Jerusalem prelate calls terrorism 'immoral and a sin'

Published: 2003-12-05

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Terrorism is both "immoral and a sin," said Jerusalem's Latin-rite patriarch in a new document. Patriarch Michel Sabbah said the church condemns "all acts of violence ... especially terrorism" that are intended to "injure and kill the innocent." The document, "Reflections on the Presence of the Church in the Holy Land," released Dec. 3, was signed by the 10 other members of the patriarchate's Theological Commission. Patriarch Sabbah said in the document that the church was "painfully conscious" of the climate and "context of despair" in which acts of violence were committed. "We have stated: In the case of terrorism there are two guilty parties: first, those who carry out such action, those who plan and support them, and secondly, those who create situations of injustice which provoke terrorism," the document said.

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