Jerusalem Church leaders have released a report detailing the struggles and challenges currently faced be Christians living within the Holy Land.
Top of the list was the truth of living in a warzone. The Israel-Hamas war didn’t confine itself to Jews and Muslims, with Christians sometimes being caught within the crossfire.
Holy Family Church, one in every of just three churches in Gaza, was hit by an Israeli explosive in July, killing three and injuring 10.
Other Christian sites to have been damaged because the start of the war are the Church of St Porphyrios and Al Ahli Baptist Hospital.
With a ceasefire in effect, the worst could also be over for now, however the day by day realities of life remain difficult, says the report by the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.
The report warns that the Al Ahli Baptist Hospital is “short” on medical equipment and “not capable of receive medicines attributable to restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza”.
At the start of the month, Holy Family’s parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, said, “The world should know that there are over two million people here who don’t have anything and want the whole lot.
“Since the fighting stopped, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has managed to send us essential aid with which we’ve got been capable of help over 12,000 families.”
In a war zone even lots of the easy pleasures that folks within the UK can be taking as a right this Christmas are hard to return by, with Fr Romanelli saying he hoped to have some chocolate to share with parishioners.
In their report, the Council of Patriarchs said there had been a “slight improvement to day by day life” in Gaza, but that the situation stays bleak. Their report calls for motion to make sure that the ceasefire is strengthened and that adequate aid reaches those that need it.
The report also highlights reports of attacks by Israeli settlers on Christian communities living within the West Bank. The settlers are reported to have targeted the Christian town of Taybeh, starting a fireplace near a historic church and stopping the locals from properly harvesting their olives, putting their livelihoods in danger.
There is an “urgent have to protect Christian communities and our places of worship extend throughout the West Bank, where settler attacks increasingly goal our churches, people and properties”.
Incidents involving Israeli settlers have reportedly increased lately, particularly because the Gaza war broke out, with few sanctions against those responsible.
Radical Israelis have been blamed for interruptions and attacks on Christian processions within the Old City during Holy Week. Israeli authorities imposed tougher security measures during Holy Week this 12 months, effectively stopping many Christians, even those with valid permits, from attending events on the Holy Sepulchre, the place where Christ is believed to have been buried.
Even the Scouts weren’t permitted to hitch, with one Scout leader threatened with a gun by a police officer. Jews wishing to enter the Old City for Passover faced no such restrictions.
Israeli authorities were criticised within the report for imposing municipal taxes, called arnona, on church properties. The taxes, the report argues, breach treaties and agreements that return centuries and represent a serious financial burden for the churches.
The Armenian Patriarchate is facing a foreclosure case with the Jerusalem municipality attributable to arnona debts, while in August the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem had its bank accounts frozen by the Jerusalem Municipality. The freeze was lifted following a global outcry.
The final issue raised by the report focuses on plans to expand the Jerusalem Walls National Park apparently on the expense of church properties on the Mount of Olives.
The Mount of Olives is where Jesus was arrested on the night of his betrayal and, based on the biblical text, was a spot he often frequented.
The expansion plans are being championed by a radical Jewish group called Elad. It is feared the plans will limit the flexibility of Christian pilgrims to go to holy sites and possibly degrade the sanctity of those sites. The Patriarchs called for the plans to be scrapped and asked that the authorities respect the sanctity of the situation for Christians.
“Threats to Christian heritage – particularly in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza alongside problems with unjustified taxation – are the source of ongoing concerns that threaten the existence of the community and the churches,” reads the report.
“Urgent motion is required to bolster, support, and maintain the present ceasefire in Gaza, and uphold religious freedom, protect Christians because the living stones, and supply economic and diplomatic support to sustain their communities across the Holy Land.”
The report finished with a call to recognise the worth of the Christian presence within the region: “The Churches remain a key player in making a sustainable peace for each Israelis and Palestinians, helping shape a future where all can flourish.
“External bodies and governments are strongly encouraged to urgently support Church institutions and the Christian presence through economic support, and diplomatic pressure on the particular issues above.”
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