were created.

Text from our Galilee correspondent. Photos by A.K. and J.M.

Cardinal Koch on hope for closer Catholic-Orthodox relations

Catholics and Orthodox hold vigil for peace in Amman

25/09/2014

(Vatican Radio) The head of the Vatican’s Council for Christian Unity says he regrets that Catholics and Orthodox leaders are unable to give a stronger sign of unity for Christians suffering persecution in the Middle East.

Cardinal Kurt Koch has just returned from a meeting in Amman where he served as co-president of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. A communique released on Wednesday reflects the difficulties the two sides encountered in the search for agreement on the theme ‘Synodality and Primacy’ which has been at the heart of the discussions since a 2007 plenary meeting in Ravenna, Italy.

During the week-long meeting which concluded on Tuesday, members of the Commission visited a refugee centre in Amman where they heard first-hand the stories of those who have fled the fighting and persecution by Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq. Jordan’s Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad also attended the meeting and expressed his support for the dialogue, despite the current difficulties it is facing.

Philippa Hitchen sat down with Cardinal Koch to find out more about the meeting and about his hopes for progress in Catholic-Orthodox relations…..


Cardinal Koch says the first sign of progress is that “all are ready and willing to continue our dialogue and that we will provide a new step, a new coordination committee, in the next year for preparing a new plenary”. After discussion about the text that was prepared by the coordination committee in Paris, he says, it was clear the text could not be accepted, above all by the Orthodox side. During the week the Commission then prepared a new text about the most important elements of ‘synodality and primacy in the first millennium as a source of imagination for rediscovering the unity in primacy and synod in the third millennium’. At the end of the meeting, he says, the Orthodox side did not agree to publish this text, but rather to give this text to the coordination committee for further discussion…..”we hope,” he says, “that the next plenary can finish this text.”

Asked about a timeframe for the next meetings, the Cardinal says there will be a meeting of the coordination committee next year and in 2016 the Orthodox leaders will be taken up with a planned a pan-orthodox Synod so the next plenary may not be held until 2017. He adds that he hopes the pan-orthodox Synod can help to create unity between the Orthodox churches …”because this result will be a good condition for the continuation of our dialogue”.

Speaking of the position of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Cardinals says they accept the question of primacy on the universal level “ in a pragmatic view and not in a theological view”…..but during this plenary he says there was “very good cooperation… above all Metropolitan Hilarion was ready and willing to be a member of the drafting committee and also agreed to finish and publish this text.”

Asked about the planned visit of Pope Francis to Istanbul at the end of November, Cardinal Koch says the visit can help deepen the dialogue with Constantinople, though he says relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate are already very good: “His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew is very open and very helpful for me, because we have some tendencies in the dialogue, also on the Catholic side, to say there’s no possibility of continuing our theological dialogue about primacy, we must have another issue. But the Patriarch always says no, this theological commission must continue this work, so I think the Pope’s visit can be a good help for the continuation of our dialogue.”

Asked about the witness of Catholic and Orthodox Christians who are suffering and dying together in the Middle East today, the Cardinal says he had hoped for “a better sign of unity” between Orthodox and Catholics, though he adds that all members and all people are very concerned about the situation, above all in Iraq and Syria. He says the King of Jordan is very open to receive up to a million refugees and he talks about their  visit to a refugee camp : “this was a very hard experience to meet these people and see their fears, but also their hope and joy. One person said we can’t return to Iraq, not because we’ve lost our apartment, but we’ve lost our church and this is our homeland. This closeness to the church is a beautiful sign….”

Source: http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/09/25/cardinal_koch_on_hope_for_closer_catholic-orthodox_relations/1107270

Chaldean Patriarch Sako: "There are dirty political games behind the Iraq conflict"

by Gianni Valente
Rome

“There’s no future for us if the Lord does not help us.” There’s suffering and concern in Louis Raphaël I Sako’s words. The concern of a pastor who sees that his flock is in danger and the suffering of a child of the Chaldean Church who sees Christianity’s age-long history quickly heading towards oblivion. A history that has irrigated the lands between Mesopotamia’s two rivers for millennia. And it is not just the Islamic State’s bloodthirsty jihadists he is concerned about.

What can be done to stop your people’s suffering? What is your task now?

“The priority now is to offer comfort to those who are suffering and afraid, to help everyone and above all to encourage people to persevere and remain steadfast in their faith, without leaving their land. Staying put. Those who want to of course. We do not wish to force anyone. But it is our duty to direct people towards the path laid out in the Gospel. Those who leave must be aware that the West is not a promised land, let alone Paradise.”

But many just want to run away.

“We are being tested right now. Each of us is called to look into our hearts and we may discover that the Lord’s consolation is the only source of strength and the only treasure. It is the thing that is most dear to us. But many fall victim to this leaving frenzy. They don’t even stop to think about what is really going on in their lives. They seek a future. But for those who have the gift of faith, hope for a better future cannot just be about seeking a more comfortable life.”

But one bishop in the United States is negotiating with the White House to try to arrange for tens of thousands of Chaldeans to move over to the US.

