It is NOT a ‘vicious circle of violence’.  ‘Tut tut tut, oh dear… if we all could just sit and talk together…tut tut tut.’  Uh, Israel DID sit down with the Palestinians and gave them everything they asked for, even put up the status of Jerusalem for negotiation.  Arafat turned around and walked out. Why? The Palestinians have ONE intent and they openly scream it out 24/7.  KILL ALL THE JEWS and reduce Christians to dhimmi slaves.  They SAY so.  Now rockets pour down on civilian areas from Gaza which is NOT occupied by Israel and Israel responds. It seems the Latin Patriarch is a well-trained lackey of Islam - the refusal to even present the specific self-defense mandate in this case is embarrassing. Hamas openly situates their rocket pads in the midst of civilian areas near schools and playgrounds. They set up their command posts in hospitals. Don’t preach to me you dhimmi lackey.  I am a proud Catholic.

  Amazing.  We don’t know who is at fault….but there have been 797 rocket and mortar attacks from within Gaza against Israel in 2012.  The UN established Israel in 1947 and has done little to protect it from people who want it off the map but clergy want an international body to intervene.  “Violence will solve nothing”... thus this canard by the last two Popes is now legit for lower clergy.  Violence by the way saved Europe from Hitler and China from being enslaved by Japan.

How can anyone say, “We can’t tell who started the violence?” Rockets have been streaming out of Gaza for months, no, years, with the world community saying almost nothing. Now that Israel says, “Enough!” , and begin to retaliate, suddenly the world community says, “Oh, how terrible!” Wasn’t it terrible when it was just the Palestinians sending rockets into populated areas of Israel?

Correct me if I’m wrong but Hamas started it by firing random rockets into Israel, targeting innocent civilians, and Israel responded by attacking military targets in Gaza. The two “sides” are not just “trading” attacks.

The bishop of Jerusalem’s words suggest a moral equivalence.  There is none.  The Palestinians and Arabs are determined to destroy Israel and kill all the Jews, as the state time and time again.  And the Hamas charter is explicit.  And Abbas says he will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state.  How about some courageous straight talk, bishop?

It amazes me how so often, there will be a cease fire in war zones, on Christmas Day.  Perhaps if a small group of people - from each side- would pray FOR each other, putting aside differences, & not trying to “win”, there could be a longer-lasting peace and harmony, such as in 1 Corinthians 13, the “Love” Chapter.

Yet, I write as a Roman Catholic Christian, and even within the Body of Christ, there is division, with one side or the other trying to “win” the battle of semantics, or Bible interpretation, and about matters having no eternal value.  There are Catholics, Catholics in union with Rome, and then our “separated brethern”, people that are 100% Christian, but not Catholic, and from my perspective, they are looked down upon by us.

So if we Christians amongst themselves bicker and fight and put down each other, about silly things of no consequence, in blogs and in real life, who am I to suggest that on a larger level (such as a national and racial conflict between residents in the Middle East) people can put down real weapons, and pray for each other?  Our own Christian “weapons” on blogs are nasty words, name calling, slander and divisiveness, and for what? So we can win the war of Catholic Apologetics?

“Bishop William Shomali, vicar of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, told Vatican Radio Nov. 15 that it is presently hard to know who started the violence….”

Pleassseee, Bishop Shomile, come on.  When have the have the Muslims stop shelling Israel?  You don’t know they launched hundreds of missals against Israel and you never said a word until Israel started to defend itself?! Religious like you make me sick.  Your ignorant comments only encourage the Muslims to keep bombing Israel who get blamed when they defend themselves.  You give Catholicism a bad name.

@Terah James. Whether the Eucharist is or is not the real Body, Blood, and Divinity of Christ is not a silly difference of no consequence between Catholics and Protestants. Whether or not Israel wants to live in peace or Hamas wants to wipe out all Jews is also not a silly little non-difference.

