The Evangelical Pope | Intercultural Integration

Each week we let Saint Pope John Paul II share meaningful signposts to spark socio-economic resolves through justice and righteousness combined with mercy and compassion; in short, love.

               ¹⁸ “And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come[^a] and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.

               __ Isaiah 66:18 (New International Version)

The Vatican, 24 November 2004 | The World Day of Migrants and Refugees is approaching. I often speak on this occasion, reflecting on migration through the lens of integration. Many view integration as immigrants fully joining the host country, but it is a complex and challenging concept to define. I refer to the recent Instruction Erga Migrantes Caritas Christi (‘The Love of Christ for Migrants’) for clarity.

The Meaning of Integration

Integration involves engaging with others, discovering their uniqueness, and welcoming their qualities to enrich our understanding and shape societies that reflect God's gifts. Migrants seek social inclusion, learn the language, obey laws, and follow workplace rules to foster belonging and reduce social differences.

The Intercultural Dimension of Integration

While many aspects of integration exist, I focus on its intercultural implications. Contact between different cultures can cause identity conflicts, but it can also lead to positive outcomes, such as immigrants becoming more aware of their identity, especially when they are separated from important people and values.

In a society influenced by global migration, respecting personal and others' identities is crucial. It's essential to appreciate cultural diversity while upholding laws and maintaining social harmony. Avoid assimilationist models that erase differences or marginalize immigrants, leading to exclusion or apartheid. Instead, embrace proper integration with an open outlook—focusing beyond disagreements.

Dialogue and Mutual Understanding

Our multicultural conversations should go beyond tolerance to genuine sympathy. When migrants and locals share lives, shallow interactions or distance are common. Instead, let's promote mutual learning and open hearts to foster genuine understanding and goodwill.

Christians who recognize the Spirit's work see "precious elements of religion and humanity" across cultures, fostering greater understanding. They must respect cultural differences while defending shared values rooted in universal human rights. This promotes "civic reasonableness" for peaceful coexistence.

Christians must proclaim the Gospel to all with respect and charity, as St Paul advised early Christians.

Hope and Commitment

The Isaiah image I mention at youth gatherings encourages believers to be "morning watchmen," listening compassionately to the cries of migrants and refugees and inspiring hope for a welcoming society through action. They should also see God’s presence in history, even in dark times.

With this hope, I send my Blessing to you all, praying to God—who aims to unite every nation and language—with deep affection.

Excerpted from:

MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II FOR THE WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES 2005, Intercultural Integration

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/migration/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_20041124_world-migration-day-2005.html

Editorial | You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country, You Cannot Take the Country Out of the Boy.

By Abraham A. van Kempen
5 October 2025

Here are some excerpts from my book.

Chapter 4.13 Yet, Another Study … Pew Research 2016

Recently, the European-Israelis and the indigenous Palestinians have again been provoked by yet another study that, intentionally or not, might be designed to entangle further and worse, ensnare the people in the region into another inescapable dimension of one vicious cycle after the other, at best; a dead end, at worst. As reported by Naomi Zeveloff in Forward Magazine:

               ‘new analysis of data from the Pew Research Center’s Study 40 in March 2016, arguably ‘upholds’ that nearly half of all Israeli Jews want Palestinians expelled from their midst.

No one has bothered to ask: ‘Where to?’

Chapter 4.12 To Be or Not to Be … Gassed Until Death (2nd Edition 2019)

“Would you want to load up all of Israel’s indigenous Palestinians on flatbed trucks; those who are documented as Israeli citizens and those who are undocumented and ghettoized as stateless captives, subsisting in the occupied territories, not going anywhere; and, haul them away, with barely clothes on their backs, blistering under the burning desert sun, to perhaps an Israeli secret processing plant, to be gassed until death; and, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) grabbing the loot to be divided among all the winners of war, like the kibbutzim, Israel’s spacious farming communities, ‘built on the ruins of hundreds of Palestinian villages, ethnically cleansed; an occupation that has crushed the rights of Palestinians and caged them into ever-smaller holding pens?’”41 What a painful memory of horror that only victims can feel and share, victims on all sides.

4.15 Wishful Thinking …

Transporting all Palestinians from the Region to nowhere is wishful thinking, based on negative fantasies that defy reality. It is as mindless and absurd, if not accusatory and inflammatory, as the fear that Palestinians – helpless and defenseless – will throw the Israelis into the sea or worse, expel the European-Israelis back to their countries of origin.