He is also not experiencing first hand what we are experiencing. In America they put baskets with asylum request forms on church altars during Mass. As if the migration of thousands of Iraqi Christians to the US was something to ask God’s blessing for. That’s a strange thing to do and only confuses people’s faith. Unfortunately, some members of the clergy turn into businessmen instead of remaining shepherds of souls. They think in business instead of evangelical terms, even in relation to faithful. To some they are just numbers who can help priests beef up numbers of Catholics in the areas over which they have jurisdiction. They have them transferred from one bleak situation to another, which may even be worse in the long run. Migrants are left to their own devices and are not offered adequate pastoral care.”

What do you wish to say to those who want to leave?

“I repeat: each Christian needs to look inside him or herself and ask themselves what future it is they are seeking. They need to try and feel God’s love in this situation. Ask themselves what the Lord is asking from them in that moment and maybe realize that we have a future here in this devastated and blessed land of ours. And that the whole country represents our mission.

When Kurdish President Barzani came to meet us with Hollande, he said to us: you must be patient, you must stay. You must learn from us Kurds who have suffered but now have rights. Learning perseverance. This would also be good for us Christians.”

Meanwhile, US-based Christian groups are looking for – and claim to have found – proselytes in refugee camps. Even non-Christians.

“This is awful. It is immoral. They take advantage of a people’s difficulties and suffering. They also think in business terms, like religious managers hunting for clients.”

Armed groups passing themselves off as “Christian militia” have been forming, in order to fight the Islamic State’s jihadists. What is your view on this?

“To any politician, Christians included, who ask me, I always say: if some Christians want to help defend and fight for the liberation of land conquered by the jihadists, then they should join the Kurdish or the Iraqi national army. Creating “Christian militia” groups which identify themselves in ethnic-religious terms is not only illegal, but madness and pure suicide.

The US have begun an armed intervention with the “coalition”. Something similar has already happened in Iraq.

“All this looks to me like a dirty political game. Bombing these jihadists will not make them disappear, that’s for sure. Many innocent individuals risk being killed. Infrastructures are destroyed and will remain destroyed. The Americans have already done this: they destroyed the country and did not rebuild it. The most serious part of it all is that now everyone is saying the war is going to go on for years. This sends out two different and very dangerous messages simultaneously. The message to jihadists is: don’t worry, you have plenty of time to get organised, get more money together and enlist more paid militants. The message to the refugees is: this situation’s going to go on for years, the only future you have is away from here, away from your homes. It’s best if you leave if you can. If we are to really get rid of extremist groups once and for all, we have to work on education and training and come up with plans that show how false and monstrous this bloodthirsty ideology really is.”

Meanwhile, some in the West have made stereotypical references to a clash of civilizations, portraying Muslims as enemies of the Western civilization.

“The reality is that all the West is motivated by is money and power. For years, this entity that calls itself the Islamic State has been kept going with money and weapons that come from the West’s so-called “friends”. With their secret services they can find out anything they want about each and every one of us, whenever they want. How is it possible that they don’t know where weapons pass through or to whom they are selling oil to today? The US took action when two poor Americans were beheaded. But what about all those Syrians, Iraqis, Christians and Muslims they killed before then?”

Is there anything in all of this that brings you some hope?

“Last week in Baghdad, a group of priests, including myself, carried out spiritual exercises together. Our priests perform miracles despite the situation we find ourselves in: liturgies, catechism, social activities and charity initiatives, theatre… so many great things. Today we ask the Lord to console people, to give them patience and help them not to lose hope. This is the most important thing right now.”

Source: http://en.abouna.org/en/content/chaldean-patriarch-sako-there-are-dirty-political-games-behind-iraq-conflict

Bishops find hope for religious dialogue at Palestinian university

By Matt Hadro

Catholic News Agency - Reflecting on their recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, US bishops have cited relationships there between Christian and Muslim students as a sign of hope for peace in the region.

A delegation of 18 bishops from the US made the pilgrimage to Palestine and Israel September 11-18.

“What was really positive about this was the tremendous work being done there by Catholic Relief Services, by the Knights of Malta, the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre and a lot of these Catholic organizations that … doing really good work,” Bishop Richard Higgins, an auxiliary of the military archdiocese who was among the pilgrims, told CNA.

“The other really positive thing, that I think the bishops would agree on, was the experience of Bethlehem University … that university has over 3,000 students, and over 70 percent of them are Muslims. The rest of them are Christians of different denominations.”

“Having young people of that age being educated together and living basically together spiritually where there are particular cultures day by day, that is a very positive force as far as I am concerned… I believe the resolution down the road will be between educated people who have lived alongside each other for years and understand both cultures and respect each other.”

The entire group of bishops said they were "encouraged by Bethlehem University, a Catholic institution that is building bridges between Christians and Muslims as they study together to create the future of Palestine."

During their trip, the bishops said Mass at pilgrimage sites and with Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal and with Palestinian communities. The bishops also met and prayed with Jews and Muslims, as well as Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Protestant Christians.

"Motivated by the love of Christ and deep concern for both Israelis and Palestinians, we went to pray for peace, and to work for a two-state solution and an open and shared Jerusalem,” the bishops said in a communique following their return.

They described Jerusalem, Israel's border wall, and the situation of Christians Palestinians all as signs of contradiction in the region.

