Pope Francis provided a nice backdrop for a so-called “prayer summit” in the Vatican gardens on June 8th, attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres. “It is my hope that this meeting will mark the beginning of a new journey where we seek the things that unite, so as to overcome the things that divide,” Pope Francis said at the prayer ceremony. Prayers and readings were provided by Jews, Christians and Muslims, followed by remarks from the pope and the two presidents. Each set of prayers praised God for creation, begged forgiveness of sins and asked for peace in the Holy Land. In an obviously orchestrated photo op, Presidents Abbas and Peres embraced in the presence of the pope. “Nice to see you,” Peres and Abbas said to each other in English. At the end of the ceremony, they took up shovels to add dirt to the base of a newly planted olive tree. Politics were not intended to be on the agenda. This was a prayer summit, after all. Abbas even managed to avoid using the word “occupation,” at least according to the English translation of his prepared remarks. He offered a prayer for peace: “O Lord, bring comprehensive and just peace to our country and region so that our people and the peoples of the Middle East and the whole world would enjoy the fruit of peace, stability and coexistence.” He presented the Palestinians as a people “craving for a just peace, dignified living and liberty.” He also was quoted as saying: “We want peace for us and for our neighbors. We seek prosperity and peace of mind for ourselves and for others alike.” In other words, Abbas laid it on very thick with nice words that sound like themes on which the Israelis and Palestinians could unite. But they are just hollow words. Interspersed was his divisive reference to Jerusalem as “our Holy City.” And the elephant in the room was his pact with Hamas.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 11:31:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015