Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem warned those who usage the name of God to justify war, indicating that it is “the most severe sin we can commit at this time.” God is present with those who endure and die in conflict, and not with those who usage religion for political purposes, he constatus.
– Abuse and manipulation of God's name to justify this and any another war is the most serious sin we can commit at this time – indicated the patriarch of Jerusalem. – War is primarily political and has very material interests, like most wars – he commented, referring to ongoing warfare in the mediate East.
The priest took part in the webinarium organized on 15 March by the global Oasis Foundation. The Latin patriarch warned against “the pseudoreligious language”. – We must do everything in our power not to leave area for this pseudoreligious language that speaks not of God but of ourselves. – he noted.
His statements were published on 16 March by AsiaNews agency belonging to the Papal Institute of abroad Missions. The organizer of the webinarium is the Italian Oasis Foundation, a Catholic organization based in Milan, which supports dialog between Christians and Muslims. It was founded in 2004 in Venice by Cardinal Angelo Scola, the then patriarch of Venice, and later Archbishop of Milan.
The cardinal criticized the actions of U.S. Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth, who quoted Psalm 144 (The King's Prayer for a Nation) during the Pentagon briefing on March 10 to ask for God's blessing in the war against Iran. According to the hierarch, believers cannot accept the spiritual presentation of war. – There are no fresh crusades – he noted. – If God is present in this war, he is among those who die, suffer, are oppressed in various ways throughout the mediate East - He suggested. True, according to the clergy, the current war in the region has “religious connotations”, but “manipulation” is the usage of God’s name in this context.
Pizzaballa referred to repeated appeals for peace led by Pope Leon XIV, suggesting that they were improbable to be heard. – We know that Leon XIV's appeals are falling into vacuum, but we gotta keep telling the truth. Information is simply a weapon in this conflict – he added.
Hierarch lamented the persistent wars in the mediate East, which led to desolation." – What is built upon force is lost; there is no future, but creates emptiness around it: fear, resentment, hatred – all that belongs to the planet of death in Christian language. It doesn't let you see anything else. - He warned me.
The Cardinal pointed out the very crucial function of the media in shaping the perception of the conflict, saying that information is “part of the conflict itself” and is to make it “acceptable”. Meanwhile, journalists must not be limited to reporting the news only, but should besides present critical analyses to “help the reader realize what is happening, providing as accurate an explanation as possible, or at least helping to have a critical look and his own judgment” - he noted.
In this context, he drew attention to the information blockade in Gaza and the West Bank. – Gaza is no longer the subject of discussion, but the situation remains tragic from a humanitarian point of view – explained Pizzaball, who is in constant contact with the parish of the Holy Family.
– The problem of hunger no longer exists, but 2 million displaced people are inactive deprived of everything; 80% of the Gaza Strip is inactive destroyed and reconstruction has not been started; 36 hospitals operate partially, but lacks drugs, even basic antibiotics. People virtually live in sewers; pictures don't give distant scents. It is impossible to realize how and erstwhile this dramatic situation will be resolved: the Council of Peace has not yet understood what it should do. In any case, it is simply a kind of vicious circle: if Hamas does not surrender the weapon, Israel will not withdraw; Hamas will not surrender the weapon until Israel has withdrawn. Everything stays dead. – he said.
– As for the West Bank – he added – The situation continues to deteriorate: settlement attacks on Palestinian villages happen almost all day. There are presently almost a 1000 checkpoints; Palestinians inactive have difficulty moving and permits have been mostly cancelled.
The Patriarch is afraid about the consequences of the fresh actions of the Israeli government in connection with the re-register of land and the non-recognition of Palestinian academic qualifications in Israel, so that Christian teachers from Bethlehem cannot scope Jerusalem, where there are 15 Christian schools.
In early February, the Cardinal powerfully criticized the US-led Council of Peace, overseeing the management and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. In the Roman parish of San Francesco a Ripa Grande on February 6, Pizzaballa was asked by Moderator Maria Gianniti, a correspondent for the Italian RAI news channel about his thoughts on the Peace Council. – What do I think of the Council of Peace? I think it's a colonial operation: others decide for Palestinians He answered.
Like the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pope Leon XIV besides appealed to the media to show the face of suffering during the war and verify information not to spread “propaganda” or to become “a spokesperson for power”.
– Always, and especially in the dramatic circumstances of war, specified as those we are experiencing today, the media must avoid the hazard of becoming propaganda “The Pope late stressed in a speech addressed to journalists who make TG2 news programmes for Italian state tv Rai 2.
Source: ncronline.org, asianews.it
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