The border wall, they said, is for Israelis “a sign of security; for Palestinians, a sign of occupation and exclusion. The contrast between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is also a sign of contradiction. In crossing the border one moves from freedom and prosperity to the intimidation of military checkpoints, humiliation, and deeper poverty.”

The bishops lamented that “the route of the barrier wall, the confiscation of Palestinian lands in the West Bank, especially now in the Bethlehem area and the Cremisan Valley, and any expansion of settlements threaten to undermine the two-state solution.”

In addition, they noted with alarm the rate of emigration of Christian Palestinians.

“The unresolved conflict and occupation undermine human dignity and the ability of Christians to raise their families,” the bishops wrote. “Israeli policies in East Jerusalem prohibit Christians who marry someone from outside the City to remain there with their spouse, and security policies restrict movement and confiscate lands, undermining the ability of many Christian families to survive economically. The harsh realities of occupation force them to leave. Muslims also suffer similarly, but have fewer opportunities to emigrate.”

Bishop Higgins commented that “it's probably not news to you that the number of Christians in the Holy Land is diminishing and will continue to diminish. Especially if they’re Palestinian Christians,” citing “the restrictions placed upon them.”

“Their attitude is that there’s not much of a future for you in the Holy Land if you are a Palestinian Christian. So they … emigrate as soon as they can.”

The leader of the pilgrimage, Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, shared that sentiment in an interview with Wyatt Goolsby of EWTN News Nightly.

“One of the great disappointments that we came upon was the realization that I think about 10 or 15 years ago, 12.5 percent of the population was Christian. Today, only 1.5 percent,” he said.

“So the Christians are really being squeezed, and we have to advocate for them also among both the Muslim and Jewish sisters and brothers because it is the Holy Land, which we consider to be so sacred and special.”

Bishop Pates emphasized that hope is possible because of prayer.
“The power of prayer is truly something that we have confidence in.”

Source: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/bishops-find-hope-for-religious-dialogue-at-palestinian-university-79714/

Beirut's Christian-Islamic summit: "The East will continue with its Christians and Muslims"

Senior Christian and Muslim religious figures convened on Thursday, September 25, at Dar el-Fatwa in Beirut by holding the first spiritual summit after electing Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian as mufti of the republic.

The Christian-Islamic summit stressed that the East will continue as has always been with its Christians and Muslims, stressing that their is no holy issue at the expense of humans' dignity and rights as there can never be a holy war in the name of religion.

The Christian-Islamic summit noted that Lebanon is in dire need for a president having wisdom and visionary and capable of guiding Lebanese to a consensus prone to surpass all challenges and dificulties, explaining that "any delay in electing the sole Christian president in the Arab World will disrupt Lebanon's noble national and Arab mission."

The attendees called for casting Lebanon away from foreign conflicts and the policies of regional and international axes.

They also called upon the Arab and international communities to assume their responsibilities in light of the displaced Syrians file as Lebanon could not apprehend a heavy popular load of refugees.

Source: http://en.abouna.org/en/content/beiruts-christian-islamic-summit-east-will-continue-its-christians-and-muslims

What can the Jesuits can do for peace?

Peace Now? How?

 

by the editors of America Magazine

When Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus, wrote to Jesuit provincial superiors and other advisers throughout the world about the main challenge of our time, he spoke in the spirit of Pope Francis. What, he asked, can the Society do for peace? The answers flooded in, and his reply letter to all 16,000 Jesuits worldwide was a challenge to think, pray and act.

Pope Francis recently told a crowd at an Italian war memorial, “War is madness” and said it seemed as if World War III were already being fought in a “piecemeal” fashion around the globe. A dangerous confrontation between the West and Russia simmers in Ukraine. The bombed ruins of Gaza smolder, and in Iraq ISIS tortures and kills Muslims and Christians alike with impunity.

In 1973 Father General Pedro Arrupe told his fellow Jesuits that some of them might die living a “faith that does justice.” Sixteen years later, six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter were murdered in the midst of El Salvador’s civil war. Last April Frans van der Lugt, S.J., was shot in the head in front of his home in Homs, Syria, where he had served the people as a psychotherapist and pastor for 48 years. Throughout the 20th century, in persecutions, world wars, concentration camps and violent social movements, over 300 Jesuits met death.

The letter from Father Nicholás challenged Jesuit schools to “take the risk of being wounded as Jesus was” and develop interdisciplinary programs that instill spirituality and forgiveness. But first, he said, Jesuits must achieve “reconciliation among ourselves.” Only then can the Society become a “prophetic institution that denounces the injustices that produce violence,” even unto death.

Comments

WILLIAM ATKINSON | 9/26/2014 - 4:06pm

What the society can do, especially in the fields of education, is to create in locations across the world, say SF, SL, NY, Montreal, England, Italy, Spain, Jerusalem (Ignatius's longed for that mission), Cairo, Australia, Manila, Japan, Argentina, Mexico City,; Institutes and university schools of Abrahamic studies to include Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Protestant philosophies and theologies that will bring about historical, anthropological, archeological, spiritual and religious cohesions to emerge into a world of cooperation and peace, especially in knowledge and worship.

 

CHRISTOPHER RUSHLAU | 9/26/2014 - 12:31pm

I'm replying, not a Jesuit myself, to the first paragraph. "If you want peace, work for law."
Holmes laughed that lawyers were getting desperate when they started talking about justice.

