Pontifical Message to Bishops in Holy Land
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 8, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Speaking out again on the Mideast crisis, John Paul II insisted, "The Israeli and Palestinian people are called by history and geography to live together."
The Vatican Press Office today published a message the Holy Father sent to Catholic bishops in the Holy Land, in which he expresses his concern for the region.
In the message, the Pope says that he continues to believe in peace. "The brutal passage from negotiation to confrontation undoubtedly represents a failure for peace, but no one must be resigned to fatalism," the Holy Father said.
According to the Pontiff, peace will not be lasting "if fundamental rights are not guaranteed: the Israeli people, like the Palestinian people, have the right to live in their home, in dignity and security."
"Only a return to the negotiating table on the basis of equality, in respect of international law, is capable of opening a future of fraternity and peace to those who live in this blessed land," he added.
The Pontiff encouraged Catholic bishops in the Holy Land, and all those responsible for Christian communities, "to renew your efforts so that mutual respect, in humility and trust, will inspire your relations."
The Pope also called believers in Judaism and Islam "to find in their faith all the energies necessary so that internal and external peace, to which people aspire, may become a reality."
The Holy Father requested the international community "to continue its efforts, so that they will help one another find solutions that guarantee the desired security and just tranquility, which are the prerogatives of every nation, and conditions of life and progress for all society."
Zenit - The World Seen From Rome
8. november 2000