by Dario Salvi

The provincial of the Franciscans custodians of the Holy Sites speaks with AsiaNews about the festivities once again without pilgrims, whose return is ‘linked to the end of the conflict’. The focus is on events in neighbouring Syria, amid ‘suspended’ or ‘moderately positive’ judgements. The Custody ‘increasingly international’ with ‘about sixty’ countries present. The ‘debt’ of Western Christians with their brothers in the Holy Land.

Milan (AsiaNews) - The faithful of the Holy Land are preparing for ‘the second Christmas without pilgrims’ recovering that ‘certain hope’ as St Francis called it, founded on Christ who ‘died and rose again’ and has already shown his ‘victory over evil, sin and enmity’. This is how the Custos of the Holy Land, Friar Francis Patton, describes to AsiaNews the expectation of a region that is preparing to celebrate Christmas amidst the winds of war (from Gaza to Yemen) and uncertainties about the future especially in neighbouring Syria, with the collapse of the Assad regime after more than half a century. A hope, he explained, that ‘is the central message of the Jubilee Year’ with Christians called to ‘make a significant contribution’ to ‘find points of contact between the Jewish and Arab components of society’, overcoming ‘the short circuit between nationalism and religious fundamentalism’.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins, Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, in his message for the holiday: ‘We want Christmas to be, despite everything, a time of peace, joy and hope. This year Christmas,' the cardinal observed, ’also marks the beginning of the Jubilee, which is a year dedicated precisely to hope. And we have great need of hope in this land of ours, marked by so much violence, hatred, wounded by contempt and fear'.

Below is the interview with Brother Patton:

Christmas Eve in a second year of war: how are Christian coping with this endless tunnel?

The faithful lare approaching this second Christmas without pilgrims with greater hope. Already at the beginning of Advent, when I entered Bethlehem on the first Sunday, I saw that the Christians were happy to hear that the feast was approaching and the church was packed, with a very strong participation. They need hope, which is also a key theme of the Jubilee Year.

The war and crises have spread, from Lebanon to Syria: is Palestine a forgotten issue?

Palestine is traditionally forgotten, but unfortunately this is nothing new! The other wars have distracted attention from what is happening in Palestine, where there is a continuous erosion of territory by groups of settlers who are simultaneously ultra-nationalists and religious fundamentalists, the worst possible mixture. This has also led to several acts of violence over the course of the year, which are not denounced boldly enough and are not actually prosecuted. Somewhat as if the other facts also serve as a cover for these.

What can you tell us about the Franciscans in Syria: what is the value of their presence at this time and how are they experiencing the phase of change and uncertainty about the future?

Our presence is centuries old in Syria, because we have been there since the time of St Francis and in different places: Damascus, Aleppo, Latakia and in the valley of the Orontes, in the region of Idlib. Some of the brothers have a moderately positive view, others have some question marks and suspend judgement. In the Aleppo area, there have been no problems so far, while there are a few more critical points in Damascus, but even in the capital, we must see if they improve over time. Latakia is also fairly quiet, while in the Orontes - where the picture was more difficult before - it has now opened up. There is a cautious hope that we can move towards a new reality, although it has to be assessed to what extent the leader [Abu Mohammed al-Jolani] of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (Hts) militias will be able to keep the various militias under control, if the plan to have the militias lay down their weapons, disband and merge into a regular army to protect national integrity will be carried through. Finally, we need to see the other two steps, which are the election of the Constituent Assembly, which should be more or less in March, and the drafting of the new Constitution.

And this is where the Christian component also comes into play....

Exactly! Here the Christians must also play a role, because in the drafting of the new Constitution it is clear that care must be taken to ensure that their demands are taken on board, that we do not simply make a Constitution in which we photocopy Sharia law. But that it is a charter that is truly inclusive, where all minorities are respected and all Syrians are considered citizens.

Can Idlib be the litmus test for the ‘new’ Syria?

