Cardinal-designate Pierbattista Pizzaballa says his elevation to the rank of cardinal means the Mother Church of Jerusalem has acquired a voice in the life of the Church. Source: OSV News.
“This is something positive and long-awaited,” the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem said ahead of his trip to Rome in preparation for the consistory called by Pope Francis to create 21 new cardinals on September 30.
“I understand this is also a responsibility to be a voice of the Christian community, but not only to be a Christian voice but to be one of the voices from Jerusalem. We are living in a very complicated time, at a crossroads of many different cultures, religions and political tensions, so it is very important to be a serene but oftentimes a clear, strong voice as much as possible from Jerusalem to the world.”
Cardinal-designate Pizzaballa said it was not enough to just let people know about the situation of Christians in Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
“What we are missing are the possible perspectives. Our perspectives should be put into the broader context of other perspectives. Jerusalem has a lot of narratives … so I think it is important to talk not only about what we are living but also about possible and concrete perspectives for the future of the city,” he said.
According to the patriarchate, the prelate will be the first resident cardinal in Jerusalem. Patriarch Filippo Camassei (1907-1919) was created a cardinal in Rome in 1919, but he did not return to Jerusalem after the consistory and died in Rome in 1921.
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Archbishop Pizzaballa will be first resident cardinal in Jerusalem (By Judith Sudilovsky, OSV News)