First, for those of you who buy into Palestinians as all Muslim militants, guess again. If one is not an Israeli citizen, they are a Palestinian, either a Christian or Muslim. The Christians in these lands are being annihilated. These are descendents of the first Christians.

Second, do not believe all you read about this in the secular press. These are the same people who attack Christ, His Church and promote abominations an heinous sins.

Third, shame on any of you “so-called” “Catholics” who denounce the Latin Patriarchate. This bishop is one of the successors of the Apostles and those of you who are making such comments have no way of knowing what actually goes on there.

Fourth, if all of you know better than the Latin Patriarchate, go and see for yourself. My wife did about 10 years ago with the Holyland Christian Ecumenical Foundation {HCEF}. The Christian Palestinians are stuck between Islamic militants and Zionists. Neither wants us [Christians] there. Go see for yourselves how our brothers and sisters in faith suffer there each day while you make false, uninformed judgements.

  Nothing is more non rational than Gazans enraged over their civilian deaths when Hamas wom they elected aims rockets at Israeli civilians every week of the year but usually fails thank God.

Regarding wars, one must consider satan’s role in all this.  Lately, as progress is made on holy issues (abortion, same-sex “marriage”, contraception, sterilization, innovations against the HHS Mandate, etc.) satan has been using his tried-and-true tactic of creating diversions to quell publicity for God’s side and to stimulate public discussion of his own affects.  Being especially incensed over losing ground he has gained in the anti-life movement, satan is sticking his ugly, evil neck into innocent people’s affairs.  Basing his diversions on orchestrated publicity of horrible evils like wars, vicious murders and torture, horrible economic suffering, etc.  We must not forget that satan gloats we call him crafty and witty.  But he is lazy, and since that is a derogatory term (unlike crafty or witty), this upsets him.  Sloth is an evil vice, and he personifies it.  Also, satan lacks other virtues like Christlike wisdom, which Christ’s people possess, fueling satan’s jealousy.  He relies on us to let down our guard, forgetting or omitting our prayers and conscious contact with all that is holy. 

Wars created by satan as a diversion away from rejoicing over God’s blessings have recently used deception and infiltration as means to stir up unrest and violence.  In every society today, specifically the U.S. with all its much-praised “diversity” of religions and cultures, trust is very easily placed on those who seem to be sophisticated peacemakers.  All a politician who considers himself in trouble (because God has used him to promote the holy side instead of his + satan’s side) needs is to give the knowing nod, the wink that says “You know what to do”.  Then his people start turning the wheels to foment war and unrest as a diversion with lots of death.  Let us consider that this has happened.  It is satan who tells us not to think of his tried and true tactics.

@Michael in Cincinnati. I agree that we should not engage in bishop bashing, but are you saying that Israel is doing to Christians in Israel what Muslims are doing to Christians all over the Middle East?

@Linda Nelson

“Lately, as progress is made on holy issues (abortion, same-sex ‘marriage’, contraception, sterilization, innovations against the HHS Mandate, etc.”

What progress?

@Michael in Cincinnati

“Third, shame on any of you “so-called” “Catholics” who denounce the Latin Patriarchate. This bishop is one of the successors of the Apostles and those of you who are making such comments have no way of knowing what actually goes on there.”

What, the bishop doesn’t read the local papers there or the local news doesn’t report on the rockets being shot from Gaza by the hundreds into Israel since Israelis turned over that land to the Muslims in a show of peace?

Reply to Michael
  http://www.rfcnet.org/pdfs/HCEF.pdf
  Actually, you spent too much money going over there to change your mind. So this is for other readers so they don’t get suckered-in by these repulsive dhimmi lackeys.

poetcomic1

Thank you for the link.  It confirmed what I smelled about Michael’s post, and the Bishop’s silent denial of what is really going over there.

We are Roman Catholics must stop the anti-semitic behavior of our church.  It is disgusting.  From ridiculous statements from the clergy that compare a rocket attack to building an apartment building, to the bigots who we allow to represent the church who refuse to say “Israel” and only use “Holy Land”.  This bigotry must stop.