Gaza is a good example. If we want peace in Palestine, from the river to the sea, we need civil rights, and for that we need a law state. Israel spends a hundred times as much per capita on Jewish students as on non-Jewish ones, says the executive director of Jewish Voices for Peace. My scant research suggests a Jew (by Israel state accounting) has a hundred times better chance of getting a building permit as a non-Jew (ditto). There is no law in Israel, evidently.

Let's send a lawyer to Israel.

Where will we find one? I would send a likely candidate to the Karl Rahner School of Law, contained in two volumes, Spirit in the World and Hearers of the Word.

The essence of civil law is that people know according to the images they hold in their imaginations, and they know these images for a fact. The most deluded bigot, one could extrapolate (Karl does not like to talk about evil, but "if there were no evil people there would be no good lawyers," said Dickens), knows she is in bad conscience because the faculty by which she knows her prejudices is the same faculty by which she refuses to see the other person before her: her bigotry is her choice and she knows it is a bad one.

None of this nonsense about competing narratives.

Source: http://americamagazine.org/issue/current-comment-56

International Coalition of Muslim Scholars Refute ISIS' Religious Arguments in Open Letter to al-Baghdadi

By Samuel Smith , CP Contributor

September 25, 2014|6:06 pm

A coalition of leading Sunni Muslim scholars from across the world took a stand against the jihad waged by Islamic State militants by issuing a letter denouncing the terrorist group's claim that their war is in the name of God.

In a highly-detailed 17-page letter addressed to ISIS, also known as ISIL, leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his followers, 126 international Muslim educators and imams signed an agreement to refute ISIS' jihad. The letter is littered with quotes from the Quran debunking the militants' justification of their brutality under Sharia law.

"You have misinterpreted Islam into a religion of harshness, brutality, torture and murder," the letter states. "This is a great wrong and an offense to Islam, to Muslims and to the entire world."

Nihad Awad from the Council on American Islamic Relations, the group that presented the letter in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, said that the hope for this letter is to discourage potential radicals from joining the ISIS ranks.

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"They have a twisted theology," he said in a video explaining the letter. "They have relied many times, to mobilize and recruit young people, on classic religious texts that have been misinterpreted and misunderstood."

The letter opens by quoting al-Baghdadi from a July 4 sermon: "If you find what I say and do to be true, then assist me, and if you find what I say and do to be false, then advise me and set me straight."

In an attempt to set things straight with al-Baghdadi, the letter debunks a notion that is held true by many ISIS militants that "God bless[ed] Prophet Muhammad who was sent with the sword as a mercy to all worlds." The letter states that ISIS members have become too fixated on the "sword" and have neglected the fact the Quran says that God sent Prophet Muhammad to solely be "a mercy to all the worlds."

"Accordingly, it is forbidden to equate 'the sword'—and thus wrath and severity—with 'mercy,'" the letter states. "Furthermore, it is forbidden to make the idea 'mercy to all worlds' subordinate to the phrase 'sent with the sword,' because this would mean that mercy is dependent upon the sword, which is simply not true."

The letter also criticizes ISIS' belief that they have created a caliphate. The letter says a caliphate has not been established because it takes a complete agreement from the entire Muslim community to establish a caliphate.

"There is agreement among scholars that a caliphate is an obligation upon the Ummah (Muslim nation). The Ummah has lacked a caliphate since 1924 CE. However, a new caliphate requires consensus from Muslims and not just from those in some small corner of the world."

The letter heavily chastises the broadcast mutilation of ISIS prisoners and states that these acts left the rest of the Islamic world to take the blame for their brutality. The beheadings of American journalists have grabbed the world's attention but the letter specifically highlights ISIS' use of social media during the FIFA World Cup. The terrorist group had posted videos and pictures of militants kicking around severed heads and used World Cup-related hashtags.

"You have provided ample ammunition for all those who want to call Islam barbaric with your broadcasting of barbaric acts which you pretend are for the sake of Islam," the letter says. "You have given the world a stick with which to beat Islam whereas in reality Islam is completely innocent of these acts and prohibits them."

Additionally, the letter also lists the numerous rules of jihad that ISIS has broken. Firstly, jihad should only be waged once a Muslim nation has been oppressed and wronged and they are no longer able to say freely "our Lord is our God."

Also jihad does not allow for the killing of women, children, elderly or the disabled, the destruction of buildings and the harming of livestock, which are rules ISIS has broken. The letter also says that beheadings with a knife and mass killings are specifically forbidden under Sharia law.

The Muslim scholars also note in their letter that the Prophet Muhammad specifically said, "Those retreating are not to be killed, nor are the injured to be harmed, and whoever shuts his door is safe."

Source: http://www.christianpost.com/news/international-coalition-of-muslim-scholars-refute-isis-religious-arguments-in-open-letter-to-al-baghdadi-127032/

Churches for Middle East Peace: US State Department must declare Israeli settlements illegal

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The Name Mohammad Is Breaking Records in Israel

di Lucia Balestrieri | September 25, 2014

 
Newborn babies in an Israeli hospital. (photo: Chen Leopold/Flash90)

Surprise! The most popular boy’s name for babies born in the Jewish state in the past 12 months in the Jewish state is Mohammad, even though the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics – on the occasion of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanà) of 5775 which falls on 25th September – has drawn up a list with names that are certainly more in keeping with the traditions of the Chosen People: Yosef, Daniel, Uri, Yitai and Omer.

