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| Pope Francis in Bethlehem, Palestine |
Palestinian,
and Palestinian Christians in particular, have lost a dear friend
today. Pope Francis was beloved in Palestine. He conveyed true
compassion to Palestinians, most notably to those in Gaza during this
genocide. His pastoral heart was evident in his insistence on calling
the Christian community besieged in Gaza on a constant basis, even from
his hospital.
Some years ago,
Pope Francis visited Bethlehem. We all remember the iconic image of him
praying at the Wall. This is what I wrote about this incident in my book
“The Other Side of the Wall”.
When
Pope Francis stopped, touched the wall, and said a prayer, it was truly
a monumental moment that made waves in world news. Pope Francis
couldn’t help but notice the ugliness of this concrete structure at the
heart of Bethlehem. This wall should make us all uncomfortable. To this
discomfort, the Pope couldn’t help but react and reach out. By
responding in this manner, the Pope touched more than the wall. He
touched the ugliness of the occupation and war. He touched the depth of
our suffering. With humility and weakness, he looked injustice in the
eyes, and challenged it.
What did he say in his prayer? The truth is, I don’t want to know. Some words are better left unspoken. The image of him standing next to the wall and praying will forever be engraved in our memories. For me, this image went everywhere. On my office wall, Facebook page, desktop wallpaper. For us as Palestinian Christians, this image was stored deep into our memory. And when this wall falls one day (not if, when), we might go back to this moment and this prayer as one of the key moments that led to its fall.
At
the end of the day, the Pope left, and the occupation and the wall
remained. But we were left with a renewed sense of hope—knowing that we
are not forgotten. We were left with a mandate to continue lamenting the
current situation, to fight against injustice . . . and to pray. (The
Other Side of the Wall, pp. 182-183)
The
Pope left our world today, and the occupation and the wall remained.
Even worse, he left our world while a genocide continues to unfold. Back
in November he wrote: “I am thinking above all of those who leave Gaza
in the midst of the famine that has struck their Palestinian brothers
and sisters given the difficulty of getting food and aid into their
territory… According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the
characteristics of a genocide. It should be carefully investigated to
determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by
jurists and international bodies.”
Today
I wonder: Will the millions who will mourn his death these coming days
respect this wish of his? Will they care for Gazans and Palestinians the
way he did?
May his soul rest in glory with his Savior. Humanity lost a special soul today.
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