Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tunis (Agenzia Fides) - "Under no circumstances can the Bible be used to legitimize the colonization and annexation of a territory belonging to a people who only want to live in law and peace. It is necessary to distinguish between peoples and their governments. The government of Israel is not the entire Israeli people. Hamas is not the entire Palestinian people."
This is what the bishops of the North African Bishops' Conference (CERNA) wrote in a letter to their parishes in anticipation of the beginning of the new liturgical year. With the beginning of Advent, the thoughts of the bishops are "painfully" turned to the land where Jesus was born, where he grew up, where he spoke words of justice and peace, where he gave his life for all humanity and where he rose again. This country has been torn apart for more than a year by a conflict with many victims, displaced people and massive destruction. An entire population is held hostage, it is not cared for, it is deprived of food, and day after day this conflict is trivialized to the point of indifference. This is also the case with many other conflicts in Africa, Europe and many other places in the world."
"We are for peace, consciously for peace. We suffer with the victims, with all victims. We are against war, against all wars, against all violence and all acts of terrorism," says the letter, which also contains an appeal to the rulers "of the countries concerned." The bishops of the Regional Bishops' Conference of North Africa assure that they pray that the Heads of State "have the courage of humility to listen sincerely to the suffering of others, to respect one another and to reject all hatred" and to refrain from "any provocation, any desire for destruction, any spirit of revenge or domination."
“We also pray to God that the other nations will commit themselves to guaranteeing a peace agreement instead of supplying weapons to the warring parties,” says the letter, which concludes with another appeal, this time addressed to all the faithful of the North African Church: “We ask all members of our churches to dedicate this Advent season to prayer for peace and concrete gestures of reconciliation around us and solidarity with the victims.”
The letter was published by the bishops at the end of their “ad Limina” visit to Rome (the last one took place in 2015), where they visited the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul, as well as the Lateran Basilica and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and attended a meeting with Muslims in the Great Mosque of Rome.
During their stay in Rome, the bishops elected a new board for the Regional Bishops' Conference, which will begin its work at the end of February 2025. The Archbishop of Tunis, Nicolas Lhernould, is the new president; Jean-Paul Vesco (OP), Cardinal-designate and Archbishop of Algiers, will hold the office of Vice-President. George Bugeja, Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli, and Mario León Dorado, Apostolic Prefect of Laayoune-Sahara, will also be members of the leadership of the North African Episcopal Conference. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 25/11/2024)
