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JERUSALEM — On the backdrop of multiple violent incidents in Israel in recent months against Christian leaders and Christian sites, Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa emerges as a champion of tolerance and coexistence. Religious leaders from different dominions as well as Israeli academics recognize Pizzaballa’s engagement in establishing inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue.
Pizzaballa, 58, will soon make history when he becomes the Catholic Church’s first cardinal whose seat is in Jerusalem. His unprecedented appointment by Pope Francis on July 9 was set against the rise in attacks on Christian clergy in Jerusalem’s Old City over the last few months. There is much hope that he will be able to lessen the violence and promote messages of reconciliation.
The Patriarch isn’t very well known to most Israelis. He is, however, a familiar and popular figure among rabbis from all denominations, top politicians and academics throughout the country. Many of them treat him as an Israeli, in part because of his fluent Hebrew and the fact that he has lived in Jerusalem for the past 30 years while filling a number of senior positions in the church.
Pizzaballa says that he was surprised by his appointment, which he first learned about when the pope announced his picks for 21 new cardinals. He was certainly aware that once news of his historic appointment became known, all sorts of explanations would be given for the reasons behind the choice.
Naturally, the first reason given was the rise of violence against Christians in Israel and in Jerusalem in particular. Last week, three youths were arrested for spitting on a Christian clergyman in Jerusalem. This was only the most recent instance of attacks on Christian clergy and even against Christian symbols in churches and monasteries.
Another possible explanation for the choice is that the pope is signaling his intent to increase his involvement in the region in a period when relations between Israelis and Palestinians are becoming more heated, as evidenced by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation in Jenin.
In a discussion with Vatican News, Pizzaballa suggested that the decision was a gesture by the pope to give “a sign of attention from the Church of Rome toward the Mother Church, the Church of Jerusalem.” He stressed the church’s specific “vocation to universality, dialogue and encounter” and its mission to call all Christians and non-Christians to encounter and reconciliation.”
Peacemaker behind the scenes
Pizzaballa has a deep familiarity with Israeli society going back years. He has spent most of his life in Jerusalem, first arriving here at the very young age of 24. He was born in Bergamo, Italy (like Pope John XXIII), joined the Franciscan order at the age of 19 and was sent to Jerusalem just a few years later. While here, he completed a master's degree in the Bible at Hebrew University. Having studied alongside young Israelis, he mastered Hebrew and became more familiar with local society and culture. As of March 2008, he has been a member of the Vatican’s council on Christian-Jewish relations.
Relations between Christians and Jews in Jerusalem have been very stormy over the past few months. While it is only a small group of extremists that harass Christian clergy in particularly odious ways, including acts of physical violence, the fact that the phenomenon is growing is disturbing.
Pizzaballa is well aware of the complexity of Israeli politics and the rise of new forces. Thanks to his close, unmediated relationship with the two chief rabbis — David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef — Pizzaballa played a major role behind the scenes after an unauthorized violent protest on May 28 by religious Jews against Christian worshipers at the Western Wall. His dialogue with the Jewish religious leadership led to the release of a letter by Jerusalem’s Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar condemning attacks on Christians. The letter, which was released in English, was intended to restore calm.
As if that was not enough, last month Pizzaballa met with Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana to discuss the issue. During this important visit, which was reported widely in the media, Ohana said that he condemns the violence unequivocally, regardless of its shape and form, in which a small group of extremists attack Christian symbols and clergy in Israel and especially in Jerusalem.
There is no doubt that Pizzaballa’s personal relationships with Israeli leaders and his ability to approach them on any matter will be of enormous importance as he enters his new position. It is almost as if it was made especially for him. He has immense personal charm and is able to speak to Israelis in colloquial Hebrew.
This was evident in April 2022 when he was the keynote speaker at a conference on antisemitism hosted by Tel Aviv University. He spoke in fluent Hebrew about the complicated historical relationship between Jews and Christians, with many candid moments, which provided insight into his views about this. In the background was the war in Ukraine, with all its historical context.
Pizzaballa chose to open his April remarks by mentioning another conference that took place two decades ago — one that generated reactions worldwide. Addressing the same Tel Aviv University, he said at the time that “if Jesus lived in the time of the Holocaust, he would also have been murdered, just like the Jews.”
The host of reactions he received after that statement stayed with him for many years. “They didn’t really like that at the Vatican, but I was just stating the facts. The church was silent [during the Holocaust]. It was silent apart from a few righteous gentiles, and that is a fact,” noted Pizzaballa in his talk this past April.
This immediately won his audience over. He went on to exhibit an impressive familiarity with early Jewish history and spoke frankly about the transformations that the church has undergone since 1956 when it changed its attitudes toward Jews in its historic encyclical Nostra Aetate.
He was cited last April by The Associated Press as linking the current Israeli government with the rise in violence targeting certain communities in Jerusalem. In an interview last week with Ynet, he explained, “I think that there are people who commit these acts while feeling that they have the support of some members of the [Israeli] government. I don’t think that the government thinks about us all the time. We’re not their address. I’m sure they don’t think about us.”
