Just a few hours before the dramatic events in Gaza, Fouad Twal had published a wide ranging interview on the Latin Patriarchate's website

Giorgio Bernardelli
Rome “The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem expresses its deep restlessness faced with the escalation of tension between Gaza and Israel. The Patriarchate recalls that violence is pointless in this crisis. Only international cooperation may find a solution to the conflict.”

Yesterday, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, expressed his official position on  the fresh wave of air and missile raids which are bringing death to Gaza and Israel. "At this particularly tense time - the statement goes on to say - the Patriarchate expresses its solidarity to all victims who are at the centre of our thoughts and prayers. We also pray that all those who have roles of responsibility in this conflict will not give in to hate."

Yesterday, Twal published a wide ranging interview on the Patriarchate’s website, in which he talks about unresolved issues. The first question was about the tensions that were already running high in Gaza before this afternoon’s attacks. “The situation was never calm or peaceful,” the Patriarch commented. These attacks are part of a terrible overall reality. We are experiencing a big crisis, marked by smaller crises. There is only one way to resolve it: a comprehensive solution that leads to a peace that is real and just for each of the parties involved. The problem is that there appears to be no prospect of this happening: we live in the worry of an uncertain future.”

In the interview, the Patriarch was asked what he expected to happen in light of Barack Obama’s re-election as President of the U.S., also taking into account Palestine's intention to present a membership request to the UN on 29 November. Twal answered: “All I ask of Obama is to remember his first speech in Cairo in June 2009. We would be grateful to him if he could keep his word regarding what he promised the Palestinian State that day. Now that he has been re-elected, I hope he will have more courage to see reality as it truly is and to adopt necessary measures. Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I - as would the Pope and about a hundred or so countries - would like to see two independent States living side by side with a lasting peace agreement.”

Twal also spoke about a number of other unresolved issues: the Syrian situation with the thousands of refugees and the concerns for Egypt. “It is difficult to deal with all these situations and picture better conditions on the horizon - the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said -. Things change at an incredible rate: what one says today could easily change tomorrow. But let us not despair. We need to remember that we belong to the Church of the Resurrection but also to the Church of Calvary. The more the going gets tough, the more we need to remain rooted in the faith.”

© http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it - november 14th 2012