(LifeSiteNews) — The bishops of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem have reiterated the Catholic Church’s rejection of the doctrines of “Christian Zionism” that seeks to establish a divine privilege of self-identified Jewish people over indigenous Palestinians, including Christians.
In a press release covering a March 11 visitation of a delegation of notable Palestinians and Jerusalemites to the court of King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Latin Patriarchate announced that Auxiliary Bishop Monsignor William Shomali addressed those in attendance on behalf of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
The Palestinian bishop first expressed gratitude to the monarch for his role in protecting “Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and his continuous support for the Palestinian people,” the statement reported.
“Msgr. Shomali also reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s rejection of any (biblical) interpretation that seeks to claim the land of Palestine for the Jewish people based on the Torah, as promoted by Christian Zionism in the United States,” the release continued.
“He emphasized that the message of the Torah is about defending the oppressed and the poor and establishing justice and peace.”
The General Vicar bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Jerusalem went on to reiterate “that Palestine is not merely a piece of land but an irreplaceable homeland for its indigenous (Palestinian) people.”
Over the years, bishops from the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in Jerusalem and beyond have repeatedly applied the perennial teaching of churches worldwide — who enjoy Apostolic Succession and authority — to this matter of religious Zionism that has so egregiously impacted the lives of their people in the region for more than seven decades.
READ: Theologian explains why religious Zionism is ‘heresy,’ the Church is the ‘true Israel’
In 2009, the heads of 13 Christian churches in the Holy Land, including 10 different Catholic and Orthodox rites, issued a comprehensive document on the Israeli occupation of Palestine titled A Moment of Truth: A word of faith, hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering.
This “Kairos” document states it is “the Christian Palestinians’ word to the world about what is happening in Palestine,” and includes descriptions of Israeli oppression and atrocities against the Palestinian people.
READ: How do Christians in the Holy Land understand the Israeli occupation of Palestine?
The churches went on to condemn Christian Zionism, which attempts “to attach a biblical and theological legitimacy to the infringement of our rights. Thus, the promises, according to their interpretation, have become a menace to our very existence. The ‘good news’ in the Gospel itself has become ‘a harbinger of death’ for us.”
“We declare that any theology, seemingly based on the Bible or on faith or on history, that legitimizes the (Israeli) occupation (of Palestine), is far from Christian teachings, because it calls for violence and holy war in the name of God Almighty, subordinating God to temporary human interests, and distorting the divine image in the human beings living under both political and theological injustice,” the prelates proclaimed.
In 2006, the heads of four of these churches, including Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, released a document titled The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism in which they stated, “We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.”
READ: The Bible is clear: Jesus made the Catholic Church the ‘Israel of God’ (Galatians 6:16)
“We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders and organizations with elements in the governments of Israel and the United States that are presently imposing their unilateral pre-emptive borders and domination over Palestine. This inevitably leads to unending cycles of violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world,” the prelates continued.
After asking for prayers from “Christians in Churches on every continent,” they decried the Israeli occupation, stating its “discriminative actions are turning Palestine into impoverished ghettos surrounded by exclusive Israeli settlements. The establishment of the illegal settlements and the construction of the Separation Wall on confiscated Palestinian land undermines the viability of a Palestinian state as well as peace and security in the entire region.”
Finally, they challenged “all Churches that remain silent to break their silence and speak for reconciliation with justice in the Holy Land.”
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