Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem made cardinal: Vatican’s message to Israel
In recent months, numerous incidents against Christians involving Jewish extremists have been recorded, such as spitting or desecration of graves and churches
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has been made a cardinal by Pope Francis, a first for a cleric holding this position in the Israeli capital.
The momentous decision, announced Monday by the Vatican, sends several messages to Israel. By strengthening the status of the Latin Patriarch, the Pope aims to underline the importance of the Catholic presence in Jerusalem in the context of the growing inter-religious tensions in the holy city, and the change in status lends the position more weight in order to help solve the problem.
In recent months, numerous incidents against Christians involving Jewish extremists have been recorded, such as spitting, or desecration of graves and churches. On Monday, three young men were arrested on suspicion of spitting at a priest in the Old City.
https://x.com/i/web/status/1678004817875070981
This post can't be displayed because social networks cookies have been deactivated. You can activate them by clicking .
Faced with this situation, the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), Amir Ohana, met with Pizzaballa two weeks ago. At the meeting, Ohana strongly condemned the incidents of violence against Christian clergy and citizens.
"We are not ready to accept such a situation. We want Christians to feel free and safe here. The State of Israel upholds the values of freedom of religion and worship for all its citizens, and we will ensure that these continue to be preserved," he said.
In an interview with AP news, the Latin Patriarch linked inter-religious tensions to the current right-wing government, which he says encourages extremists to act out.
"These people feel protected, it's as if the political atmosphere now justifies attacks on Christians," he said.
Another objective of the promotion is to increase the Vatican's involvement in the region, particularly in regards to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. By announcing that the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem had been made a cardinal, Pope Francis also appealed for calming West Bank tensions.
Finally, the Vatican hopes to advance negotiations for its first economic agreement with Israel, guaranteeing the Catholic Church exemption from property taxes on its assets.
Pizzaballa, who has lived in Israel for 20 years, speaks perfect Hebrew and has many ties with Israeli officials. He held senior positions before being named Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in 2020.