Replies

Correction to my last statement: he is a Catholic Bishop. I just has never heard the title "Patriarch" used in a Catholic, as opposed to Orthodox, context before.

That said, there are lots of Catholic priests and even bishops who mouth off here in the US in contradiction to the Pope. The Patriarch was speaking for himself.

21 posted on 03/21/2012 5:47:31 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell)

Until the late 60's I believe that was standard Catholic teaching on the state of Israel. That is,Israel was a people not a location and that it was given to the people of God and those were the people to whom God sent His Son to lead back to Him.

I was taught that God never promised the Iudeceans (those from the tribe of Judah,who settled in the state of Judea] any land at all. He promised to be with the heirs of Israel not one particular tribe.

And I do not know whether the patriarch was speaking for himself or for the Church and neither do you.