No rational Arab leader, after experiencing Israeli military strength, would foolishly start a deadly conflict by attempting to push the Israelis into the Mediterranean Sea to reclaim Palestine. Israel has demonstrated its combat capabilities both defensively and offensively.

Most optimistic Arabs would agree—given the current circumstances—that the issue hinges on Israel honestly making amends to the Palestinians in accordance with United Nations resolutions and overseen by the UN. This would ideally lead to a workable solution allowing Israelis and Palestinians to co-exist and cooperate for their mutual benefit in their shared homeland.

[Editor’s note: Mind you, I wrote this section between 2016 and 2018]

4.16 But, Chosen Nonetheless …

The March 2016 Pew Research Study pits the ‘more’ versus the ‘less’ Holier-Than-Thou-Chosen Few, but chosen nonetheless.

According to Hebrew Union Professor Steven M. Cohen:

• Seventy percent (70) of the secular European-Israeli Jews, or Hilonim, making up forty (40) percent of the country’s population, support preferential treatment for Jews over other (non-Jewish) Israeli citizens.
• Among the European-descented ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredi) and the less Orthodox religious (Dati), as many as ninety-five (95) percent believe that the European-descented ‘Jews deserve preferential treatment in Israel.’
• Two-thirds or sixty-six (66) percent of the Orthodox public supports the expulsion of Arabs [indigenous Palestinians] from the modern (since 1948) State of Israel.

In contrast, we have almost the reverse among secular Jews:

• Thirty-seven (37) percent are in favor of expulsion and sixty-three (63) percent opposed; but, seventy (70) percent prefer preferential treatment for European-Jews over (non-Jew) citizens, vested in a democracy for Euro-Jews-only.

“Significantly, while Orthodox Euro-Jews are less than a quarter of the Israeli population, including Palestinian Israeli citizens, they comprise almost two-fifths of those who voted for the parties in the current Israeli government. [Combined] with the secular right-wing Jewish voters, we realize that a vast majority of the electorate who support this government wants to expel or transfer indigenous Palestinians from Israel, and almost all believe that Jews, mostly descendants from European converted Jews, should get preferential treatment.”⁴³

To clarify, Euro-Israelis comprise Ashkenazis (from Eastern Europe) and Sephardim (Moroccan converts who migrated to Spain, Northern Europe, and the Americas). Oriental Jews, also known as Mehradi Jews, comprise Hebrew-speaking Jews who have resided throughout the Middle East, particularly in Iran and Iraq. African Jews are primarily converts to Judaism from pagan backgrounds in Ethiopia.

Van Kempen, Abraham A., Christian Zionism ... Enraptured Around a Golden Calf - 2nd Edition: Evangelicals Rediscovering New Testament Revelations (pp. 209 - 212). (Function). Kindle Edition, 2019.

_________________________

Editor’s Note: Christians know that many indigenous Palestinians are genetically linked to the original Israelites, the Hebrew-speaking tribes of Israel.

How do they know?

Yeshua (meaning healer or savior) of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ, introduced contemporary Christians to Palestinians, as exemplified by narratives such as the Good Samaritan, the Woman at the Well, and his twelve disciples. These individuals were acknowledged as the ‘remnants of Israel and Jews of mixed heritage residing in Galilee and Samaria, rather than Judea, and are indigenous to the region historically referred to as Palestine.

Read the Gospels in the New Testament.

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OPINION |INSIDE THE MINDS OF YOUNG ISRAELIS MOCKING GAZA'S SUFFERING ON TIKTOK

These videos are popping up across social media like mushrooms after a rainstorm. Evil has made itself at home here.

Credit: ireallyhateyou1948's Instagram page

ByAlon Idan
Haaretz Israel
4 October 2025

A young, ordinary-looking woman films a monologue and uploads it to social media. She's a "content creator," and her "content," oh, her content – what are we supposed to do with all that content of hers?

A juicy hamburger in her hands, her face wearing a look of concern, she begins: "I'm really hungry, so I ordered myself a burger. And then I remembered that in Gaza there are so many people and Mahmoud animals [a play on the Hebrew phrase for pets] who have nothing to eat, and suddenly I felt, like, terrible." Pause. She takes a big, greedy bite. Her eyes meet the audience – she's performing.

She continues: "Wow, okay, that's over. So tasty. A golden burger at Aley Zahav. Listen, there is definitely nothing like this in Gaza. But I found a solution for them, and I totally believe that… [she smirks] they really are hungry, because they never stop nagging us [literally, eating our heads.]Anyway, what they need to do is have all the innocents eat the ones who aren't. Bon appétit." Another bite of the burger.

