The Holy See says that the various religious confessions present in the Holy Land can be instrumental in promoting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Holy See says that the various religious confessions present in the Holy Land can be instrumental in promoting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Monsignor Pietro Parolin, undersecretary for relations with states of the Vatican Secretariat of State, said this last Thursday when addressing a conference sponsored by the U.N. committee dedicated to the rights of the Palestinian peoples.

The prelate praised the conference, which aimed “at giving fresh impetus to the reflection and the involvement of the international community, religious confessions, parliamentary groups and civil society, in order to determine the challenges which must be faced and the approach which should be adopted so as to contribute to the building of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

The conference came as the national unity government, established by the Palestinian Authority, was in its first days.

“It is surely positive that this government is the product of a compromise between the principal Palestinian political groups,” the Vatican official said. “It brings to an end several months of severe, armed and violent conflict, which resulted in many victims, often innocent ones, among the Palestinian people who have already suffered so much.”

Christian presence

Monsignor Parolin recalled the presence of Christians in the area, and the contribution they can make to the resolution of conflict.

“The Holy See has always followed with particular attention the events of recent decades: thousands of Catholics live in this land, which we like to call the ‘Holy Land’ since it preserves the living memory of the events which have marked our history of salvation,” he said. “Millions of Catholics and Christians throughout the world look to this land, with the hope of being able to travel there on pilgrimage.”

Monsignor Parolin quoted Benedict XVI’s Christmas message to Catholics living in the Middle East: “In the present circumstances, marked little by light and too much by darkness, it is a cause of consolation and hope for me to know that the Christian communities in the Middle East, whose intense suffering I am well aware of, continue to be vital and active communities, resolute in bearing witness to their faith with their specific identity in the societies in which they are situated.

“They wish to contribute in a constructive manner to the urgent needs of their respective societies and the whole region.”

The Pope added in his Dec. 21 message: “The daily news coming from the Middle East shows a growth of alarming situations, seemingly with no possible escape. They are events which naturally give rise, in those involved, to recriminations and rage, leading them to thoughts of retaliation and revenge.”

Monsignor Parolin concluded his intervention, asserting: “In the name of the Holy See, I wish to state my firm conviction that the different religious confessions present in the Holy Land can make a decisive contribution to the relaunching of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, precisely by working to promote among their members the attitudes which I mentioned.”