Cardinal Pizzaballa thanks Detroit faithful for ‘spiritual closeness’ to the Holy Land

Latin patriarch's visit is a source of hope for southeast Michigan Catholics with family in the Middle East: 'We need a lasting peace'

DETROIT — Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, capped his visit to southeast Michigan on Dec. 7 by thanking area Catholics for the concern they have shown for their brothers and sisters in the Holy Land.

Celebrating a special Mass at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem said he felt a “spiritual closeness” between Metro Detroiters and Christians in Palestine during his four-day pastoral visit, during which he spent time with local Catholics and raised money for his embattled flock.

“It was good for me to come, because I felt empathy and closeness and saw an interest about what was going on in the Holy Land for Christians — and not just for Christians, but for everybody. And this means a lot,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said in his homily. “It reminded me not to remain closed in my own small perspective, but to open my gaze and see that all over the world, yes, we have war, we have conflict, but there are many other persons ready to help, support and cooperate with us. So thank you."

The Mass at the Shrine, which was concelebrated by Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger and Auxiliary Bishop Robert J. Fisher, was the capstone to a four-day visit that placed the focus on building spiritual bonds between the U.S. Church and suffering communities in the places where Jesus lived, taught, died and rose.

Throughout the weekend, local Catholics raised more than $500,000 to support relief efforts and the work of the Church in the Holy Land, led by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. In his own concluding remarks, Archbishop Weisenburger lauded the generosity of Detroiters and thanked Cardinal Pizzaballa for his presence and wisdom, adding "this is always your home in the United States."

Celebrating Mass on the second Sunday of Advent, Cardinal Pizzaballa joked about the snowy weather, but added "the community is very warm" in Michigan.

Reflecting upon St. John the Baptist's call to repentance, Cardinal Pizzaballa said Christians are challenged to "purify our gaze," even in the midst of hardship, and to see everything with eyes of faith.

“When there is war, violence and horrible situations, the human reaction is anger, frustration, distrust, revenge and hatred,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said. “Humanity starts form the heart, and so our actions are consequences of what we have in our heart. If we allow hatred, revenge and distrust to remain in our heart, it’s only a question of time before this finds expression in our actions and language."

Despite the conflict and suffering of the people in Palestine — particularly Gaza — Cardinal Pizzaballa said the Christian community there has refused to give in to hate.

“Those who remain in community — as small as it may be — will be among those able to rebuild from the human devastation because of our trust in God, and our ability to see His presence,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said.

Just as the Church waits for the birth of Christ during the Advent season, Cardinal Pizzaballa said the people of the Holy Land are waiting in anticipation for peace to come to the region where God choose to become incarnate.

“Expectation is not just waiting for something to come, but is an attitude of life,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said. “It’s when you pay attention to what is happening around you, and in your heart, and are able to see how God is talking to you in the signs of the times, how God is present in everyday life.

“We don't have to expect something extraordinary to come,” Cardinal Pizzaballa continued. “When we hear people talking about something extraordinary coming, don’t believe them, Jesus tells us. Look for him in everyday life, because he’s talking in everyday life to all of us.”

The full basilica and the warmth and generosity of Detroiters was a sign that the greater Christian community has not forgotten their brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, which has been beset by war, famine and a sense of abandonment by much of the world, the patriarch said.

The cardinal thanked Archbishop Weisenburger and the Church in southeast Michigan "for these beautiful days spent here in Detroit."

“I saw a lot of closeness, a lot of empathy for what is happening in the Holy Land, especially about what is happening with the lives of the Christians in the Holy Land,” he said.

Many of Cardinal Pizzaballa's Detroit-area events were attended by members of the Knights and Dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and the Knights and Dames of the Order of Malta, two orders of lay men and women and clergy with close connections to the Holy Land.

“It was wonderful to be able to be here today, as our mission is to support (Cardinal Pizzaballa) and all he does,” said Fr. William Turner, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Chelsea in the Diocese of Lansing and a master of ceremonies for the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Christian population has dipped below 1 percent of the overall population in the Holy Land, Fr. Turner said, making it all the more imperative for the Church to support those who remain.

