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American Morning

Interview with Cewelalo, Franciscan Priest

Aired May 10, 2002 - 07:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The end of the standoff is our up front story this morning. CNN's Walt Rodgers is in Bethlehem at the Church of the Nativity. He joins us now with the very latest -- good morning, Walt.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. The evacuation of Palestinians from the Church of the Nativity here in Bethlehem proceeded as smoothly and flawlessly as the diplomatic road to the conclusion of this crisis was filled with potholes, missteps and miscues.

The five-and-a-half week standoff between Israel and the Palestinians outside Bethlehem's Manger Square has ended. The Israeli tanks are gone. The Israelis are now pulling out of Bethlehem. The Palestinians who turned the church into a fortress have now left the area.

Thirteen of them, the ones that Israel insisted be deported, landed in Cyprus a short while ago. They will go to a processing center there and await to see which European countries are willing to receive them.

Before exiting the Church of the Nativity this morning, each of the Palestinians complied with the agreement. They turned in their guns, left them on the floor of the church later to be collected by representatives of the American government. Following the first group of 13, then came 26 others. They are being sent to Gaza for a kind of internal exile.

There were many families on the roofs of buildings around here, standing, waving, emotional farewells, many of these Palestinian mothers and wives never knowing when they will see their husbands again.

Not everyone has left the church, however. There are 10 peace activists still staying inside. No one is quite sure what their issue is, but the Israelis seem very unconcerned about them. As I say, the Israeli troops are pulling out of town. The reason the peace activists are saying inside is because they are afraid when they come out, the Israelis will deport them immediately.

Still, this has ended for all intents and purposes in Bethlehem, and it has ended very, very quietly -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right. Walt Rodgers, thanks so much for the update.

We now have on the phone from Bethlehem, Father Cewelalo. He is a Franciscan priest, who is inside the Church of the Nativity and has been holed up along with all of those Palestinians we told you about earlier. Father Cewelalo, give us the first look we have had inside the church. How much damage has been done?

FATHER CEWELALO, FRANCISCAN PRIEST: Well, I was in the church today at 7:15 (ph) local time. Of course, I was so (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for the Church of the Nativity, the second group, because the first group, the 13 gunmen, they had already left the church, but the second group, and then the two biggest groups, about 70-80 civilians.

So how was the situation in the church, in the basilica of the nativity about the damages? I didn't see any very, very big damages. There is some damage on the ancient mosaics, maybe very, very (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is the church, but nothing really serious inside the church.

Also outside the church, there is the biggest problem is with the Franciscan monastery, with Greek Orthodox and the Armenian Orthodox monasteries. They are very, very damaged, because of the exchanging of fire between Palestinians and Israelis.

ZAHN: Father, you know, were you held hostage by the Palestinians inside that church? Or did you choose to stay there?

CEWELALO: Well, of course, we choose to stay here in the Church of the Nativity. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) many, many times we weren't (ph) prisoners of the people, the Palestinians, but we were -- we are the prisoners of this place. We are staying here, not because of the Palestinians, but we are staying here because this is our house, because we try to protect this place. This is our mission, and we are convinced that we chose to this mission.

ZAHN: Father Cewelalo, thank you very much for taking us inside the church for our first look at the aftermath of the release of these Palestinians.

CEWELALO: Thank you very much, and may God bless you.

ZAHN: We will be addressing this issue all morning long.

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