A
Vatican delegation, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri (Prefect of the Congregation
for the Oriental Churches) and Francesco
Patton, OFM (Custodial Vicar of the Holy Land), visited the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa
on Thursday. They were welcomed by
members of the Waqf council and several Palestinian leaders. Ramzi Khoury said,
We celebrate together with our fellow
Palestinian Muslims the anniversary of the Custodians of the Holy who have
played a crucial role in protecting holy places and in supporting the Christian
presence in Palestine. The visit to Al-Aqsa has valuable meaning to the
importance of Christian and Muslim coexistence in our homeland Palestine.
Wasfi Kailani, director of the
Royal Hashemite Fund for the Restoration of Al-Aqsa, commented on the meeting
saying, “This high-level visit to Al-Aqsa and the words of solidarity and
support is a true reflection of the 1,400 years of Muslim and Christian
coexistence in the holy city of Jerusalem,” also adding, “We are recognizing
800 years of the important role of the Franciscans, whose role in education and
guarding holy places is appreciated.”
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| Southwest Corner of Temple Mount (Summer 2018) LFL |
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| View of the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Complex and Dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Summer 2018) LFL |
I have been wondering about this. What is lacking is reference to the Jews and to Israel. It may be true that the Franciscans and the Moslems have had peaceful relationships in Jerusalem for 800 years, though I wonder that upon closer examination there were also times of conflict. I also think that the relationships that have developed between the Franciscans and the Moslems over the past 800 years in Jerusalem have not taken into account the new reality of Israel’s reestablishment as a nation in the Holy Land. I am, of course, just wondering.
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