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| 'The Shape of Catholic Zionism'. How many Israels exist for the Vatican? |
| 2023-10-20 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. by Stanislav Stremidlovsky [REGNUM] Pope Francis, addressing pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, announced that he “ decided to declare Friday, October 27, a day of fasting and prayer, a day of repentance, to which I call upon sisters and brothers of various Christian denominations, representatives of other religions and all those to whom the cause of world peace is dear." The immediate reason for this was the clashes between the Palestinian Hamas movement and Israel. “ Our thoughts are with Palestine and Israel,” the pontiff said. “ The number of victims is growing, and the situation in Gaza is desperate. We ask that everything possible be done to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. The possible expansion of the conflict is alarming at a time when so many war fronts are already open in the world.” It is obvious that the Vatican does not expect a quick end to the conflict or even a temporary truce. He also finds himself in a difficult situation where he is required to clearly condemn Hamas' actions and unconditionally support Israel. However, unlike some Protestant Churches, Catholics have an ambivalent view of the Jewish state. Some Protestants, especially those associated with Christian Zionism, rely on biblical prophecies. Such believers believe that the return of Jews to the Holy Land will lead to the second coming of Jesus Christ, which, in essence, identifies the modern State of Israel, created in 1948, with biblical Israel. True, notes the American portal Business Insider, many Jews consider the Christian Zionist movement to be anti-Semitic, since according to this biblical prophecy, Jews will eventually either convert to Christianity or die en masse in an epic battle between good and evil. The Catholic Church tries to combine two approaches. On the one hand, she recognizes that God still has plans for the Jews as a unique people. One day he will return to Christ, and this will be one of the signs of the Second Coming and the resurrection of the dead. On the other hand, Catholics recognize that the Church is the spiritual Israel or, in Catholic parlance, the “new Israel,” which indicates the existence of two Israels. “There is a serious contradiction in the different views on the role of Catholicism in Israel,” writes Catholic theologian Massimo Fagioli in his essay. — The Catholic Church as a third party capable of playing a peacekeeping role in a conflict that is seen mainly as a conflict between Jews and Muslims; The Church as the bearer of a certain form of “Catholic Zionism” that goes beyond the framework of purely “religious relations” with Jews; A church based on liberation theology that takes the side of the poor and views the small Arab Christian community as important to the global Church - "the leaven in the flour." The coexistence of these concepts is becoming increasingly difficult.” In this context, Fagioli considers it important that Pope Francis appoint the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, as the new cardinal. Several years ago, the theologian notes, Pizzaballa noted that “the simple assertion that God gave the land to the Jewish people and that it belongs to them because it is written so in the Pentateuch is contrary to the Catholic approach.” The Holy See has traditionally advocated the “two-state” principle. In 2015, the Vatican and the Palestinian Authority signed a " full-scale agreement on the relationship between the two states." It, among other things, talks about the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine on the basis of the “two-state” principle, ensuring religious freedoms and freedom of conscience, and other aspects of the activities of the Catholic Church in Palestine. As for Israel, concluding such an agreement with the Vatican remains elusive. The local Christian community is also not inclined to sympathize with the Israeli authorities. This was manifested in the reaction of the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, which did not mention Hamas in its statements when speaking about the difficult humanitarian situation in the region. Israel's Ambassador to the Holy See, Raphael Schütz, was critical of these statements, calling them " unfair, biased and one-sided." After which Pope Francis “called for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas and recognized Israel’s right to self-defense,” and Schutz “ welcomed ” these words in an interview with the American Catholic portal Crux. In a conversation with the Italian Catholic newspaper Avennire, the Israeli ambassador said that he was in constant contact with the “ Vatican Foreign Ministry ” and also had the opportunity to communicate with the Holy See Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher. Gallagher's visit to Israel was previously scheduled for mid-November. But, Schutz said, "Right now I don't know what's going to happen." Against the backdrop of a flaring conflict, the outcome of which is very difficult to predict, the Vatican has to show miracles of diplomatic maneuvering. He is wary of appearing to “not notice” Hamas. At the same time, condemnation of this movement should not give rise to the impression in the Middle East and beyond that the Holy See is in principle distancing itself from the Palestinian cause. After all, for the Catholic Church, Israel can be more than two. Palestine with its Arab Christians is also seen as the third. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #6 they're all a rather diminutive lot, all denominations So they are all religious diminuations? India is a fascinating place. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2023-10-20 11:48 |
| #5 On can say the Indian catholic is totally unlike other catholics Neh, look at Latin America where the Catholic Church and the Left are joined seamlessly. |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2023-10-20 06:13 |
| #4 On can say the Indian catholic is totally unlike other catholics. He is a convert of necessity, with more loyalty to mammon than God. Mired in leftist politics and would sell out his country for a chance to go 'serve' in the Vatican, or just be given a pat on the head from some European cardinal. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2023-10-20 05:36 |
| #3 Well, they're all a rather diminutive lot, all denominations, where I live. They all come under one umbrella of 'Christian minority' and have to stick together mostly. Catholics here are the shits who find themselves always allied with moslems or commies. Only in India though. Strange I know. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2023-10-20 05:21 |
| #2 ^Now, now, Dron - don't be like this. Catholic Church is useful. I remember I was hassled By Jehovah's Witnesses once - when I was living in Los Alamos: they caught me using laundromat, so I couldn't just walk away. I'm telling them "I'm a Jew, leave me alone!" They "Our message is for the Jews too." I was about to explode, when a friend came by "Remember, you promised to drive me to Mass, because my car is broken." They disappeared like fading into the air. |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2023-10-20 04:23 |
| #1 On the other hand, Catholics recognize that the Church is the spiritual Israel or, in Catholic parlance, the “new Israel,” GaWD don't give a shit. There is only one Israel. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2023-10-20 03:38 |