On March 30, Israel backed down from its decision to deny the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Pizzaballa would have “full and immediate access” to the church, Christianity’s holiest site. The decision to deny Cardinal Pizzaballa access had been justified for security reasons amid the war with Iran and triggered widespread outrage in Italy.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, expressed “disdain” for the “grave
and unreasonable” measure. Politicians from both sides of the aisle described the Israeli move as an
offense to Christianity and freedom of worship. In the Catholic environment, Florence philosopher
Francesca Campana Comparini was one of the few discordant voices. Comparini is the creator and
organizer of a Festival of Religions, for which she was recently honored with the “Fiorino d’oro,”
Florence’s highest annual honor for individuals who demonstrate \u201cexceptional merit\u201d in various fields.
In an interview with Pagine Ebraiche, Campana Comparini said that Cardinal Pizzaballa’s initiative and
how it was reported and commented truly struck her. On March 29, Pizzaballa was on his way to the
church to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass with the official guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
Father Francesco Ielpo, when police stopped them and forced them to turn back. Campana Comparini
commented, “Pizzaballa is not the rector of a village in Iceland, but the Patriarch of Jerusalem.” “He
knows there are precautionary measures in place to protect everyone, regardless of their faith or
background. Pizzaballa’s endeavor was irresponsible, which is not a novel occurrence considering his
past,” she emphasized. “I have read somewhere that a religious figure should be free to take risks. This is
absurd, and a state’s duty is to act as Israel did.” Campana Comparini explained that she does not
understand “this populist way of living religion. If you want to hold a private ceremony, do it, but do it
somewhere else if you are aware of a prohibition.” However, she emphasized that “religion can be a
good stage. We have seen it happen many times, even recently in Florence.”
According to the scholar, “the political issue has now been overcome, but this story is still a symptom of
the tension between Israel and the Vatican. Either the pope does not control the cardinals, or he agrees
with them.”
The Festival of Religions in Florence has been on hold for some years. “It is good to proceed towards
peace. It is good to deepen interfaith dialogue. Yet, a strong hypocrisy persists on some issues. I do not
tolerate it, and I prefer to step aside.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"