A Verbally Violent Churchman, Tsk-tsk

A church ecclesiastical gets violent, verbally at least:

The Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem on Tuesday prayed for an end of Israeli "occupation and injustice" in the Holy Land...

..."As Bethlehem waited throughout history for the one who would 'smash the yoke that burdened' the people... so we are awaiting a manifestation of the saviour's grace that will put an end to the occupation," Fuad Twal said in his Christmas message.

He also expressed concern for the future "in the homeland of Christ" of the Christian community whose numbers are dwindling, and particularly for the future of occupied Jerusalem.

"We do not forget what divides us: greed mixed with injustice, violence and man's persecution of his fellow man. All these beset the Holy City, not mentioning the building of settlements which strangle it," said Twal, the leader of Roman Catholics in the Holy Land.

Of course, Jerusalem has been waiting, too. The funny thing is that Twal doesn't really know his Bible.

The phrase he paraphrased about smashing the yoke? It comes from Isaiah 58:

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?...

...9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

Up until here, no quarrel. But the twelfth verse in that chapter reads:

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

So is Israel not fulfilling prophecy by building a wall, a security barrier against malicious people?

But besides this, Twal's words are incitement and somebody, the Pope maybe, should reprimand him.