[saradippity]

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.

[Cronos]

The Patriarch was speaking for himself. He can’t speak for The Church as a whole, that only the Pope can do — and even then it would be a solemn pronouncement. So, yeah, PapaBear is correct that he knows that the Patriarch was speaking for himself.