Patriarch of Jerusalem discusses struggle for Christians in the Middle East

Since 2003, over one million Christians have fled Iraq.  Since 2011, 93 thousand Christians have fled Egypt, and another 450 thousand have fled Syria.  Refugees from these countries have been flooding into Jordan, Lebanon, and other nearby countries.

In the context of this ongoing crisis, Archbishop Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, spoke at Notre Dame about the plight of Christians in the Middle East.  His talk was part of this year’s Notre Dame Forum—entitled “Faith, Freedom, and the Modern World: 50 Years After Vatican II”—and was sponsored by the university’s Center for Civil and Human Rights.

The lecture, “Middle East Christians’ Future: In Whose Hands?”, was attended by about 150 people and was hosted at the Hesburgh Center for International Studies.

Twal served as bishop of Tunis beginning in 1992 and in 2008 became the second Arab and ninth Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 1847.  As patriarch, Twal has jurisdiction over a diocese made up of the Holy Land—which includes Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan—as well as Cyprus.

During his time in Jerusalem, Twal has been involved in the work of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute, which was founded by Pope Paul VI and the late Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC, president emeritus of Notre Dame.

Twal introduced his lecture by stating, “I’m not sure [being fair and balanced] is possible when talking about the Holy Land. … We are very few, we are a small Christian minority.”

This vast diocese contains 118 schools with 75,000 students, made up of Christians, Jews, and Muslims.  In some places, there are more Muslim than Christian students.

“Our mission, our charity, our work cannot have borders,” Twal said.  “We still believe in education.”

Twal emphasized that Christians in the Holy Land live in a climate of hate, which breeds increasing terrorism.  “I am anxious about the future but hope for a bright future,” he said.

“In this context,” Twal continued, “I am reminded of Jesus on the Mount of Olives, looking out above the city of Jerusalem and weeping. … We cannot live, love, and work in Jerusalem without the Cross.

“In the Gospel, Jesus said, ‘If you want to follow me, you are most welcome, but you must bear your cross to follow me,’” Twal added.  “I call the Church of Jerusalem the Church of Calvary, and it doesn’t seem that the end will come soon.

“But at the same time,” he told the audience, “we are the Church of resurrection.  The empty tomb is not very far away from Calvary.”

Twal spoke extensively about those who have experienced terrorist attacks and lost family members in the process.  “Our hearts are filled with sorrow for our brothers and sisters who are victims of violence and terror,” he said.

He was also critical of the Israeli government and its bureaucratic system, which pays little heed to Christians in the region.  “I think we do not figure on the agenda of the big politicians,” Twal said.  “I don’t think our presence … makes a difference for them.  They have a politic without ethic, a politic of interest.  They never consider our presence, they never ask our opinion.”

Twal cited four major reasons contributing to the absence of peace in the Holy Land.  The first of these is the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, which he said is bad for both the occupier and the occupied people.  “You can’t live together with peace and respect when there is occupation,” he explained.  “There is no democracy when there is occupation.”

Next, he said that the Palestinian right to return complicates an already troubled region.  This right supposedly entitles Palestinian refugees to reclaim land they previously owned in Israel or the Palestinian territories.

Third, the uncertain status of Jerusalem contributes to the lack of peace.  “We say that Jerusalem is there and that all believers must have the right to access this holy place,” he said.  “Now this freedom must be granted by international law.”

Finally, Twal said that disputes over the borders of Israel continue to complicate attempts to reach peace.  In 2002, Saudi Arabia presented an initiative in which Israel would return to its 1967 borders and, in return, all the Arab nations would launch normal relations with Israel.  However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused this arrangement.

Twal concluded his lecture with an exhortation to those in the audience, asking for their prayers and support of his work in the Middle East.  “You and we are all engaged in the Lord’s work,” he said.

A number Notre Dame professors attended this lecture, and a couple spoke with the Rover after the event about the conflicted situation in the Middle East.

“There has been a hemorrhaging of Christians from the Middle East over the past century, but the exodus is now becoming a cascade,” said Daniel Philpott, professor of political science and director on leave of Notre Dame’s Center for Civil and Human Rights.

“Christians in the Near Middle East, meaning Israel and Palestine, suffer persecution as well, although not on as large a scale.  They are sometimes the victims of extremist Islamist terrorism, are sometimes caught between the contest between Israel and Palestine, and often share in the discrimination and lack of opportunity suffered by Palestinians,” Philpott continued.

“The situation for Christians in Israel itself is quite unique,” Gabriel Reynolds, professor of Theology and Islamic Studies, said to the Rover.  “Like all Palestinians they suffer from discrimination and the experience of living as second-class citizens.  In the occupied Palestinian territories they suffer above all from the occupation, but also from the rise of aggressive religious fundamentalism in some sectors of the Islamic community, by which Christians are more immoral infidels than co-citizens.”

Julie Mardini, a freshman living in Lyons Hall, attended Twal’s lecture due to her interest in peace studies and Middle Eastern politics.

“I have a lot of family living as Christians in Syria right now,” Mardini told the Rover.

“One particular thought I found striking was that Israel cannot claim to be a democracy while it continues occupying Palestine,” Mardini said.  “The city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Our Lord, has fallen into shambles due to a regime that the U.S. not only condones, but actively supports. I find this matter to be appalling.”

“In many ways [Christians] feel threatened and it is no surprise that the Christian community there is shrinking,” Reynolds added.

This sentiment was echoed in Twal’s remarks.  “We tell young people to stay in the Holy Land, but when they think about the future, they see dark past, dark present, and no future.  So I understand when they leave,” he said.

“While no one can predict the future, we hope and we pray for peace in spite of everything,” Twal concluded.

 

Alexandra DeSanctis is a senior political science major who is currently writing two 25-page and 60-page papers and needs all the help she can get.  To offer research tips or fun distractions, email her at adesanct@nd.edu.