The problem, however, is that the officials of the Registry Office have only taken into account the names with a Jewish flavour, ignoring the Israeli Arab citizens. This was discovered by the Israeli site Walla which drew up another classification including the whole of the Israeli population, regardless of ethnic origin.

This means that out of the 176,230 babies born last year in Israel – 90,646 boys and 85,584 girls -   Mohammad took first place on the podium, leaving Josef behind without too much difficulty. Indeed, another mess emerged over Josef, as the employees of the statistics bureau had assimilated the Arabic name Yusuf with its Hebrew version counting them as one. In the end, in the first three places, come Mohammad, Daniel and Josef. Another Arabic name appears in the first ten, Ahmed, overtaking David.

Something similar also happened in the classification of girls’ names. At least three of the ten most popular names, Lian, Maryam (or Miriam) and Maya, are used by both the Jews and the Arabs, but at the registry office only the Hebrew version was considered.

The controversy is obvious. The Central Bureau of Statistics minimized the matter, explaining that it was a simple misunderstanding. The complete list was at the disposal of anyone who asked for it but usually the public were only interested in Hebrew names and it had been published in this reduced version. However, some Arab Members of the Knesset doubt that it was a naive mistake. Both the deputy Jamal Zehalke, of the secular nationalist party Balad, and the Communist Afu Ighbarve saw in the episode an umpteenth confirmation of the “racism” that considers the Arabs of Israel as second-class citizens.

According to the registry office, the population of Israel has exceeded 8,900,000 people. Over 6 million of whom are Jewish. The birth rate in the past 12 months increased by about 9% compared to the previous year, when 160,000 babies were born.

Source: http://terrasanta.net/tsx/articolo.jsp?wi_number=6891&wi_codseq=%20%20%20%20%20%20&language=en

Bishop Warduni from Baghdad: "It Is Urgent to Defeat ISIS"

by Carlo Giorgi | September 25, 2014

 
Bishop Shlemon Warduni. (foto C. Giorgi)
 

“Be careful! The day will come when, if these terrorists are not stopped in Iraq, they will go elsewhere. They behave like cannibals! Their action is against the whole of humanity not just against Iraq.” The words of Shlemon Warduni, auxiliary Chaldean bishop of Baghdad show no mercy and echo like those of a prophet... Bishop Warduni, as well as his pastoral duties for the diocese of Baghdad, is also President of the Iraqi Caritas and is very familiar with the sufferings of his people. In Iraq, from January to September 2014, the war accounted for 12,336 victims, according to Iraq Body Count, a London-based organization which counts the dead since 2003, the year of the Anglo-American invasion of the country and the dictator Saddam Hussein was overthrown.

Violence in Iraq has increased tremendously: the victims in the first nine months of 2014 are 24% more than those killed in the whole of 2013; and the triple of those of 2012. In particular, the hike in the number of the killed came in June (2,534 victims), when the terrorists of ISIS launched their offensive, conquering large cities such as Fallujah and Mosul in a few days and proclaiming an Islamic caliphate. The violence is continuing without stopping, if we consider only the victims of the past few days: on 23rd September, 36 people were killed by bombings, firearms or car-bombs; on 22nd September, 58 people were killed and 45 were killed the day before, 21st September.

“The urgency today is to stop the advance of the terrorists of ISIS,” Bishop Warduni explains to Terrasanta.net. “They are terrorists and they have done great harm to the Christians and to the minorities. First of all we have to have guarantees from those nations which at the moment are helping them to immediately suspend their support and to stop supplying them with arms. Then it is necessary to guarantee our human rights which at the moment are not ensured. Chasing people out of their homes, forcing them to cut off their roots, this is something terrible in the 21st century… They chased us out of our villages, they humiliated our people, especially when they sold the women at the market for $100... They are cannibals! Such a thing had never been heard of! Yes, before people had been sold into slavery. but now they are selling women because they consider them unworthy, to trample on their rights; and then there are the children who have died of thirst and starvation, the men buried alive… How can such things happen? We ask the international community to put an end to all this. The international community must take the question seriously. A day will come – if these terrorists are not stopped in Iraq – when they will go somewhere else. Their action is against the whole of humanity, not just against Iraq. I am launching a plea in the name of our children, our sick, our women,” concluded Warduni: “An end has to come to this situation and our villages and our city Mosul, which has been Christian for two thousand years but for three months (or when, on 11th June, it was taken over by ISIS – Ed.’s note) no Christian prayer has been heard there, have to be liberated. First of all I ask everyone to pray for us, then to kindle respect for human rights in the heart of all men of good will and to make everybody aware that these terrorists want to harm the world and they have to be stopped.”

Source: http://terrasanta.net/tsx/articolo.jsp?wi_number=6896&wi_codseq=%20%20%20%20%20%20&language=en

Recognition of the “Arameans”: an attempt to divide Palestinian Christians?

