"Christian identity in the Holy Land is in danger"

July 20, 2010. Only 170,000 Christians live in Israel and Palestine, a minority in the land of Christ's birth. Their lives are often difficult. Priest Pierbattista Pizzaballa is the custo of the Holy Land, a position that has existed for 800 years. His job focuses on caring for places linked to the life of Jesus and Christians living there. Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa Holy Land custo “Because there are so few Christians and they live in such a difficult situation in the Holy Land, it's much more difficult to maintain the identity and Christian character of the Holy Land and the Christian population there.” In Palestine and especially in the city of Gaza, Christians have little power or representation in civilian life. In 2007 the owner of the only Christian bookstore in Gaza was kidnapped and murdered after being accused of Christian proselytizing. Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa Holy Land custo “As we have decreasing public visibility, for Muslims, we're a reality that is increasingly distant and artificial. Transnational Islamic movements also affect the Muslim community in the Holy Land, especially in Gaza, and it makes the lives of Christians there more difficult. But we can't generalize. In Gaza there is no direct persecution against Christians.” Many Christians have chosen to leave their country in search of a place where all their rights are recognized and where life might be easier. It is an exodus of Christians from the Holy Land. Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa Holy Land custo “The conflict between Israel and Palestine especially affects the less-protected minorities, and most of all, Christians. The conflict makes many Christians leave the country in search of a better situation than they had in the Holy Land.” According to the Holy Land custo, achieving normalization for Christians will take time and patience, although it is an increasingly complex problem. Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa Holy Land custo “Christians who emigrate are not the poorest, but the middle class. Teachers, lawyers, small-businessmen, traders...every day the Christian presence is decreasingly visible in the public life of the country.” Although many Christians are leaving the Holy Land, many still visit in pilgrimage. In fact, during the first six months of 2010 more than 1.5 million tourists came to these holy places, and two-thirds of them were Christians. Pilgrims are an important part of the Holy Land not only because their presence remembers the Christian character of this land, but also because they create jobs. Hundreds of jobs have been created in Bethlehem with the construction of five hotels for pilgrims. Maintaining that Christian identity in the land of Jesus in spite of great difficulties is also the task of those who live far away. BR/RC FF-AM JM -WP-