Beirut (AsiaNews) Jerusalem is the key to solving Mideast problems and should "be open to all and ruled by its people", said Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Speaking to AsiaNews, he also criticised the international community for siding with the strong, i.e. Muslims, and urged Christians to realise that they are bearers of "a civilisation and faith". He also announced plans for a Higher Christian-Muslim-Jewish Council that would coordinate the life of the faithful in the holy city and stressed the importance of the "Lebanese Model", which has "never been so threatened as today".
When addressing the issue of religious freedom in the region, the patriarch said that Lebanon was the "only Arab country in which the Church can exercise influence thanks to Christian thinkers who can transmit Christian ideas." He called on its Christian communities to "forgive and accept others. Because we are all Christians in an Arab society, we must build a tolerant society that is reconciled with and open to others".
Instead of tears and complaints, Christians should invest themselves and train in order to strengthen their role and place in the region. Eastern Christians are duty-bound "to realise that numbers is the only factor that will ensure their presence in the Middle East".
Christians are fully entitled to feel they belong to their lands of origin and "should not just complain and hold back because they are persecuted. Instead, they should insist on their right to exist". Nor should Muslims forget their role vis-à-vis the Christian minority in the region.
For its part, the international community sides with the strong and today it is Muslims who are strongest so much so that it seems willing to solve regional conflicts at the expense of Christians.
In response to a question on the future of the Middle East, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said the city of Jerusalem was the key to solving the region's problems. For him, the holy city should "be open to all and ruled by its people".
The patriarch also announced plans for a Higher Christian-Muslim-Jewish Council that would coordinate the life of the faithful in the holy city, highlighting the fear that reigns in the Palestinian territories where "there is hatred for Christians amongst Muslims and where Christians fear Muslims".
Finally, confident that the issue will be soon solved, Patriarch Sabbah renewed his appeal to the Israeli government to recognise the new Greek-Orthodox Patriarch, Theophilus III.