Recently appointed Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David has taken note of their anguished conditions “under the shadow of death” in his Christmas Eve message on Tuesday. —Lyn Rillon
MANILA, Philippines — Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David criticized the state of Israel on Christmas Eve for its relentless attacks in Gaza that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians—echoing the scathing pronouncements of Pope Francis.
“If there are people in the world right now who dream of nothing but peace, it would be none other than the Palestinians who continue to live as refugees in Gaza, displaced from their lands that Israel has occupied,” he said in Filipino during his homily for the last “Simbang Gabi” Mass on Tuesday.
“I can think of no other people in the world who live in darkness and constantly under the shadow of death as they do,” added David, the 65-year-old bishop of the Kalookan diocese.
READ: Pope Francis appoints Kalookan Bishop David as cardinal
For the newest Filipino cardinal, if the Holy Family were seeking a place to stay today, “they would not be in Bethlehem but rather in the Gaza Strip, finding shelter in a ruined house where the Son of God could be born.”
David, known for his defense of human rights especially during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, said Filipino Catholics should also sympathize with the Palestinians in war-torn Gaza.
“As Christians, the majority of us Filipinos often sympathize more with Israel than with the Palestinians, many of whom are thought to be predominantly Muslim. But I wonder if we truly feel the longing for peace of the people of Gaza,” he said.
“Of course, Israel also dreams of peace, but how can they achieve peace when they are surrounded by enemies?” the cardinal added.
This was one of David’s first comments on global issues since the Pope elevated him on Dec. 7 to the rank of cardinal, the chosen close advisers of the leader of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.
Not the biblical Israel
David echoed Pope Francis, who earlier condemned Israel’s bombing of Palestinians, including children, saying “This is not war, but simply cruelty.”
The cardinal described the current state of Israel as “so far removed from Israel in the Bible.”
“It is no longer a vulnerable nation with no one to defend it against mighty oppressors, but rather an aggressive Israel with military superiority, supported by global powers,” he said.
In the end, both people of Israel and Gaza were victims of the unyielding stances of both Hamas and the Israeli government, according to David.
“How can peace be achieved when vengeance continues to fuel this cycle of violence?” he said.
Israel called the Pope’s statement “disappointing” and accused him of “double standards.”
For David, Israel should learn from the biblical experience of King David, who mistakenly thought he only needed to build God a temple to attain the elusive peace. Rather, it should be the other way around, as God would be the one to build a temple for David.
“God chose to dwell among humanity to teach us how to walk in the way of peace. That will never happen as long as we see each other as enemies,” the cardinal said.
“Though we may differ in religion, culture, or race, we all come from the same God—a God of love, humility, and forgiveness, not a God of vengeance. A God who reveals Himself as a Father so that we may learn to treat one another as brothers and sisters,” he added.
Death toll
The war was sparked by Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which militants seized 251 hostages. Ninety-six of them are still held in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.
The attack resulted in 1,208 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 45,338 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.