Pope urges communities to reject prejudice
The Pope delivered his message on the fourth day of a Holy Land pilgrimage meant to promote peace and unity in the Middle East. Throughout the trip, however, he has been confronted with the region’s most sensitive issues, including the legacy of the Holocaust, the Palestinian plight under Israeli occupation and fragile interfaith ties.
At mid-afternoon yesterday, the Pope sat down for a highly anticipated meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The meeting came a day after the Pope made an emotional appeal in the West Bank for the establishment of an independent Palestinian homeland – a concept the Israeli leader has refused to endorse. The men appeared to exchange pleasantries before reporters were ushered out of the room to allow them to speak privately.
Before the meeting, Vatican spokesman the Rev Federico Lombardi said the meeting would be key because “personal contact is always very important”.
The choice of Nazareth as the venue for the largest Mass the Pope has celebrated during his visit was at least an indirect reflection of the interfaith strains he has tried to ease. The city, located in northern Israel’s Galilee region, is the country’s largest Arab city. Roughly two-thirds of its 65,000 people are Muslims and one-third are Christians. While the two communities tend to get along, they also have come into sporadic conflict.
In his homily, Pope Benedict spoke of the tensions that have harmed interfaith relations.
“I urge people of goodwill in both communities to repair the damage that has been done, and in fidelity to our common belief in one God, the Father of the human family, to work to build bridges and find the way to a peaceful coexistence,” he said. “Let everyone reject the destructive power of hatred and prejudice, which kills men’s souls before it kills their bodies.”
