Articles
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, November 2008, pages 54-55
Waging Peace
The Latin Patriarch in Washington
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“BLESSED ARE the peace keepers,” began His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal, “for they shall be called the children of God.”
During his first visit to the United States since being installed as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, he addressed an Aug. 11 luncheon in his honor under the auspices of the Archbishop of Washington, Donald Wuerl, at the John Paul II Center in Washington, DC. The event was co-hosted by the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Twal described the attachments of Jews, Christians, and Muslims to the Holy Land, and the physical and political complexities of maneuvering through three countries—Palestine, Jordan, and Israel. He discussed the daily, exhausting toll on ordinary people. “Many young people see no chance for a better life,” he said, and many have despaired or left.
“It is time to intensify attempts to end the occupation,” he said, “and to establish an independent Palestinian state.”
All parties must commit to finding the way to peace, he emphasized. “Peace is directly related to God,” the Patriarch told the assembled Church and lay leaders. “But peace is also a task.”
Reminding listeners that it must be recognized as an ongoing task, he explained, “Peace is never achieved once and for all.”
While Patriarch Twal insisted that “Both Israelis and Palestinians are entitled to live in their own homeland in dignity and security,” he noted that “peace and justice are reciprocal.”
Unfortunately, he said, Israel relies only on its military power.
Patriarch Twal, who succeeded His Beatitude Michel Sabbah (the first native Palestinian to hold the office of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem), was introduced by HCEF president Rateb Rabie, who made reference to Twal’s Madaba, Jordan, birthplace. “Regardless of faith,” Rabie said, “we are all children of God and pieces of the mosaic.”
Luncheon attendants then visited the Center’s “Holy Land Arab Christians: Faith and Culture,” an arts and crafts exhibit sponsored by HCEF.
—Michael Keating
