Patriarch Pizzaballa: ‘Peace is difficult today, ceasefire is urgent’
Ahead of the opening conference of the Rimini Meeting,
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, speaks to
Vatican News about the "small hopes" in the Holy Land that allow
people not to resign themselves to violence.
By Benedetta Capelli - Rimini
“We cannot talk about peace at this moment.” These
words of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem,
clearly illustrate the present situation experienced in the Holy Land with the
conflict between Hamas and Israel still ongoing after over 10 months.
Rimini Meeting invites Christians to reflect on what is essential in life
Speaking to Vatican Media before the opening of the Rimini Meeting - which he
inaugurated with a conference entitled: "A presence for Peace" - the
Patriarch underlines the need to "work for a ceasefire and suspend the
military operations to begin a healing process, to build mutual trust .”
“The path (for peace) is there - the stated - but
there is no desire to follow it at an institutional level. It requires
political and religious leadership which is in crisis”. In this context, he
remarked that it is important to do everything possible even starting from the
bottom.
“Small hopes”
Hope is a word that is needed at this moment but, as
Cardinal Pizzaballa said, we must not confuse the meaning of words. “Hope - he
noted - does not mean that things are about to end: the prospects are not good
in the short term. Hope is an inner attitude that enables one to see with
the eyes of the Spirit what human eyes do not see."
“Small hopes” animate the local Church, engaged in
supporting the small community of around 600 faithful in Gaza and the West
Bank with the distribution of food. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
recalled the commitment to open clinics, to reopen a school that has been
closed for a year, and restart the dynamics of "normal"
relationships, “which help," he said, "to escape from a cloak of
oppression to create job opportunities, even if they are lacking."
Concluding his interview, Cardinal Pizzaballa remarked
that everyone can contribute to peace. “Peace is a culture, it is not something
that one has to do, it is politics, it is education, it is the commitment of
the media, it is working in all aspects of life, in a globalized world where no
one is an island," he said.
The current negotiations are the last train
During the opening conference he held on Tuesday along
with the President of the Rimini Meeting Foundation Bernard Scholz , Cardinal
Pizzaballa recounted his 35 years in the Holy Land and his experience of
interreligious dialogue. Referring to the latest developments, he confirmed
that the current talks are decisive: “War will end and I hope that the
negotiations will resolve some problems: I have my doubts, but this is the last
train," he said.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem acknowledged that the risk
of the conflict further “degenerating” is real: “The language of mutual
rejection," he said, "has become a part of daily life thatis absorbed
by the media, and it is something truly dramatic."
In the face of this situation, Cardinal
Pizzaballa called for prayers above all to counter "those attitudes of
hatred, mistrust and deep contempt" of people. "Rebuilding
tomorrow will require everyone's commitment,", he noted.
Regarding interreligious dialogue, the Patriarch
admitted that it is difficult at this moment. "This situation – he
explained – has created a divide. There are no public meetings and at the
institutional level we struggle to talk to each other. We are unable to
meet".
Concluding, Cardinal Pizzaballa suggested
promoting dialogue at communal rather than at elite level.
Religious leaders,, he said, have a great responsibility to create communities
that do not close themselves but instead lift their gaze.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento