Stunning

The Vatican has called for Israel to end its occupation of "Arab lands," noting that all of what we define currently as Israel is "Arab land."

That the Bible must not be used to justify either their ‘occupation' nor their ‘injustices' against Palestinians.

"The Holy Scriptures cannot be used to justify the return of Jews to Israel and the displacement of the Palestinians, to justify the occupation by Israel of Palestinian lands," Monsignor Cyril Salim Bustros, Greek Melkite archbishop of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Boston, Massachusetts, and president of the "Commission for the Message," said at Saturday's Vatican press conference.

"We Christians cannot speak of the ‘promised land' as an exclusive right for a privileged Jewish people. This promise was nullified by Christ. There is no longer a chosen people - all men and women of all countries have become the chosen people."

You've just been witness to a significant event in the End Times unfolding, amigo. The Vatican stating that Israel is "no longer a chosen people".

The Vatican has just nullified the Bible, and elevated Replacement Theology in full public view.

There never was a sovereign nation known as Palestine - the powers of the world have fought for, won & lost most of the territory on earth since the Git Go (those bad evil colonials, y’know). The Brits with the cooperation of the UN were forced to deal with the millions of Jews who had nowhere to go after WW2. The so-called Palestine was carved up with a small spit given to the Jews. A much larger piece, then known as Trans-Jordan was for the Arabs. No one was forced out of Israel - they ran out rather be seen as collaborators with the Jews. Israel has had to fight to keep what it has since day 1. They have never been the aggressors, but have been repeatedly attacked. Let’s face it - the Jews have accomplished in just a few decades what the Arabs have never done in hundreds of years. Nothing happens in a vacuum. The Vatican and Catholic church is at its heart the Social Justice team, in partnership with communists and Islam against all of us Infidels.

You need to read up on the Balfour Decision. The Brits and Americans weren’t forced, all of a sudden, to consider relocating homeless Jews after WWII; they’d been working on the issue of a Jewish homeland since before WWI, offering Rhodesia and working to offer Utah (nixed after WWII by Truman). The Zionist negotiators wanted historical Israel which happened to be in then-Palestine. Before negotiations were completed, the Zionists, possibly rationionizing that the holocaust justified their impatience, rebeled against the UN forces and took, by considerable force, what became “Israel,” knowing that the UN wouldn’t dare deny them their victory. (So their nonaggressor status isn’t quite what you portray. It wasn’t until after the state of Israel was recognized that they earned the nonaggressor rep.) As to no one’s being forced out of Israel, however, untrue. Arabs (Palestinians), Brits, and Americans were very definitely forced out.

On the other hand, it can’t be denied that Zionist management of the area was/is far superior to anything the Arabs offered.

But Ratzinger associated with Social Justice, communists, and Islam? Surely, you jest. His current and prior reputation was earned by denouncing the evils and irrationality of all three.

The Jews fled Israel in the 1st century. Then, in 1948, the UN established the State of Israel. Palestinian families, who had lived in the same village for hundreds of years, had their homes taken away from them, packed up in buses and shuttled to a new settlement. This is an odd view of history. It is like saying that the Jews "fled" Judea in the 6th Century B.C. And to say that the U.N. "established" Israel in 1948 is like saying that France established the United States in 1778, ignoring the small matter of an on-going war. As to people being displaced, Israel is full of Jews thrown out of their homes in Arab lands. just look at Iraq, where Jews used to be a quarter of the population of Bagdad. During the long term animosity between the Arabs and Jews during the Palestine mandate, there have been injustices on both sides, but on balance, the Jews are the most sinned upon. I fear that many people take the side of the Arabs mainly because they are so unsuccessful at war. Ob balance, better to be a Muslim in Israel than a Jew (or Christian) in "Palestine."

The United Nations partitioned the Palestinian mandate, setting aside part of it for the Jews. The Jews—as a whole—went of the deal; the Arabs did not. The Arab states invaded the Jewish sector to suppress their establishment of a state, and got their butts kicked. The radical Zionists used the chance to extend their control and after a cease-fire had a much larger state. As for the dispossesed Arabs, well, the entire Palestinian mandate was designed as the “Jew Homeland”—which is was, historically. But when Jordan was handed over to Feisel’s family, all Jews were forced out. Funny thing is that people are willing to accept that war always entails violence and justice, but not the ones involving the Jews. Guess they think the Jews are too cocky.

The New Testatment, according to Christians, fulfills, completes, and ends the Old.

Assuming "Christians" are followers of Jesus, you are wrong. You need to read Jesus' words.

17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets [this is is known as "Tanakh" Torah, Prophets, Writings, or what you call the "Old Testament"]. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19

In a twisted reading, you seem to think "fullfilled" means "done away with" - even though that is clearly what you told you NOT to think. Pick up a little Greek and a little Hebrew and then come back and discuss Scripture for what it says, not what your theology tells you it says.

The world was a very different place pre-WW2. For the Great White Fathers to settle the Jews in Utah or Rhodesia - wow, what a brilliant idea- go figure why no one made that happen. Obviously, I sympathize with the Zionists, and the current reality is simple: If Israel were blown off the map tomorrow, the march of the Islamists for worldwide conquest would not cease. After the Holocaust (something you never mention in any of your comments), I think the Jews put it very well - Never Again! I am sure that will get tested again in my lifetime.

On the current Pope, did you read Post #74?

The Archbishop in the article is not Roman Catholic and does not answer to the Pope.

The Melkites, or Byzantine Rite Catholics of mixed Middle Eastern and Greek origin, are the descendants of the early Christians of Antioch, Syria, of the 1st century A.D. Christianity was established in this area of the Middle East by St. Peter before he traveled on to the imperial city of Rome. Scholars attribute the actual writing of the gospels in Koine Greek to the Hellenized Christian population of Antioch, with authors such as St. Luke and others.
Although the church's origins lie in the Near East, however, today, Melkite Greek Catholics are spread throughout the world mainly due to immigration. At present there is a worldwide membership of approximately 1.3 million. The Melkite Church has a high degree of ethnic homogeneity but its patriarch, its episcopate, its clergy and many of its faithful are speakers of such languages as Arabic, Greek, French, English, Portuguese, and Spanish. The Melkite Catholic Church retains its Byzantine roots and liturgical practices similar to those of the Eastern Orthodoxy while maintaining communion with the Catholic Church in Rome since 1729. Its languages are Arabic and Greek.
Gregory III, Patriarch of the Church of Antioch, is the spiritual leader of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. He was elected patriarch on November 29, 2000, succeeding Maximos V Hakim, who resigned at age 92 due to failing health, dying seven months later. He took the name Gregory after Patriarch Gregory II Youssef, the last member of his order to be elected patriarch. Patriarch Gregory, who studied in Europe and is multilingual, is author of several books on eastern theology and spirituality.

This is from Wikipedia

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