A young woman with black hair, phone in hand, another "content creator," chats with someone on the phone. She says, "I started a donation company for Gaza children. Would you like to donate?" [She twists her face into a sly grin.]

The man on the other end asks, "For which children?" "For Gazan children," she replies.

Silence. "What do you mean, Gazan children?" he finally asks. She's been waiting for the question and fires back instantly: "We're destroying their homes, so we need to build them too. What do you mean?"

• Two years post-massacre, I look back in disbelief. I, too, missed the surprise on October 8.
• 'Deadliest War': John Oliver slams Netanyahu in show not available for streaming in Israel
• 'To believe a Gazan talking about hunger is to believe the other side, and doubt your own'

The man answers, "I'll come and destroy your house too, I'll come and destroy–" She smiles, pleased, and keeps provoking: "What do you mean?"

He keeps going, shouting: "Gazan children, you're telling me?" She tries to muffle a laugh. "Yes."

Now she bursts out laughing as he demands, "What do you mean, yes?" "Yes," she continues, "Gazan children aren't Hamas, after all," and then adds, "The IDF, the army of occupation…" (A long beep cuts in to cover the man's string of curses.)

She's doubled over with laughter. She got him. Hilarious.

***

A young woman with light brown hair bursts out laughing, then starts a call: "Hello, this is Shilat. I'm calling from the Aid the Donor Foundation. I'd like to know if you'd be interested in donating to Gazan children in the Strip?"

Several seconds of silence. An older woman finally responds: "Donating to who?"

The young woman smiles slightly and answers right away: "Donating to Gazan children in the Strip who need this money to survive… they have no food…"

The older woman interrupts: "To Gazan children?"

The caller leans into the parody, enunciating each word with mock sincerity: "To – Gazan – children – who – desperately – need –"

But the older woman cuts her off sharply: "Go get therapy, sweetheart, you need urgent therapy…"

The young woman breaks into uncontrollable laughter, pinching her nose with her fingers so the giggles won't be heard. The prank must stay convincing – it has to be Instagram-worthy.

View this post on Instagram.

These are the kinds of videos now popping up on social media like mushrooms after the rain. Young Israelis, "politically engaged," some from the settlements, not all, sharp-tongued, creative (that is, destructive), confident, good performers – above all, they make fun of Gaza's hunger; of the gaunt children, the humanitarian disaster, the Israeli disgrace. It entertains them. Fodder for satire, stand-up, likes, and the path to becoming "influencers." Easy money.

What's striking is that they don't argue with the harsh claims. They don't say, ‘There is no hunger in Gaza.’ They don't say, ‘There is no humanitarian disaster.’ They don't say, ‘No children are starving.’ No, they accept it all. They don't care. On the contrary, they're pleased. Their empathy mechanism has shrunk, confined only to their own tribe. The "other" does not exist as a person, at least not a person like them. As far as they're concerned, let them starve, waste away, die. Maybe that's even better, more material for the next show.

***

And yet, it's worth pausing to note that the joke replaces the argument, that the mockery stands in for debate. Freud claimed that jokes serve as a way to express unconscious wishes. Like a slip of the tongue or a dream, the joke seeks to release inner tensions — those locked inside the psyche and forbidden to surface.

Could it be that for these young women, living in a place and a reality where showing empathy for the "enemy" – even if the "enemy" is a five-year-old boy or a newborn baby – is taboo, laughter becomes the only means of accessing those forbidden zones? Is the joke almost the only way they are "allowed" to speak – ostensibly to the public, but mainly to themselves – about the hunger in Gaza?

Could it be that these young women are, in their own way, trying to remind us that a disaster is unfolding just a few kilometers away – but they are so confused, repressed, and bound by the threads of taboo that all they have left is to laugh and joke about it? And when they call the "typical Israeli" and tell him about their initiative, could his shock embody – without him realizing it – the process by which Israelis have been drained of the very notions of "humanity" and "compassion"?

I turn to Freud here only because the alternative is too hard to bear. The alternative is that life here has been corrupted to the core. The extreme suffering of a small child in Gaza has become raw material for the exquisite delight of a young Israeli woman. That evil has made itself at home, the devil alive in the details that walk our streets.

Freud's view of the joke offers the narrowest escape from this horrifying possibility. He was a wise man, Freud. One has to believe he was right.