I'm sorry, but I must ask: IS THE POPE NUTS?
Speaking to Palestinians ahead of Trump's scheduled speech, Pope Francis said Wednesday that "recognizing the rights of all people" in the Holy Land was a primary condition for dialogue.
The pope, who spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the crisis on Tuesday, made his comments to a group of visiting Palestinians involved in inter-religious dialogue with the Vatican.
"The Holy Land is for us Christians the land par excellence of dialogue between God and mankind," he said.
He spoke of dialogue between religions "and also in civil society."
"The primary condition of that dialogue is reciprocal respect and a commitment to strengthening that respect, for the sake of recognizing the rights of all people, wherever they happen to be," he said.
FIRST let’s consider the pope’s first comment: "recognizing the rights of all people" in the Holy Land was a primary condition for dialogue.
Where else in the Middle East can Jews of all viewpoints, Muslims, Baha'i, Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, and “other” Catholics as well as Christians of other beliefs can coexist sans government – religious or civil – interference. That does not mean that Christians won’t continue to fight over who owns a holy site, not does it mean that extremist Jews won’t harass Jews who don’t believe as they do, but it DOES mean that Jerusalem is the one capital in the Middle East were all are welcome in peace. That was the case when Solomon was king and that is the case now. It was NOT the case when Jordan ruled the city, it is NOT the case in Ramallah, the PA’s seat of government, and it would NOT be the case in a “Palestinian” Jerusalem.
Try and bring a Christian bible into Saudi Arabia or tefillin into Jordan. You may not like the results of the experiment.
"The Holy Land is for us Christians the land par excellence of dialogue between God and mankind," the pope told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the crisis on Tuesday, during comments to a group of visiting Palestinians involved in inter religious dialogue with the Vatican.
Interesting that the pope is telling MUSLIMS that The Holy Land is for us Christians the land par excellence . Does he really think the Muslims care what Christians think? Do the Muslims really think a pope cares what THEY think? That stretches the limits of diplomatic pandering.
The pontiff continued pontificating – what pontiffs do best I suppose – adding "The primary condition of that dialogue is reciprocal respect and a commitment to strengthening that respect, for the sake of recognizing the rights of all people, wherever they happen to be."
Dialogue, according to several on-line dictionaries1 means an exchange of ideas or opinions on a particular issue, especially a political or religious issue, with a view to reaching an amicable agreement or settlement among two or more people.
Who refuses to “dialogue?” Abu Mazen and his henchmen. Israelis of all political points of view are willing, and have been willing, to sit down with PA representatives. Every time there seems to be an opportunity, the PA adds new “pre-conditions” that scuttle the parley before it begins. The pope needs a refresher course in PA “diplomacy.”
As for recognizing the rights of all people, if you query Muslems living in Israel if they would prefer to live under PA domination, the majority, according to poll after poll, respond they would prefer to stay in Israel as Israeli citizens. They may not feel they are “first class” citizens and there admittedly are Israelis – particularly from Muslim-controlled lands – who are suspicious of Arabs in general and those from the PA in particular, for all that Arab workers receive greater respect for a job well done in Israel than in the PA realm.
ON THE OTHER HAND, a Jew is prohibited from living in PA-controlled areas; no respect problem there since there are no Jews. Almost anyone with the money can fly on an Israeli airliner (Arkia, El Al, Israir); not so Jews on several airlines based in Muslim countries2.
Don’t talk to Israelis about “recognizing the rights of other people” until Abu Mazen and his hangers-on do the same.
The pope’s remarks lend a new meaning to the term “papal bull.”3
The pope, of course was not alone in preferring that Jerusalem remain open to Muslim take-over. Others commenting at http://tinyurl.com/yadtjut5 included:
- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proclaimed Wednesday, hours before the expected American announcement, that the move was a sign of "incompetence and failure."
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia was also concerned that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians could be aggravated further by Trump's plans to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a at a news briefing that the status of Jerusalem was a complicated and sensitive issue and China was concerned the U.S. decision "could sharpen regional conflict."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that it would be a "grave mistake" for the U.S. to move its embassy and that he had warned U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the move would have dire implications.
The Syrian government also condemned Trump's decision, the government-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency said. "[The move] is the culmination of the crime of usurping Palestine and displacing the Palestinian people," SANA said, quoting a Foreign Ministry source.
Germany's Foreign Ministry posted a warning on its website that demonstrations were expected and that its nationals should avoid them and any large crowds in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson offered “Let's wait and see what the president says exactly. But, you know, we view the reports that we have heard with concern because we think that Jerusalem obviously should be part of the final settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians."
Never mind that Abu Mazen and friends won’t meet with Israeli government officials who could ink a peace agreement within days of an agreement.
It worked with Egypt.
It worked with Jordan.
But in both cases, both sides were willing to work toward a common goal: peace.
The pope may be infallible regarding his religious rulings on Roman Catholics, but no one – not even the pope – should claim infallibility on political issues; he proved, once again, where his sentiments lie.
1. See http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dialogue
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialogue
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/dialogue
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogue
2. Kuwait Airways: http://tinyurl.com/y9q8fqb8
Saudi Arabian Airlines: http://tinyurl.com/y7yrbfaw
3. Definition of “papal bull”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_bull
PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.
