Aid to the Church in Need: The Holy Land on the eve of the papal visit

The Holy Land on the eve of the papal visit - Interview

Posted by Information Report on 8/5/2009, 3:06 pm
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5 May 2009

Interview

The Holy Land on the eve of the papal visit

Last Sunday, Marie-Ange Siebrecht returned from a trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. As the regional specialist for the international Catholic pastoral charity AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED (ACN), she spoke to the charity about her impressions of the Holy Land just a week before the papal visit.
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ACN: What did you see of any preparations in the Holy Land for the Holy Father's visit?

Marie-Ange Siebrecht: The individual churches are very much occupied with their preparations. Naturally, the Christians are delighted that the Holy Father is coming and there are many posters, for example, announcing the papal visit. In Nazareth they are even building a sort of amphitheatre, where the Pope will be celebrating Holy Mass with the people. In Bethlehem too they have already erected something – in the refugee camp of Aida, which the Pope will also be visiting. Only it was felt by those in charge, it seems, that the stage was too close to the separation wall which divides the Holy Land, and so it was being moved again. As you can see, there are still many minor problems, but the local people are continuing to work confidently and are looking forward to a successful trip.

ACN: Will every Christian who wants to see the Holy Father actually get the opportunity to do so?

Marie-Ange Siebrecht: No, probably not. At any rate, not the people in Gaza, and not the people in Bethlehem. But at least the Pope is coming directly to Bethlehem. But many people will not get permission to attend the big Masses in Nazareth and Jerusalem.

ACN: It was the Christians in Gaza in particular who, after the war at the beginning of the year, voiced many doubts about whether this was the right moment for a papal visit. How do you see this aspect?

Marie-Ange Siebrecht: Well, when is there ever going to be a "right moment" for a papal visit to the Holy Land? This is the great problem. There is always something going wrong in this region. I can only tell you what I saw and heard. In the main, people are hoping for a great deal from this papal visit, possibly even too much. For the Pope certainly won't be able to solve all their problems.

ACN: What exactly are the people expecting, then, and what can the Pope really achieve?

Marie-Ange Siebrecht: In reality the Pope can only demonstrate goodwill and endeavour to talk to political and Church leaders. But I know from my own experience how difficult this is in Israel. In any case, he is coming above all as a pilgrim to the Holy Land. He wants to say to people, "I am with you!" But what can he really hope to achieve with regard to the bigger picture? He will hardly be able to tear down this terrible wall through his visit, or even resolve the problems that exist between the Vatican and the state of Israel. But it is already an important sign that he is coming at all. I am curious to know what he will say. We will just have to wait and see what line he takes with his speeches. And indeed to see how he is received by the people. In this respect, even in the Holy Land, everything is still very nebulous at the moment.

ACN: What is rather less nebulous is the situation of the Church locally, is it not? You were able to see this close up during your visit here in recent weeks. Who were you able to meet with during your trip?

Marie-Ange Siebrecht: In the main of course, I visited ACN's project partners. For example, I was in Galilee, where the situation of the Christians compared to that in the West Bank, in other words the area around Bethlehem, is much better of course. Nonetheless, these people too count as second-class citizens in Israel, that is, they don't have the same freedom that other Israelis have. They can't travel in the same way that other Israeli citizens can. Despite this, there are still around 73,000 Eastern rite Catholics in Galilee – not exactly a small number! And the communities are very lively. People here are committed to keeping their communities alive. That was something that struck me especially favourably. For there wasn't any "please give!" to be heard there. Of course, the people are hoping that ACN will help, but they are also willing to contribute their own part, so that our aid can bear fruit. And the contributions these local Christians make is by no means a small one.

ACN: And what were your impressions of the region around Bethlehem in the West Bank?

Marie-Ange Siebrecht: This was where I found the worst problems, above all in Bethlehem itself. The people here are living as though in a prison, because of the wall. They can't go in, they can't get out. They feel like prisoners, and that is exactly what they are. The whole problem is especially hard for young Christian couples. For example, one young man had an ID card for Jerusalem and was able to work there. But his wife was not allowed to leave Bethlehem to go and live with him, while he for his part was not allowed to go to Bethlehem. The result of this situation, of course, is that everyone tries to get round it with false papers. These people are all living in the fear that they might one evening be unable to return home at all, or that their family members might be unable to return from work or from visiting people. It is really very difficult for the Christians in the region around Bethlehem – it is a gigantic weight on the shoulders of these people. We Europeans, when we visit the Holy Land, we don't understand this and don't notice it either. We can travel everywhere, and the journey from Bethlehem to Jerusalem is no more than a step for foreigners. But for the Palestinians – and most of the Christians in the Holy Land are Palestinians – it is an immense problem.

ACN: These terrible conditions of life for the Christians have been known about for a long time now. Is there any movement in sight, in your opinion, that might enable this burden to be lifted from the shoulders of these people? Can the Pope achieve something here perhaps?

Marie-Ange Siebrecht: We are hoping that the Pope will address this problem. In my opinion this will and must be one of the main topics of his discussions and speeches. Only, what is one to do if these talks do not lead to any satisfactory results? The issue also concerns, among other things, the views are requirements for Catholic religious orders, for the priests, sisters and religious. It is extremely labourious for priests to obtain a visa at all. Moreover, there is also a discussion about whether the state of Israel might demand taxes from the Church. I have spoken to several Jews in Israel who have told me – and I am quoting their words, not expressing my own personal opinion or that of ACN – who have said to me, "Our new government is racist". And when you look at it like that, it is quite depressing.

ACN: Aid to the Church in Need is there to help, no matter what kind of "depression" the Christians have to face. What projects did you visit during your trip to the Holy Land?

Marie-Ange Siebrecht: We visited one or two building projects in northern Israel, in Galilee. For example we are supporting the construction of a pastoral centre for the Maronite Church. For the Melchite Church we are supporting the construction of parish halls in a number of villages. This is very important to the people there. It is part of their mentality to gather in the parish halls and celebrate baptisms, communions, weddings and even funerals. And it is noticeable that people invest a great deal of work and money in these parish halls.
We also have one or two projects where we are supporting theology students and seminarians with scholarships. In the West Bank too we are helping to rebuild and renovate churches and religious houses. Not least, we are helping to provide new books for the University library in Bethlehem. And in addition we are helping the Christians in Bethlehem to support themselves by the manufacture of olive wood products. People are very grateful for this and thanks to this help for self-help, we have been able to persuade many Christians to stay on who would otherwise have emigrated.

ACN: What can we do here in the West to accompany the papal visit in such a way that it can also bring an improvement to the lives of the local people?

Marie-Ange Siebrecht: Christians in the Holy Land desire our prayers above all. We heard this everywhere, and even the Patriarch said to us just before we left: "I have begged all the convents and monasteries in the Holy Land to pray for the papal trip, that it may be a step forward for the Christians". I can only agree and say that prayer is the most important thing of all that we can contribute from afar.
And anyone who visits the Holy Land should make sure to visit not only the Holy Places. Without doubt, they should also visit the "living stones". For the people here are overjoyed when they see that other Christians are close to them in their sorrows and their joys. For despite all the obstacles, these are all very much living communities!

For further information please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org