Living in the Holy Land is a “privilege”
In advance of Christmas, ACN interviewed the Vicar General of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem about some of the challenges Christians face in the Holy Land.
By ACN Staff
Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. (Credit: Andreas Hermann Fritsch/Aid to the Church in Need)
Christmas is one of the times of the year when the world’s attention becomes fixed on the Middle East and specifically Bethlehem. In advance of Christmas, Amélie Berthelin from ACN interviewed Mgr William Shomali, Vicar General of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, about the current situation for Christians living in the Middle East.
Mgr William Shomali. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
Mgr. Shomali explained that there are mixed feelings amongst Palestinian Christians about their current circumstances:
“On the one hand, they feel optimism with the return of pilgrims, who have been prevented from coming here for three years because of the pandemic. On the other hand, they are worried about the return to power of Netanyahu, and especially about his coalition with far-right parties. There is international concern that the Religious Zionist Party, with its two protagonists Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, is far-right and wants to increase the settlements in the West Bank and share the Temple Mount – which the Muslims call Al Aqsa. This could cause an outbreak of violence.”
The percentage of the population of the Holy Land who is Christian has steadily declined. Although not denying there are problems for Christians in the Holy Land, Mgr. Shomali is more optimistic, for as he explains that despite the share of the population who are Christian has decreased, the overall number of Christians has increased:
“In Israel and Palestine, there were only about 21,500 Christians in 1848, which represented 10% of the population of the whole of historic Palestine. Now we are less than 2%, but the number of Christians is more than 230,000, not counting foreign workers. But it’s true, the political and economic situation has an impact on the departure of Christians, especially those of Palestine.”
Christmas is a period of great hope in the Middle East and is particularly special in Bethlehem, which becomes the focus of international media and is visited by pilgrims from all over the world. As the Mgr. Shomali outlined, the festive spirit can also be felt in Jerusalem:
“In Jerusalem we light up a fir tree in the New Gate (we did it before in the Jaffa Gate for a few years, but it was attacked).”
Things are not always easy for local Christians, with Christians from places like Gaza often struggling to get permits to travel to holy sites during Christmas.
Christians in Jerusalem also face challenges. In June this year, after a 20-year legal dispute, Jewish settlers gained possession of two hotels in Jerusalem’s Christian quarter. Mgr. Shomali outlined the potential significance of this dispute:
The Stone of Anointing. (Credit: Ismael Martínez Sánchez/Aid to the Church in Need)
“The dispute about the two hotels has a political dimension, because it corresponds to an Israeli vision of strengthening the Jewish presence in the Old City. It also has a religious aspect. Most of the religious processions to the Holy Sepulchre and almost all the pilgrims pass in front of the two hotels. Having these places controlled by settlers could have an impact on the processions and the free passage of pilgrims, given that in the past the Haredim, or Ultra-Orthodox Jews, have sometimes spat on people wearing a cross. The fear does not relate to Jews as such but to the Ultra-Orthodox or the settlers.”
Given the difficulties, Mgr. Shomali tries to encourage young Christians to stay in the Holy Land:
“We try to say to the young people that being born in the Holy Land, and living here, is a vocation and a privilege.”
ACN works with the local Church in the Holy Land to support pastoral projects. Please donate if you would like to support this work.