generalspeaking

Pietical Conclusion

The clamour, the entitlements, the jostling for attention, for condemnations are over. But not forgotten; they will reverberate and come back to haunt Pope Benedict. Palestinian Christians are bitterly disappointed that his visit to the Holy Land did not do much to ameliorate their plight. They will continue to be derided and disdained, continue to be vulnerable to attack until their presence will completely drain from the geography. Theirs the second-most-ancient presence in that crucible of Abraham's instruction from the Almighty.

And the third of the 'Abrahamic' religions will continue its deadly struggle to rid Islamic geography of the first-most-historic monotheistic presence in the Middle East. Pope Benedict's personal pilgrimage to the Holy Land was transformed by events beyond his control - even as the world's most conspicuous religious executive - from a journey of faith to political interlocutor. The tender balance of rejecting anti-Semitism, decrying the horror of the Holocaust, teetered against the 'right and the need' of a Palestinian homeland.

The PA's Mahmoud Abbas did his utmost to place himself and his burning agenda beside the authority of the pope, back-dropping that historic visit with Palestinian flags against the insult to Palestinians of Israel's separation barrier. The weighted history of Palestinian hatred expressed by bloody violence against Israel's presence having been hobbled by the presence of the wall, unspoken as irrelevant to the assault on Palestinian sensibilities.

Pope Benedict, mindful of this, spoke of the harm of walls of separation, alluding to the 'stalemate' between the two bitter solitudes. There will be no relaxation of hostilities, no pluralism of humanity in this region, despite the pleading of a pope lending the prestige of his presence to the grim reality of a viciously resurgent tug of war. The nascent and still-failed state of the Palestinian Authority still owes its status to corruption and violence.

Not readily replaced by setting grievance aside and working toward responsible government. Still shrilly demanding that Israel shrink into itself and while so doing diminish its Jewish weight of population with a matching Palestinian returnee demographic. The Palestinians cling to the belief of their tribal heritage; Israel is the fount of their woes, its creation as a state with legal international status the reason for their failure, under Israeli occupation.

"Let us reject the destructive power of hatred and prejudice, which kills men's souls before it kills their bodies", he exhorted the faithful of all three religions, but speaking specifically to Muslims, willing them to recognize the right of Christians to live in peace among them. His wish to reconcile Christians, Jews and Muslims will require more, far more than the anguished pleading of a man of God, even if he is the Pope.

The virulence of the enmity between the three religions will not dissipate simply because Pope Benedict reminds his listeners that Christianity and Islam have fundamental links in their birth and codification to Judaism. Druse, Muslim, Maronite and Eastern Rite Catholics, along with Jews were present to hear his words, the Pope joining hands with a rabbi and a Druse leader. Illusion and delusion.

One brief and fleeting moment of peace between the antagonists, before normalcy is resumed, the normalcy of mutual dread, fear and hatred.

Labels: Human Relations, Israel, Religion

posted by Pieface @ Friday, May 15, 2009