Latin patriarch tells those unsure on Holy Land: 'Come and see'

Published: 2004-05-25

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (CNS) -- Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem has a message for those who are unsure of the situation in the Palestinian territories: "Come and see." The patriarch said one side is so clearly the oppressed while the other side is so clearly the oppressor that the answers to what is needed for peace will become obvious even to a casual observer. "The situation is very simple and clear; there is a people under oppression, under occupation. That is the source of every evil. Take away the oppression and you heal everything," Patriarch Sabbah told Catholic News Service during a May 23 interview at Seton Hall University in South Orange. It was a point Patriarch Sabbah drove home during his speeches, homilies and conversations at a May 19-23 general assembly and conference of Pax Christi International, of which he is president.

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