Bishop tells Jordan's king: Catholic Church rejects Zionist reading of Scripture, applied to Palestine (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)

In a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of Jerusalem “reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s rejection of any interpretation that seeks to claim the land of Palestine for the Jewish people based on the Torah, as promoted by Christian Zionism in the United States,” according to the Latin Patriarchate. (The term Torah typically refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, though it can also refer to the entire Old Testament.)

Bishop Shomali, the Latin Patriarchate’s vicar general, “emphasized that the message of the Torah is about defending the oppressed and the poor and establishing justice and peace.” He also “conveyed his deep gratitude to His Majesty the King for his protection of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and his continuous support for the Palestinian people,’ according to the Patriarchate.

Bishop Shomali made his remarks on March 11, four days after a Jewish delegation met with senior Vatican officials. During the meeting, a rabbi called on the Vatican to describe Israel as the “Jews’ eternal homeland.”