The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (1)
Taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, 15 July 1099
With the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, this “summer series” comes to an end, after having covered the six other Catholic Patriarchates: the Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria; the Maronite, Melkite Greek Catholic and Syrian Catholic Patriarchates, all three of Antioch; the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate of Cilicia, and the Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate. This article is taken from the presentation made by the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Introduction
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is a diocese of the Catholic Church whose territory includes Cyprus, Jordan, Israel and Palestine. It is supported by six Vicariates that operate in different fields of action to support the Christian communities in all of these countries. Since November 6, 2020, Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa has served as the current Patriarch of Jerusalem.
The Latin Patriarchate has an ancient and complex history, which is intertwined with that yet more ancient and complex one of Jerusalem. We will content ourselves here with illustrating more the significant historical passages to understand the origin and characteristics of this Catholic Institution of the Holy Land.
Jerusalem and Ottoman Palestine
Since the end of the Crusades (1270), Jerusalem lived in a state of relative isolation, which lasted until 1800, although the presence of Christians was uninterrupted.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Jerusalem was still isolated, both for political and geographic reasons (including the fear of urging in some way the return of the “Latins” – a name given to the Europeans in general by their use of the Latin Language) and only until the mid-19th century with the invention of the steamship that could come more quickly from Europe and land at the port of Jaffa, it became easier to reach it.
The presence of the Latins in the Holy Land since the time of the Crusades was preserved thanks to the Friars Minor, Franciscans to whom the Pope later gave the task of becoming “custodians” of the Holy Places, from which the title “Custody of the Holy Land” derives (and “Custos” is the title given, till now, to the superior of these Middle Eastern regions, that make up the Holy Places).
Little by little, France, which, since the 12th century, obtained from the Caliph of Baghdad Haroun Al-Rashid, the protectorate of Catholics in the Holy Land (lost after the French Revolution), regained the right of protection over the Holy Places and the Christians who lived within the Ottoman Empire.
Besides the Latins, the Greek Orthodox also intensified their presence in the Holy Places, which began after the fall of Constantinople (1453) and advanced their claims on them.
To this must be added the claims of the emerging Russian Empire. Before long, during the 19th century, the Greek and Russian Orthodox joined forces to gain supremacy over the Holy Places. Three events particularly contributed to the opening of Palestine to the West during the 1800s.
The first was the campaign of Napoleon Bonaparte in Syria in 1799 (in continuity with that of Egypt), which, despite being a military failure, had the effect of reawakening the greedy European Powers towards Palestine.
The second event was the invasion of Palestine by Mohammed Ali, an ambitious Egyptian Viceroy, which allowed the opening of the region to Western influences, the establishment of Christian Missionary Societies and the end of discrimination against non-Muslims.
Finally, the third event was the Crimean War (1853-56) of which the Holy Places became the pretext: it ended with the Treaty of Paris (1856) and sanctioned the defeat of Russia, leaving the question of the Holy Places unresolved.
(Source : Patriarcat latin de Jérusalem – FSSPX.Actualités)
Illustration : Émile Signol, Domaine public, via Wikimedia Commons
