The Patriarch speaks…


After Pope Francis accepted his resignation on June 24, 2016, Patriarch Fouad Twal, who reached retirement age of 75 last October, is readying himself to retire and he reflects on his years of mission as the pastor of the Church in the Holy Land, on the heritage he leaves now in the hands of the new Apostolic Administrator, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

fouad twal

See the full interview here

You have reached the end of your mission, how do you see the road you have travelled during your mandate?

I have reached the end of my mission as Patriarch nevertheless my mission as priest, citizen, friend continues… When I look back on my past life, I see it as if it were a full length movie. So many things have happened, one after the other, intertwined, some happy and encouraging, others more difficult and complicated. It has been a great feat, begun here in Jerusalem and ending here in Jerusalem again. I also see in the movie of my life, several weak points, but the more I think, the more I see the presence of the hand of God, a hand stretched out to save us, to sustain us, and another hand to indicate the right path in order to continue the road we have already begun... I have often felt alone in taking a decision I had to make alone, despite the presence of a crowd of people around me ... One can sometimes discover that one has fewer friends than we thought we had, or we can move from the role of the main actor to that of the spectator who looks on, who follows the events with being able to make history. Perhaps this will be my role now that I retire.

What words would you like to address, or have you already addresses, to Father Pizzaballa, named as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Jerusalem? What are the most important challenges during his mandate in your opinion?

Among the assets that the new Administrator can count on is the fact that he served for 12 years as Custos of the Holy Land and he was the Latin Patriarchal Vicar for the Hebrew speaking Christian community. He knows well the challenges and problems of the Church in the Holy Land, one I have often referred to as the Church of Calvary.

To these assets, nevertheless must be added the problem of the Arabic language, the Oriental mentality and all of the pastoral activity. So I understand his concern, that of our priests and even some Franciscans ... We are all full of good will to help in this task ... It will certainly be easier for him to remedy the weaknesses of the administration rather than to manage the pastoral care of the Arab faithful. However, it is also true that the foreign faithful of the Latin Patriarchate now outnumber the local Arab Christians.

The strength of the new Administrator will be to totally win over the trust of the priests, to begin the reform with conviction and without hesitation, always remembering that the job of the Administrator does not always mean popularity. He will also have to ensure preserving the delicate balance of relations with the Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian authorities.

Support Us Contact Us Vatican News in Hebrew Mass in Hebrew Child Safeguarding Policy


© 2020 Saint James Vicariate for Hebrew Speaking Catholics in Israel