Has it ever crossed your mind that the Pope, the one who is supposed to be God’s representative on the Earth, would ever go against God’s will and support something that is against God’s covenant? The logical answer is, of course, no. We would never think a car does not follow the drivers’ directions without it being faulty, right?
What covenant are we talking about here? Well, God states over and over again in the Bible – which is supposed to be the foundational book for Christianity – that God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In this treaty, God gives the land of Canaan to these men and their descendants forever. There are many mentions of this covenant, but here are only a few:
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying:
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“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.” (cf. Genesis 15:18)
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Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you.’” (cf. Judges 2:1)
If the Israelites disobey God, He promises to punish them and even uproot them from their land. However, this is only for a while after which He would bring them back in their land (cf. Leviticus 26:40-45, etc). This process last unfolded over the past two millennia. In 70 AD, the world witnessed another such punishment of Israel when the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and forced the Jews out of their country. Then, to show that God keeps His word and covenant with Israel forever, in 1948 our world witnessed this promise being fulfilled; Israel was reestablished as a nation in a part of what used to be her land.
Nowadays the world is witnessing not only world powers who don’t believe in God, but also the head of the Catholic Church coming against Israel and demanding this nation to give up more of the land God has given her for the establishment of yet another Muslim state. This May, during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Israel, he called for the establishment of a Palestinian state in territories that belong to Israel according to both God’s covenant with them and historical evidence.
The question is, why would the Pope go against God’s will? You would think that as the self-proclaimed ambassador of God on the Earth, this man would try to reflect God’s purposes. Consequently, he would advocate for the Jews to be left alone in their rightful country and the Muslims living in Israel to be relocated to an Arab nation, probably Jordan since this nation was created as a place for the “Palestinians” living in the territory divided between Israel and Jordan.
Using the example of the faulty car that does not follow the commands it receives from its driver we can conclude that Pope Benedict is malfunctioning in the office he holds. There could be a few causes for this fault. First, as the news channels have underlined, Benedict is of German origin and was involved in Hitler’s Youth corps during the war. As such, he may well be anti-Israel. This would make sense in the light of his support earlier this year of the British bishop who denied the Holocaust.
Second, either the Pope does not know what God says in the Bible regarding Israel or he does not want to obey God’s will. Either way, this is affecting the Church he leads; by misleading millions of followers, he teaches them to believe something contrary to God’s word and will. In addition, he places the Catholic Church in opposition with God’s plans. This is very risky as God Himself stands against anyone who stands against Israel.
Thirdly, the Pope may be speaking for the formation of a new Muslim state within Israeli borders because he either is pressured by Muslim and world powers to adopt such politics, or is trying to please them.
Whatever the reasons, be they one or many, Pope Benedict XVI should remember from history that under Islamic rule the Catholic Church had no access to the Holy Places in Jerusalem. Also from history, he should know this land belongs to Israel. And, from his Bible, he should remember that God punished any nation and power that ever oppressed Israel. With all these in mind, the Pope should seek good relations with the Muslim world and the entire world for that matter, but especially that Israel is treated with respect and justice. Enough injustice has been done to this nation over the past two millennia.
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