Jerusalem, May 25, 2019 / 14:01 pm
Peace, mutual equality, and respect must be the foundation of progress in Israeli-Palestinian relations, despite continued setbacks, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land said this week.
Continuing difficulties in Palestine and Israel have caused many people to question "whether international diplomacy and the peace process were ever actually based on justice and good will," the ordinaries said in a May 20 message.
"Many in Palestine and in Israel feel that since the launch of the peace process, their lives have become more and more unbearable," the ordinaries said. "Many have left, many more consider leaving and some are resorting to violence. Some die quietly and others are losing faith and hope."
The ordinaries represent a diverse group of Middle East Christians in communion with Rome. Their message was signed by current and past patriarchs, archbishops and bishops, exarchs, men and women religious, and other leaders, from the Maronite Catholic Church, the Melkite Catholic Church, the Syrian Catholic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.