“These are people whose descendants received the Gospel from people who knew Jesus, so our connection draws us even closer to the Lord,” Fr. Turner told Detroit Catholic. “We want to support the community in every way to make sure they stay there, lest the time comes when there are no Christians in the Holy Land.”

Similarly, the Order of Malta — formally called the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta — works to support the spiritual and material needs of the Church in Jerusalem and surrounding areas, said Andy Smith, the Michigan area chair for the Order of Malta's American Association.

“To this day, we have a hospital — Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem — which we support,” Smith said. “We take care of people who are Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, all creeds, all faiths. We now have a mobile ministry with our fleet of ambulances that go and provide medical services to people where they are, especially in this day and age, when it’s so hard to get to a hospital.”

Given the destruction of hospitals, schools, homes and businesses in Gaza, it's all the more important to support the ministry of the Latin Patriarchate as it seeks to support the slow recovery efforts, Smith said.

“Just like all brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re here to support each other and those who follow Christ in the land where God became incarnate,” Smith said. “The Christians in the Holy Land are our brothers and sisters, so to be here with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is all the more special.”

Southeast Michigan is home to one of the largest Middle Eastern immigrant communities in the United States, including a small number of Christians with roots in Jerusalem and the surrounding region.

Fr. Fares Hattar, a priest of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, currently serves as associate pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor, in the Diocese of Lansing. As a native of Jordan, Fr. Hattar said it was a special occasion to celebrate Mass with his bishop, Cardinal Pizzaballa.

“I was glad to meet him yesterday and speak about the Catholics from the Holy Land who are living here in Michigan,” Fr. Hattar said. “I felt the warmth and welcoming of this special visit, both for the priests and the people. It’s very touching and very important for the people to see the patriarch out supporting the people and raising support for the community back home.”

Fr. Hattar, who ministers to Catholics of various rites who hail from the Holy Land, hopes one day to establish a permanent community for Arab Latin-rite Catholics in Michigan, who often have family back home dealing with the struggles of war and destruction.

“All we can do is pray for peace and justice,” Fr. Hattar told Detroit Catholic. “Our mission as Christians is to talk about peace and pray for peace. People hear the news, and they know the realities of what is happening. But we’re not politicians; we’re Christians. We’re here to bear witness to Christ.”

Apart from raising needed support, Cardinal Pizzaballa's visit to Michigan is a way to connect the faithful of southeast Michigan with the mother church of all of Christianity, Fr. Hattar added.

“It’s where the holy places are, where Jesus was born and where he lived and taught as a priest. It’s where He died and was risen," Fr. Hattar said. “The church of the Holy Land is the mother of churches, where the good news was first preached; it connects us all.”

Cardinal Pizzaballa’s visit to Southeast Michigan was intended to raise funds for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, but it also served as a beacon of hope for the hundreds of Catholics who hail from the Holy Land.

Nelly Ghattas, a parishioner of St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church in Clinton Township, is a native of Jerusalem who attended Cardinal Pizzaballa's Mass at the Shrine.

Ghattas said it was inspiring to hear from the leader of the Church in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus.

“Our cardinal came here to show hope for the Christians, the Christian minority in the Holy Land who are in need of support,” Ghattas said. “We need not only support, we need hope and unity.”

Ghattas, who has two sisters and a brother who still live in the area of Jerusalem, said fighting in the region has suppressed tourism in the Holy Land, which is a vital source of income for the native Christian community.

“Our families and our friends in the whole country for the past two years have had a hard time making a living,” Ghattas said. “During the war, pilgrims are not coming to the country, not supporting the economy. It’s become really bad for the Christians in the region because nobody is coming to visit. We need Christians here to know it’s safe to come to the Holy Land, but more importantly, that they are needed, they are wanted.”

Ghattas said it meant the world to her and her son to be at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, to hear Cardinal Pizzaballa's message for the U.S. Church, and, by extension, for the world.

“We need peace,” Ghattas said. “We need a lasting pace. Our country needs peace — a real peace. The world needs to know that we need peace.”