Relations between the brothers in the area and the local leadership have been improving over time, so much so that in recent years we have seen the return of churches, property, and even a progressive increase in respect for Christians. It is clear that this approach serves a ‘foreign policy’ purpose, but I believe there is also something real in it. In Syria they have had enough of this war and the goal is to move towards a transition. If Syria starts down a certain path, then it will be up to the Syrians to make sure that path continues. We cannot think of applying a European model tout-court, they have to find their own way by respecting all minorities, promoting inclusion, respect for women and all those characteristics that the current leader said he wanted to guarantee.

On the subject of hope, a Holy Year begins that has precisely this as its central element: how will you experience it?

I hope that it will first of all represent something very important for the Christians of the Holy Land, so that they can find the hope they have lost in recent years. It is necessary for our Christians to return to having what St Francis called a ‘certain hope’, which is based on the fact that Christ died and rose again and has already shown this victory over evil, sin, and enmity. If a vision prevails within Israeli and Palestinian society that fuels a short-circuit between nationalism and religious fundamentalism, then we will get nowhere. On the contrary, if a tendency emerges to include all the components of society, then Christians will be able to make a significant contribution and also be part of an intelligentsia that helps to find points of contact between the Jewish and Arab components of society.

A Jubilee that also has an economic value...

Of course! The Jubilee will also have economic significance for Christians, provided the war in Gaza ends and the pilgrimage route is reopened. If pilgrims return, they will contribute to the welfare of their Christian brothers. I am thinking especially of those who live in Bethlehem or Jerusalem, but also those from Nazareth and other places where there are significant shrines. Moreover, the coming of pilgrims is always an encouragement because thanks to them, the Christians of the Holy Land touch the fact that they belong to a much larger family.

Pilgrimages represent the heart of the Christian experience in the Holy Land: is there ‘hope’ for a recovery in the coming months?

The recovery is fundamentally linked to the end of the conflict, because up to now there has been almost nothing and it has had a negligible impact on the economy. It is a very real issue: agencies need insurance policies to organise pilgrimages, and in wartime they are much higher, while there are few airlines flying. They end up with excessive costs and security problems that we know can be overcome, but for those abroad, fear determines choices more than reason. Hence the difficult situation of the many Christians who live off the airlines, especially in Bethlehem, in the Old City in Jerusalem and in Nazareth.

You have recently published a book: ‘Like a Pilgrimage. My days in the Holy Land'. What balance can you make of these years as Custos and where do you see the future of the mission?

The balance sheet is very positive because - despite the many difficulties of these years starting with Syria, then the pandemic, then 7 October and this other war - in these nine years I have seen that the Custody has carried out its service faithful to the mandate of the Holy See. And it has continued to do what it has been called to do for centuries, which is to live in the sanctuaries, because if we stop living in the sanctuaries they return to the soil for the nettles, and then to pray in the sanctuaries and continue to instil a sense of lived faith by making those places welcoming to the faithful. Again, to continue in this experience of internationality that has led to an enlargement: when I arrived there were about forty nations present, now there are about sixty. This means that the Custody itself, in some way, represents and depicts the catholicity and universality of the Church. Certainly there have been difficulties, but there have also been enormous steps forward from the point of view of collaboration between the Churches: we have had the opportunity to carry out significant works despite the economic difficulties, such as the restoration of the aedicule of the Holy Sepulchre and the restoration of the floor with the entire archaeological excavation. For this I feel a great debt of gratitude to Patriarch Theophilos, truly for me a friend and a brother, and also to the Armenian Patriarch who, despite having a weaker community, has always supported this type of work.

An appeal to Christians in the world, especially in the West: what can be done to support and stand by the Christians in the Holy Land?

It is crucial that Christians in the West remember that Christianity was born here. Christianity was not born in Rome, but it was born in Jerusalem. I believe that Christians around the world should remember that they owe a debt to the Christians of the Holy Land, and Paul of Tarsus already said so in his Second Letter to the Corinthians. The other important thing is for Christians in Western countries to be a little more active in supporting the Christians of the Holy Land, and instead of thinking in terms of rejection, they should think a little more in terms of welcome. The wish is that Christmas will be the moment when we realise that the greatness of God is contained in that child laid in the manger in the Bethlehem grotto, who chooses to save himself not by extraordinary means but by an unarmed child who is more powerful than any army.

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