Why is the Italian who leads the church in Jerusalem is a competitor to be the Pope

In the days after the attack of Israel on October 7, 2023, Cardinal Perbatista Bizabala, Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem, presented himself as a hostage in exchange for the freedom of the kidnapped Israeli children.

the offer , I mentioned the Vatican NewsThe graphic balls news portal has not been eaten, but it drew attention to the Cardinal Bizabala, a competitor to Pope Francis.

As Italian, Cardinal Bizabala will return the papal under control of a country that has been controlled for centuries, after a gap of nearly 50 years. His long experience in a political area, which is the cradle of three main religions, was reinforced – appointed in 1990, at the age of 25, and moved to Jerusalem that year – also his papal capital.

But Cardinal Bizabala is seen as external to the Vatican, given that he spent contracts in the Middle East, rather than building alliances closer to the home.

Some Cardinals and other members of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church are also concerned that Cardinal Bizabala, 60, may be very small for this job. Pope John Paul II was elected in 58 and served for 26 years. The possibility of another papacy lasts a quarter of a century or more has stopped some of the Cardinals who will elect the next Pope.

The sanctification of the Cardinal Bizabala to the traditional elements of the practice of the Church made him palatable to some conservatives. But after spending decades in the Middle East, it is a wild card, because its positions are on many issues that caused the division in the church unknown.

What the Vatican experts agree is a personal touch like the church leader that Pope Francis appreciates.

“He embodies a pastoral approach,” said Massimo Vaguli, a professor of theology at the University of Villanova. “In Jerusalem, it deals with other religions that have strong opinions on these issues, so it should not become a crusade in any possible meaning for the word.”

Mr. Vagouli added. “He will not launch a cultural war on sex and sex issues.”

Cardinal refused to comment on this article.

Cardinal Bizabala is attributed to the movement of Middle East policies and societies, and it speaks strongly against injustice and hatred, but also the formation of friendships between Jews, Muslims, Christians and other societies. Above all, he developed a reputation as a person ready to listen.

The people who worked closely with him in Jerusalem described him as an official capable and a humble leader with a little time for bonds.

“He cares about the poor,” said Wadi Abunasar, coordinator of the Christian Christian Forum, a non -governmental group of Christian secular in Israel. “It helps in a secret way. He is a person who loves to build bridges with every person.”

When Hamas attacked Israel in 2023, the Cardinal was in its new role for only a few days, but he spent 35 years in the area. Franciscan was appointed in northern Italy, and he became a student in the science of biblical theology in Jerusalem and ended up teaching the biblical Hebrew. Besides his Italian and Hebrew hometown, he speaks English but only limited.

He entered his ability with prominent languages ​​and diplomacy in his use while he was interested in the Hebrew speaking Catholics in Israel, where they made almost monthly visits to the dioceses. He also visited the small Christian community in Gaza during the war there and has an open dialogue with the Jewish Israelis.

Hannah Pinkovsky, the project manager of the Jewish Christian Program at the Rosenj Center for Education and Dialogue, a religious organization based in Jerusalem, praised, and said that she hopes to become the Pope-but not for another decade. “We still need it here,” she said.

Kazavier, Abu Eid, a Palestinian political scientist and author based in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said that many Palestinians believe that Cardinal should have spoken more strongly against the actions of Israel in Gaza, but they added that there are limits to the amount of what could be expected of the church commander.

Francis spoke to the Palestinian victims in Gaza, where he wrote in a book issued in November that the war You must investigate To determine whether the genocide is formed. This attracted a harsh reprimand from a member of the Israeli government.

In April, the Cardinal traveled to Rome to speak with Francis to organize a meeting between him and the relevant rabbis in the language he used, according to Oded Wiener, the former general manager of the head of the great rabbits of Israel, who was responsible for relations between religions and the relations of rabbis with the Vatican.

Mr. Winner said that a date for the meeting was set, but it did not happen, first for technical reasons, and then due to the low health of Francis. It was not clear to the extent to which cardinal sympathy personally with the fears of rabbis.

In Francis Final addressAnd, which was delivered the day before his death, the Pope said that the increasing climate of anti -Semitism around the world was “worrying”, as he condemned the “founding humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

Patrick Kingsley It contributed to the reports from Jerusalem, and Emma Bobola From Rome.