HOLY LAND: MGR. CHACOUR (MELKITE), THE HISTORICAL RESPONSIBILITY OF CHRISTIANS

(Jerusalem) - “Christians should not remain here only because they have lands, lands that we are about to lose like our authority. In fact, we still have the historical responsibility to introduce into the life of this Land words and testimonies of reconciliation, solidarity and forgiveness”, Mgr. Elias Chacour, Melkite Archbishop of Haifa, told SIR Europe, commenting on the meeting yesterday in Ibillin, near Nazareth, which brought together Christian, Druze, Muslim, Jewish and Baha’i leaders alongside the US and EU bishops of the Holy Land Co-ordination (HLC) who are currently in the Holy Land for their annual visit (until 12 January). “We want to dialogue – Mgr. Chacour said – to be a sign of unity and coexistence. Despite the absence of peace in this Land, we believe that religions may be part of the solution, rather than one of the causes of the long conflict”. The Melkite archbishop also made an appeal, “which I reiterated also to Israeli President Shimon Peres, not to neglect Christians, who – according to the religious leader – are tolerated but not accepted as Jews are”.
Mgr. Chacour expressed “concern” about the creation of a “Jewish State for Jews only”, about the Separation Wall and about the Gaza Strip. For the Melkite archbishop, “there will never be peace in Israel without justice for the neighbours, Gaza, and Palestinians”. However, he concluded, “we want to believe in a better future, as shown by Haifa, a city of families of Christians, Muslims, and Druzes, who live as citizens, with the same rights and duties. Haifa is a shining example of coexistence in Israel. It is worth saying that we do not live in a city of angels, so sometimes there might be tensions in neighbouring villages, especially in the relationships between Christians and Druzes, but these are exceptions that confirm the rule of coexistence. We do hope that Jerusalem and Tel Aviv too will become like Haifa”.

© www.agensir.it - jenuary 1th 2012