Two days after the pope’s visit to a Rome synagogue, the Vatican issued a document citing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as one of the main challenges facing Christians in the Middle East.
The 30-page document released Jan. 19 also cited Muslim extremism as a major challenge.
“Several conflicts in the Middle East have arisen as a result of the main point of global attention, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the document said.
The document contains the guidelines for a Synod of Catholic Bishops from the Middle East to be held at the Vatican in October.
“The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories makes daily life difficult with regard to freedom of movement, the economy and religious life,” the document said, as part of a lengthy discussion of many issues facing Arab-Christian communities and their relationships with local governments, as well as with Jews and Muslims.
The document added that “certain Christian fundamentalist theologies use Sacred Scripture to justify Israel’s occupation of Palestine, making the position of Christian Arabs even more sensitive.” — jta