A Vatican Synod of Catholic bishops from the Middle East said that Israel cannot make a biblical claim of a chosen people or a promised land.

::::::::

There is no such thing as a chosen people. Israel cannot use the bible as a reason for claiming Palestinian land.

These are two of the important things that came out of the synod of Bishops meeting at the Vatican. The bishops expressed concern about the unilateral initiatives that threaten the composition of Jerusalem and risk to change its demographic balance. They also said that recourse to theological and biblical positions which use the Word of God to wrongly justify injustices is not acceptable.

They said Palestinians are suffering the consequences of the Israeli occupation; the lack of freedom of movement, the wall of separation and the military checkpoints, the political prisoner, the demolition of homes, the disturbance of socio-economic life and thousands of refugees

They urged Christians in the region to remain there for those who will one day return there. The document condemned terrorism "from wherever it may proceed" as well as anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and discrimination against Christians. Full article reported by Philip Pullella, Reuters.

Authors Bio:

Sally McMillan is a mother, a grandmother, an activist and a writer. She's from Philadelphia, Iowa, and now Albuquerque. She has four children and 12 grandchildren.

She is a graduate of Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia PA and has a M.A. in social ecology from Goddard College , Plainfield VT. She has written two books: "
Fondly Yours...An Ordinary Life," and a novel "The Crossroad at Bethany," as well as numerous commentaries, op-eds, and newsletters.