As the previous chapter has highlighted, religion represents another defining aspect of individual and collective identity in Israel which, in turn, fuels the Arab-Jewish ethno-national divide. Followers of non-Jewish faiths such as Islam, Christianity or the Druze religion are negatively affected by their religious difference in a society that is defined along exclusive religious lines. This study is not concerned with the particular religious belief systems or practices of the various Christian denominations in Israel. However, an understanding of the basic structure and hierarchy of the various Christians sects in Israel is important as it informs the manner in which the state engages with Christians as a whole.
The Christian community in Israel demonstrates a high level of internal religious diversity with around twenty different Christian denominations active in the country today. However, only ten of these receive official recognition from the state.11 These are: the Greek Orthodox, the Greek Catholic (Melkite), the Latin, the Armenian Orthodox, the Armenian Catholic, the Syrian Orthodox, the Syrian Catholic, the Chaldean Catholic, the Maronite and the Anglican (Evangelical Episcopal). Each of these churches receives a relatively high degree of religious autonomy from the state. For instance, the state grants each of these churches separate ecclesiastical court systems and religious institutions to administer both to the religious affairs of their community and to matters pertaining to “personal status”. Personal status covers such areas as marriage and divorce, as well as the registration of births and deaths within the community.
11
Online article published on the website of The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2009).
Given the absence of secular or civic alternatives, the communal authority of these institutions is preserved and, in some cases, increased.
The majority of Palestinian Christians in Israel are Greek Catholic. Accounting for approximately 50 per cent of all the Palestinian Christians in Israel12, they are also the most widely distributed of all the Christian denominations with their strongest concentrations found in the villages and towns of the Galilee region. The Greek Catholic (or Greek Melkite) Church is a “uniate” church, signifying its split from the Greek Orthodox Church and subsequent union with Rome in 1724. This church is also typified by the fact that its clergy are predominantly Arab and its laity completely Palestinian Arab. The current head of the Greek Catholic church in Israel is Bishop Elias Chacour who also happened to be the first Palestinian citizen of Israel to become head of this congregation. The Greek Catholic Archdiocese of the Galilee is based in Haifa.13
The Greek Orthodox community is the second largest Christian community in Israel representing 22 per cent of the total Palestinian Christian population. The vast majority of the Greek Orthodox in Israel is concentrated in the city of Nazareth, but they can also to be found dotted around a number of smaller villages in the north. Unlike the Greek Catholic church, the leadership of the Greek Orthodox in Israel is entirely Greek while the laity is predominantly Palestinian Arab. The head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Israel is Patriarch Theofilos III who was elected in November 2005, but only recognised by the State of Israel in December 2007. The Greek Orthodox Church in Israel is distinguished by its significant land assets being second only to the state in terms of its land holdings in Jerusalem. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is based in Jerusalem.
Accounting for 18 per cent of the Palestinian Arab Christian community in Israel, Latins (or Roman Catholics) are the third largest Christian community in Israel and are mainly concentrated in larger urban localities such as Nazareth and Haifa, with a much smaller presence in other localities. While the ranks of the Latin leadership consist of a mixture of Arab and non- Arab clergy, the laity is primarily Palestinian Arab. Since June 2008, the head of the Latin Church in Israel is Patriarch Fuad Twal. The Latin Patriarchate is based in Jerusalem. The
12
Information concerning the number of followers of each church can be found in the Sabeel Survey (2006).
13
Information on the organisation and ethnic composition of the various church clergies is drawn from Tsimhoni (1993).
Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land falls under the umbrella of the Latin Church and is relevant to this study as it is a major land-owner and service provider, controlling many of the Christian- run schools and hospitals that serve the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel. The ranks of the Franciscan order in Israel are predominantly made up of non-Arabs. The head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, the Custos, is in fact Italian.
The Maronite community, which makes up around 7 per cent of the Christian Arab population in Israel, is another uniate church that is concentrated in the northernmost part of the Galilee, primarily in villages close to the Lebanese border as well as a few other towns in the north. Haifa represents the single largest Maronite parish in Israel but smaller congregations are also present in Nazareth, Akka and Jaffa. The ranks of the Maronite leadership in Israel are made up almost entirely of Lebanese Arabs, while the laity consists of a combination of Lebanese and Palestinian Arabs. The head of the Maronite community in Israel is Lebanese Archbishop Paul Sayyah and his headquarters are in Haifa.
Finally, the Anglicans account for 3 per cent of the Palestinian Christian population and represent the largest of the Protestant sects in Israel. They are concentrated in urban localities such as Nazareth, Haifa, Ramla, Kfar Yasif, Shfar’amr and Reine. The leadership ranks of the Anglican Church in Israel are made up of a mixture of Arabs and British Anglo-Saxons, while the laity is predominantly Palestinian Arab. Although they represent a relatively new Christian sect in the Middle East, their membership originates from disaffected members of the indigenous Greek Orthodox community. The head of the Anglican community in Israel is Bishop Suheil Dawani and his seat is in Jerusalem.