Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Pope affirms support for Palestinians

byStaff writers
24 May 2009
Reading Time: 4 mins read
AA
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

POPE Benedict XVI arrived in the Palestinian territories on May 13 and immediately declared the Vatican’s support for an independent Palestine.

“The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbours, within internationally recognised borders,” the Pope told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Pope met with Mr Abbas before celebrating Mass in Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity, which marks the place where Jesus was born.

Pope Benedict stood listening attentively as Mr Abbas spoke about the suffering and daily challenges faced by the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation, including the travel restrictions and what he described as “the apartheid wall” that prevent Palestinian Christians from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Palestinian Muslims from reaching al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

“On this holy land there are those who continue to build separation walls instead of bridges,” he told the Pope, who had entered Bethlehem by crossing through a gate in the security wall Israel has erected along its border and through the West Bank.

“It is time for this suffering to end and to be substituted by love and peace,” Mr Abbas said.

Pope Benedict told the Palestinians that he knew how much they have suffered and continued to suffer “as a result of the turmoil that has afflicted this land for decades”.

He offered his condolences to all those “who mourn the loss of family members and loved ones in the hostilities, particularly the recent conflict in Gaza”.

He prayed that “the serious concerns involving security in Israel and the Palestinian territories will soon be allayed sufficiently to allow greater freedom of movement” so that families can get together and believers can reach the holy sites for prayer.
Making a special appeal to Palestinian youths, the Pope said: “Do not allow the loss of life and the destruction that you have witnessed to arouse bitterness or resentment in your hearts. Have the courage to resist any temptation you may feel to resort to acts of violence or terrorism.”

After meeting Mr Abbas at the presidential palace, the Pope and president arrived separately for the Mass in Manger Square, which is surrounded by government offices, cafes, restaurants and office buildings.

Related Stories

Celebration marks Sister Angela Mary’s 75 years’ service to Mater and Queensland

Confraternity Carnival ready for a full return in Mackay next week

Parents of young mother considered for sainthood share powerful testimony at World Meeting of Families

Photographers and Palestinian sharpshooters were positioned on the roofs. Hanging from the roof of the building facing the papal altar was a huge Palestinian flag.

During his homily, the Pope offered special greetings to the small group of Christians from the Gaza Strip who were able to get Israeli permits to travel to the Mass.

Pastor of Holy Family Church in Gaza City Fr Jorge Hernandez told Catholic News Service, “Although it is an injustice, we are grateful that at least one group was able to go out and can see the Pope.”

Spokesman for the local church committee organising the visit Wadie Abunasser said only 95 permits were issued for Gaza residents.

Chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Fr Humam Khzouz said the Church had asked for 250 travel permits.

“We should have at least gotten 200,” he said. “There was no explanation for anything.”

The Pope said, “My heart goes out to the pilgrims from war-torn Gaza: I ask you to bring back to your families and your communities my warm embrace and my sorrow for the loss, the hardship and the suffering you have had to endure.”

Addressing the Pope at the beginning of the Mass, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem said that when Pope John Paul II visited in 2000, “we were living in a period of hope. We were hoping for a peace that never came.”

The loss of hope, he said, was the reason why so many Palestinians, particularly Palestinian Christians, have emigrated to other countries.

Noha Stephan, 50, a science teacher at St Joseph School in Beit Jalla, said it was important that the papal Mass draw the Catholic world’s attention to the situation of Palestinian Catholics because “we need much support to stay in this holy land”.

In his homily, Pope Benedict said Bethlehem was associated with the angels’ proclamation of joy and peace the night Jesus was born, “yet here in our midst how far this magnificent promise seems from being realised”.
The Pope asked the Catholics of Bethlehem and all of the Palestinian territories to stand firm like the Church over the place of Jesus’ birth.

He told them they must have the courage “to abandon fruitless and sterile ways of thinking, acting and reacting” and instead promote justice and respect for the rights of all.

“Here in Bethlehem, a special perseverance is asked of Christ’s disciples: perseverance in faithful witness to God’s glory revealed here in the birth of his son (and) to the good news of his peace.”

An engaged couple – Peter Rock, 25, and Razan Giacaman, 20 – was among those receiving Communion from the Pope during the liturgy.

“It is a special blessing,” said Giacaman, a student at the Catholic-run Bethlehem University. “We are seeing (the Pope) together.”

Fadi Barham, 29, has been using a wheelchair since a fall left him paralysed from the waist down. He, too, was chosen to receive Communion from the Pope.

“I dreamed last night about getting Communion and that I walked – ‘inshallah’,” he said, using the Arabic word for “God willing”.

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Young musical dynamo launches into big role

Next Post

Youth initiative launched

Staff writers

Related Posts

Celebration marks Sister Angela Mary’s 75 years’ service to Mater and Queensland
QLD

Celebration marks Sister Angela Mary’s 75 years’ service to Mater and Queensland

25 June 2022
QLD

Confraternity Carnival ready for a full return in Mackay next week

24 June 2022
Parents of young mother considered for sainthood share powerful testimony at World Meeting of Families
Vatican

Parents of young mother considered for sainthood share powerful testimony at World Meeting of Families

24 June 2022
Next Post

Youth initiative launched

Fresh hope for Scott

Workshop discovers gifts

Popular News

  • Archie’s beating heart means he is not dead, according to a Catholic institute

    Archie’s beating heart means he is not dead, according to a Catholic institute

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Three Queensland deacons preparing for priestly ordinations in the next week

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Parents of young mother considered for sainthood share powerful testimony at World Meeting of Families

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Confraternity Carnival ready for a full return in Mackay next week

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • First man ordained to priesthood for Brisbane Oratory

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Celebration marks Sister Angela Mary’s 75 years’ service to Mater and Queensland
QLD

Celebration marks Sister Angela Mary’s 75 years’ service to Mater and Queensland

by Staff writers
25 June 2022
0

MATER yesterday celebrated the extraordinary service Mercy Sister Angela Mary Doyle has given to Brisbane – on...

Confraternity Carnival ready for a full return in Mackay next week

24 June 2022
Parents of young mother considered for sainthood share powerful testimony at World Meeting of Families

Parents of young mother considered for sainthood share powerful testimony at World Meeting of Families

24 June 2022
Three Queensland deacons preparing for priestly ordinations in the next week

Three Queensland deacons preparing for priestly ordinations in the next week

23 June 2022
Pope prays for victims of devastating earthquake in Afghanistan

Pope prays for victims of devastating earthquake in Afghanistan

23 June 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping