It’s news today that the Pope has reiterated 1965’s Second Vatican Council’s exoneration of the Jews’ collective guilt for killing Christ. A full transcript of the relevant passage in his soon-to-be-released volume can be read at http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/?p=20724
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Neil Godfrey
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Yes I saw the second vatican statement on the via delarosa in Jerusalem. I was pleased then and am happy with the pope’s full statement. I say this as an atheist and anti-Zionist. I am also very happy with the statement of the Jerusalem churches condemning Zionism, including Christion Zionism. All forms of racism strengthen each other. And the struggle in Palestine is not between two religions (or three) or between two races, but a struggle for justice and a free Palestine.
Words are fine, and its good to hear condemnations of Zionism and Christian Zionism. But where have the churches, pope included, been when thousands of people have put their lives on the line by doing something concrete. Why not have the pope travel incognito as part of the International Solidarity Movement to the West Bank and reveal his identity once on the Palestinian side of a check point. The pope was giving fine speeches in 2003 when hundreds of others were putting their lives on the line by rushing to Baghdad to be human shields. Having the pope among them might have had a real impact.
I’m not blasting the pope personally here; I’m addressing him as a symbol of the church generally. While there are many wonderful Christians who really are active in working for social justice and peace movements (and some are involved in ISM and were human shields in Baghdad), my experience tells me that the bulk are simply content to preach and pray. Ask many of them to join you in doing something that will impose a cost on the abusive powers and they’ll turn their backs and PPP.
Those Catholic clergy who did really make a difference in South America were faced with excommunication, were they not?
Neil, the (English) Methodist church has just voted to boycott Israeli goods. Many branches of the P.S.C. have as many Methodists as Trots very active in particular boycott campaigns.
The biggest C.of E Church in Oxford stores our stuff for the weekly stall, and on their own initiative hosted a meeting with I.S.M speakers. Another C,of E, church held a meeting on Bethlehem. Several local churches sell Zaitoon olive oil. More than one R.C. priest comes to our local A.G.M. I could go on. As an atheist I feel closer to them than to Atheists like Hitchens (or indeed Dawkins). Too many atheists are Orientalist or Islamophobes. They have as little to offer as anti-Semites who pretend Palestinian solidarity.
Our experiences and circles differ, but it is good to hear of the positives in yours.