 

PRESS RELEASE – On September 16, 2014 the Justice and Peace Commission of the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries issued a communiqué following the decision made by Israel to recognize the “arameans”.

JUSTICE AND PEACE COMMISSION

ASSEMBLY OF THE CATHOLIC ORDINARIES OF THE HOLY LAND

Christian Palestinians in Israel

The Israeli Ministry of the Interior announced that Christian Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel can now change their registration in the Ministry from Arabs to “Arameans ”. What does this mean? Arameans were an ancient people that dwelt in the Middle East. Their language, Aramaic, was the lingua franca of the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian Empires. It was adopted by the Jews in the Babylonian Exile and has remained important for them until today because a large part of the rabbinic tradition was written in Aramaic. Some streams of Christianity adopted a form of Aramaic, known as Syriac, and it remains a liturgical language for some Eastern Churches until today.

Arabs who live today in Greater Syria have spoken different languages over the centuries: Aramaic, Greek and Arabic. Today, the unique language in daily use throughout the area is Arabic (except for tiny pockets where some form of colloquial Aramaic is preserved). Today, we, in Israel, we are Christian Palestinians Arabs.

Some in the Israeli administration seem to think that separating Christian Palestinians from other Palestinians is a way to protect Christians. We say to these people, if you are sincere: first, give us back our homes, our properties, our villages and towns, all that you have confiscated. Second, the best way to protect us is to keep us in our people. Third, the best protection for us, for you and for all, is to seriously engage in walking the path of peace.

To those who seek to change our identity, we say: you can gain our support as allies uniquely in the way of peace. We are allies for peace without you needing to take invasive measures to dilute our identity. In fact all Palestinians can be allies for peace, but a peace based on respect for human dignity. For many, today, the Israeli administration is the one who refuses peace.

If you chose to remain on the path of war, do not push us to follow you. The way of war is not our way. It is a way that benefits nobody, neither you nor us, nor anybody in the region. We cannot be condemned, neither us nor you, nor any human being, to live in a permanent state of war. If your choice is war in order to remain the stronger party, leave us with our choice of peace. We will act for peace, for us and for you, for all our people, and for all the region.

To the few Christian Palestinian Arabs in Israel, who support this idea of changing their identity or serving in the Israeli army, we say: Come back to your senses. Do not harm your people, because of idle promises and personal egoistic gain. By adopting such a position, you do not benefit yourselves nor do you benefit Israel. Israel is in need of Christians who have heard Jesus’ teaching: “Blessed the peace makers”. Israel does not need Christians who have deformed their identity, who position themselves as enemy of their own people and who become soldiers for war. This does not produce peace, neither for you nor for any other Israeli. Serve yourselves, serve your people and serve Israel in remaining faithful to the truth, i.e. faithful to your identity as Christians, as Palestinians and as peacemakers. Promote peace among yourselves, among Palestinians and Israelis.

The vocation of the Christian is not to suddenly become an Aramean nor to go to war. Rather the vocation of the Christian is to point the way to peace and to walk in its path. This peace must be built on the dignity of each human being, Palestinian and Jewish. Blessed are the peace makers for they truly serve God and humanity, all humanity, Palestinians and Israelis and the whole region.

Jerusalem, 16 September 2014

Source: http://en.lpj.org/2014/09/19/recognition-of-the-arameans-an-attempt-to-divide-palestinian-christians/

French Muslims support Mideast Christians against Islamic State

 

Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stand guard at a checkpoint in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, June 11, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Stringer

By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor

PARIS, Sept 9 (Reuters)- The Muslim Council in France, home to Europe's largest Islamic minority, denounced the persecution of Middle East Christians on Tuesday and said mosques across the country would pray for them this week.

In a joint statement with a Christian group, the Council (CFCM) said "barbarians are perpetrating crimes against humanity" in the region "exploiting Islam as their banner".

Several French Muslim groups have already condemned the harsh tactics of Islamic State, the radical movement that has declared a caliphate in Syria and Iraq, but this was the first time they got together with Christians to support the victims.

The Vatican and Christian leaders in Western countries have called on Muslims to speak out against Islamic State. Many have, but the decentralized nature of Islam means these individual declarations often carry less weight than a joint effort.

"The signatories reaffirm their support to their Middle Eastern Christian brothers, many of them Arabs, as well as for all other minorities in the region who are now victims of a destructive campaign by these terrorist groups that threaten their existence," the joint declaration stated.

Islamic State fighters drove Christians from Iraq's northern city of Mosul in July, ending a presence stretching back to the early years of Christianity. The Sunni Islamist group has also targeted Shi'ite Muslims and religious minorities, executing hundreds of captives in Iraq and neighboring Syria.
 
"The issue of Middle Eastern Christians is not only one for Christians," said Patrick Karam, head of the group Endangered Middle East Christians that drew up the statement with the Muslim Council. "French Muslims are with us to support them."

There are about five million Muslims in France, about eight percent of the population. Other large Muslim minorities live in Britain and Germany.

FRENCH MUSLIMS GO TO FIGHT

Council President Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, said the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia and large Muslim organizations in Britain and the United States had clearly condemned Islamic State.

If the militants succeeded in driving Christians out of the Middle East, he said, that could harm relations among religions elsewhere. "Muslims in Europe would be suspect," he said.

