Jerusalem (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Mgr. Fouad Twal, today presented his Christmas message, retracing some of the events that marked 2010 in the Middle East. He expresses thanks to Benedict XVI for the Synod for the Middle East, for the record number of pilgrims welcomed to the Holy Land and the resumption of talks between the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on the Fundamental Agreement in 2000, but also ''great concern'' for the fire that devastated parts of Haifa and ''suffering'' for the failure of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. During the Synod, the Patriarch writes, ''we were able to show our  wounds and our fears, but at the same time express our expectations and our hopes. The Synod called on Christians in the Middle East to live as good believers and good citizens. Faith, far from distancing from public life, should make us all more involved in the building of our respective societies, both in Arab countries and Israel.''

Patriarch Twal speaks of the important to the condemnation by the Synod Fathers' 'of violence, religious fundamentalism, anti-Semitism, anti-Judaism, Christianaphobia and Islamophobia.'' The record number of pilgrims,' 'which has increased to reach 3.4 million visitors ''in 2010. One element that '' significantly reflects the universal dimension of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the good reception given to pilgrims by our people and our churches and the quality work done by the Ministries of Tourism in Israel and Palestine ' '. In terms of relations with the and Palestinian Israeli authorities Twal, ''emphasizes the improvement on the procedures for obtaining visas for religious, seminarians and volunteers'', he prays for the success of the talks between the Holy See and the PLO, which focus mainly on religious freedom'' and ''tax legislation” and those already under way between the Holy See and Israel.

But there are causes of suffering, and the Latin Patriarch ''refers in particular to the failure of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.'' This failure ''however can not leave us in despair. We continue to believe that both parties to the conflict and also the international community there are people of good will, who are working to combine their energies and their commitment to peace.'' Twal stresses a positive aspect that came from a “sad event”, speaking of the fire in Haifa: ''The fact that the Palestinian Authority has made teams of firefighters available was a very significant gesture. It could represent the beginning of a fruitful collaboration which we hope will continue under favorable conditions, when the long desired peace will reign on this martyred earth''. The Patriarch’s final thoughts go to the faithful of the Palestinian diaspora in Latin America, which he visited in November, and the massacre of Christians in Baghdad in the Syrian-Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation: ''these innocent victims in addition to thousands of victims of fundamentalism and violence, the wounds that are afflicting Iraq.''