Boubakeur, Karam and other speakers stressed that Muslim organizations had to work against radicalization by explaining to young Muslims that Islam did not condone such killing.

Anouar Kbibech, head of an association of Moroccan mosques in France, said young Muslims must understand that Islamic State was trying to carry out ethnic cleansing. "They must not be deceived," he said.

Karam said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told him last week there were about 800 French citizens who were "candidates or on the ground" to work with Islamic State militants. Twenty percent of them were converts to Islam.

According to the ministry's rough breakdown, about 360 are actively participating while another 220 or so were preparing to go fight. Around 180 more were "in transit in Turkey", he said without giving further details.

"Of the 150 who have returned, they are all over France," he added. "We can expect a wave of terror attacks in France."

Several French-based clergy from eastern Christian churches attended the meeting and thanked the Muslim groups for their support. "This is something that had to be done," said Coptic Orthodox Bishop Abba Athanasios.

(Editing by Dominic Evans)

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/09/09/us-iraq-crisis-france-muslims-idUKKBN0H41HO20140909

Statement From US Bishops After Peace Pilgrimage to Israel, Palestinian Territories

Washington, D.C., September 23, 2014 (Zenit.org) 

Here is the statement from 18 US prelates who made a prayer pilgrimage from Sept. 11 to 18 to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

* * *

Bishops’ Prayer Pilgrimage for Peace in the Holy Land

We went to the Holy Land as men of faith on a Prayer Pilgrimage for Peace. Motivated by the love of Christ and deep concern for both Israelis and Palestinians, we went to pray for peace, and to work for a two-state solution and an open and shared Jerusalem. Arriving in the wake of the recent Gaza war, though, we encountered pain, intransigence and cynicism. Even the young people are discouraged. But we also saw signs of inspiration and hope.

Prayer was the central element of our pilgrimage. Through daily liturgies at holy sites and local parishes, we experienced our communion in Christ with local Christian communities. We are grateful to those at home who supported our pilgrimage with prayers and interest. We also prayed alongside Jews, Muslims and other Christians. Prayer is powerful. We know peace is possible because God is our hope.

We met with people of goodwill, Palestinian and Israeli alike, who yearn for peace. We were inspired by the commitment of the staff and partners of Catholic Relief Services, The Pontifical Mission, and the local Christian community, who are providing relief to the people of Gaza; by the efforts of Christians, Muslims, and Jews who are building bridges of understanding; and by the mission of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre. We were moved profoundly by our visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, and were encouraged by Bethlehem University, a Catholic institution that is building bridges between Christians and Muslims as they study together to create the future of Palestine, and by the Church’s schools that are open to all.

We are compelled by the Gospel of Peace to share the fruits of our prayers and encounters with Israelis and Palestinians. Two peoples and three faiths have ancient ties to this Land. Sadly, Jerusalem, the City of Peace, is a sign of contradiction. We were told more than once that the city could erupt in violence as it has on far too many occasions.

The towering wall that divides Israelis and Palestinians is another sign of contradiction. For Israelis, it is a sign of security; for Palestinians, a sign of occupation and exclusion. The contrast between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is also a sign of contradiction. In crossing the border one moves from freedom and prosperity to the intimidation of military checkpoints, humiliation, and deeper poverty.

The situation of Christian Palestinians is an added sign of contradiction. The Christian community is emigrating at alarming rates. As we learned from Patriarch Fouad Twal, the unresolved conflict and occupation undermine human dignity and the ability of Christians to raise their families. Israeli policies in East Jerusalem prohibit Christians who marry someone from outside the City to remain there with their spouse, and security policies restrict movement and confiscate lands, undermining the ability of many Christian families to survive economically. The harsh realities of occupation force them to leave. Muslims also suffer similarly, but have fewer opportunities to emigrate.

As U.S. bishops, we humbly acknowledge that we do not understand all the complexities of the situation, but in faith we do understand some things clearly. We reaffirm the longstanding position of the U.S. bishops and the Holy See and support a two-state solution: a secure and recognized Israel living in peace with a viable and independent Palestinian state. The broad outlines of this solution are well known; but there has not been, nor does there appear to be, the determined political will to achieve it.

There is no military solution to the conflict, but tragically violence on both sides undermines the trust needed to achieve peace. Violence always sows seeds of further violence and fear. We witnessed the horrific devastation of whole neighborhoods in Gaza and heard about tragic deaths on both sides, especially a disproportionate number of Palestinian noncombatants, women, and children. The local Christian community in Gaza described the nightly terror they suffered during the war. Israelis in Sderot and elsewhere described their dread of Hamas rocket fire.

The route of the barrier wall, the confiscation of Palestinian lands in the West Bank, especially now in the Bethlehem area and the Cremisan Valley, and any expansion of settlements threaten to undermine the two-state solution. Many reported that the window of opportunity for peace was narrowing dangerously. If it closes, the futures of both Palestinians and Israelis will be harmed.

Many persons with whom we met joined us in commending the recent initiative of Secretary of State John Kerry, but said renewed U.S. leadership is required for peace. For the sake of both Israelis and Palestinians, the United States must mobilize the international community to support both parties by adopting parameters for a lasting solution, including borders, an open and shared Jerusalem, and a timeline.

Pope Francis, in word and gesture, inspired hope on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May. After another Gaza war, hope is now in short supply. One person on our journey told us that the Holy Land is the land of miracles. The miracle we need is the transformation of human hearts so each side is less deaf to the concerns of the other. In solidarity with our brother bishops and all people in the region, we urge alternatives to the cycle of hatred and violence. Peace is possible.

Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace

Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, Chair-Elect, Committee on International Justice and Peace

Bishop Richard J. Malone, Diocese of Buffalo, Board of Catholic Relief Services

Bishop John O. Barres, Diocese of Allentown

Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City

Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Diocese of Stockton

Bishop J. Kevin Boland, Diocese of Savannah

Bishop Paul J. Bradley, Diocese of Kalamazoo

Bishop Tod D. Brown, Diocese of Orange

Bishop Robert J. Coyle, Archdiocese for the Military Services

Bishop Bernard J. Harrington, Diocese of Winona

Bishop Richard Higgins, Archdiocese for the Military Services

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Diocese of Albany

Bishop William F. Medley, Diocese of Owensboro

Bishop Dale J. Melczek, Diocese of Gary

Bishop William F. Murphy, Diocese of Rockville Centre

Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer, Diocese of San Angelo

Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger, Diocese of Salina

US bishops emphasize importance of prayer during Holy Land pilgrimage

Sheik Abdul Majeed Atta of Bethlehem listens to retired Bishop Bernard Harrington of Winona, after an interfaith prayer service

By Judith Sudilovskly/ Catholic News Service

US bishops visiting the Holy Land on a peace pilgrimage emphasized the importance of prayer, with Christians and non-Christians.

"Prayer is so powerful, and it can also strengthen our resolve" to accomplish good "on behalf of all parties involved," said Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, one of 18 bishops who made the nine-day pilgrimage for peace in mid-September.

The bishops prayers alongside Jews and Muslims "indicate that, as Pope Francis says, we are all (one) human family praying to one God. We, all believers, can find an opportunity to move forward to unity for the benefit of all believers and nonbelievers."

The prayers, which were held in some form every day of the pilgrimage, also gave the bishops an opportunity to interact with local Israelis and Palestinians and emphasized that both peoples want the same out of their lives as average Americans, Bishop Pates told Catholic News Service.

Bishop Paul J. Bradley of Kalamazoo, Michigan, reflected on the series of joint prayers the bishops held with local Christians and alongside Muslims and Jews.

"Praying together has to be the lifeblood of whatever solution is reached," he told Catholic News Service.

In Jerusalem, the bishops, donning the traditional Jewish male head covering, the kippa or yarmulke, joined a progressive Jewish synagogue for their evening prayers September 12, welcoming in the Sabbath. The following day they joined part of an Armenian Orthodox liturgy at the Armenian Patriarchate in the Old City, followed by an ecumenical prayer service for peace that included, among others, Armenian, Lutheran and Anglican faithful.

Another day they also prayed for peace and victims of the Holocaust with rabbis in Jerusalem, and in Bethlehem, West Bank, they prayed alongside Muslims.

During parish visits in Jifna and Nablus in the West Bank, the bishops celebrated Mass with local Catholics and prayed for peace at the traditional site of Jacob's well. In Galilee they celebrated Mass at the Mount of Beatitudes and at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico, noted that their interreligious prayers with Muslims, Christians and Jews highlighted the fact that everybody has a claim to the Holy Land.

"As Catholics we look to this land as sacred land, and so for us to be able to come here in a climate of peace is important," said Bishop Cantu. "To hear the human beings in this sacred land where our faith began is important, and we should care about what happens here."

"Anytime you pray and ask something from God, He gives you grace," said retired Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer of San Angelo, Texas. "It depends on how you use it. Prayer should lead to action. If you do not use the grace God gives you, you are failing God. Our prayer here is a sign of encouragement -- to pray with people who do not think like you and accept the prayer is a beautiful sign of hope and encouragement."

Retired Bishop Bernard J. Harrington of Winona, Minnesota, said he was returning with a renewed concern for prayer, while the devastation in the Gaza Strip called for a much deeper prayer when action is needed.

"We have very little time and we have to pray and hopefully get our government to help bring about a two-state solution," Bishop Harrington said.

While some of the bishops have had opportunities to participate in interfaith prayer before, for others, such as Bishops Pfeifer and William F. Medley of Owensboro, Kentucky, whose dioceses have few religious minorities, the prayers during the pilgrimage provided them with new experiences.

"(The opportunity) opened my eyes to a reality which has not been a part of my life. There are not many opportunities in Western Kentucky, but I will speak to encourage people to reach out," said Bishop Medley.

"Prayer is a dialogue with God, but it is also a witness to the world that we believe there are good people here with human dignity, who long for human dignity, and we can show the world and to people here that we don't have to take sides," he said.

"In each place where we prayed together, there was a great deal of respect," said retired Oklahoma City Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran. "We felt we were all saying the same prayer, turning to God and asking him to help us heal. It gives me great hope that there will be peace here, even though politically now it doesn't seem so. I have faith there will be peace here before I die."

Source: http://en.abouna.org/en/holylands/us-bishops-emphasize-importance-prayer-during-holy-land-pilgrimage