wfn.org | Christians Will Not Desert Holy Land, Delegation Hears

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

December 12, 2000

CHRISTIANS WILL NOT DESERT HOLY LAND, DELEGATION HEARS
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  JERUSALEM -- "The number of Christians in Palestine is
dwindling so much that the situation is becoming dangerous," Armenian
Patriarch Torkom II told a visiting delegation of church leaders from
the United States during a conversation Dec. 9.
  "But we are here, and we will be here in the future," he said,
"because the holy places are not museums."
  Yet he admitted that "it is a miracle that we have survived."
Christians are determined to "make our presence strong and to make it
heard and seen."
  The Armenian Patriarch and other church leaders said that the
churches are living in some difficult times.  "As Christian
communities we have our problems.  So far we have not succeeded in
stopping the violence--and this is not a local concern but one for
the whole world."  The situation is complicated by "the presence of
extremists on both sides."
  Sometimes the difficulties are very direct.  The Armenians are
one of the guardians of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built over
the traditional site for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
During the procession to the church every other week, "We meet Jews
who spit on us," occasionally provoking fights.  "These are
realities," he said.
  "Yet we have been here with a history of 1500 years and our
tradition should be accepted," he added.
  "Palestinians and Israelis must live together, whether we want
it or not," the patriarch said.  The goal is for both peoples to live
on their own lands in peace and brotherhood, he said.  "We want no
one to suffer but to live in peace.  We have to learn, if we don't
know already, how to live with each other and pray together."

Seeing both sides
  "What we need is not people who take sides but those who can
see both sides -- and will help seek and work for justice," the Latin
Patriarch Michel Sabbah told his visitors.
  "The Palestinian people are under Israeli military occupation
and they want to be given back their freedom, they want the
occupation to end," he said, adding that their patience has worn very
thin and there is great disappointment in the peace negotiations over
the last seven years.
  That frustration has fueled the recent eruption of violence,
the patriarch contended.  The Intifada that erupted after the visit
of Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon to the Haram al-Sharif  ("the
Noble Sanctuary") where the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque are
located was "very spontaneous, it surprised everyone."
  In conversations with Palestinian Authority President Yasser
Arafat and with Israeli leaders, Sabbah argues that the Palestinians
returned to violence in order to be heard.  He urges Israelis to look
at Palestinians "not only as troublemakers," because "Palestinians
don't want to kill Israelis, they are asking only to be free, and
that freedom is in the hands of the Israelis."
  The Israelis "may have won wars but they have not won the
peace."  And that peace won't be won through violence.  He is calling
for "another vision," one beyond the increasing cycle of violence.
Yet he warns Israelis that the Palestinians are determined to
continue the struggle until they gain freedom, "and that could take
many years."
  "The peace of the region is in the hands of Israel alone," he
said.  He is trying to convince the Israelis that they have the power
to make peace.  "If we have peace, it will be thanks to the Israelis.
If we have no peace, it will be because of the Israelis."
  Sabbah is convinced that Palestinians "could be good
neighbors," citing the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and
Palestinians within the State of Israel for the last 50 years.  Peace
would also make the Israelis better neighbors with Arab nations in
the region, he said.  "Until there is justice for the Palestinians,
they will face continued opposition from the Arabs."
  In response, the Rev. John McCullough of the National Council
of Churches (NCCC) said, "We are aware that the rocks of this country
are scarred, the soil is stained by blood.  We join you in grief but
also in hope, believing that our God is all-powerful.  In time, peace
will be established," he said.

Visitors bring encouragement
  "I am sorry to tell you how difficult our situation is in
Palestine with many villages and towns closed so that people can't
come to Jerusalem to celebrate Christmas," said Metropolitan
Vassilios in welcoming the delegation to the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchate.
  He added a grim note to the conversation by noting that
"yesterday eight were killed."  He asked his visitors to do what they
could to stop the violence "so that peace may prevail."  He added,
"Violence is not good for the Holy Land, for both peoples," Israeli
and Palestinian.
  "This is the first place that peace was proclaimed," added
Metropolitan Vassilios, "but now there is no peace.  Either God does
not hear us, or we are not deserving."  He said that it is not the
role of the churches to propose political solutions but rather "to
identify with those who have a just claim."  He is afraid that people
are so filled with bitterness that they are not in a mood to listen
to their leaders.
  "We believe very strongly that this place is one where
Christians, Muslims and Jews should be able to stand together and
have freedom of expression," responded McCullough, executive director
of the NCCC's Church World Service and Witness."We are sad when we
hear about the migration of Palestinian Christians."
  Both church leaders stressed how important visitors are for the
churches because "they encourage us to bear the burden when it often
seems that we are alone."  They urged delegation members to send
other visitors to reinforce relationships.

Prayer undergirds visit
  "Our churches are bound together in prayer," said former Bishop
Herbert Chilstrom of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) in his opening comments at an ecumenical discussion at the
Greek Patriarchate.
  He described how the ecumenical movement in the U.S. "has been
a miracle," and "as a result of the spirit of God walls are coming
down.  We bring that as part of our witness to you."
  The Rev. Peter Vasko of the Franciscans raised the issue of
Christian emigration again, pointing out that there are only 160-
170,000 Christians in a population of seven million in Israel, the
West Bank and Gaza. "Christians need to continue to remain here."
  Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Jordan (and Palestine) issued an urgent plea, "You must not allow the
Christian witness to cease."  He said that the Christian churches
here are "the local expression of Christianity worldwide."
  Some members of the delegation felt embarrassment and expressed
anger with the American role in providing military support for
Israel.  "It is chilling to see the label of our country on the
shells used to destory homes," said Donella Clemens of the Mennonite
Central Executive Committee.
  The delegation has been strengthened by the faithfulness and
courage of the Christian communities in Jerusalem, and nurtured by
its own spiritual life along the way.  Serving as chaplain, the Rev.
Said Ailabouni of the ELCA led and encouraged prayer at traditional
pilgrimage sites, such as the Church of the Nativity and the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, and also with families who have been forced to
flee their homes because of Israeli shelling.

Same pain, same hope
  "We Muslims and Christians live in this town as family, with
the same pains and the same hopes," said Sheikh Muhammed Hussein in
his opening comments to the delegation crammed into his offices near
the Dome of the Rock.   "We have full respect for each other."
  He echoed comments expressed by the Christian leaders about
difficulties of expressing religion in a climate that lacks freedom.
To make his point, he pointed to the hassle by Israeli security in
trying to prevent the delegation from entering the area, and an
attempt to prevent delivery of some construction blocks.  He said
that the delegation was "carrying for us hope"
that would help overcome obstacles.
  "As Palestinians we deserve to live in peace, just as other
nations.  We have hopes that your churches will carry the message to
government officials," he said.
  Bishop Edmond Browning of the Episcopal Church said that one
purpose of the visit was "to build solidarity between us."  He said
that the churches represented in the delegation were committed to the
peace process and to concern for the victims of suffering, mentioning
the Prayer Vigil for Middle East Peace that began December 3 in many
churches across the nation (see www.loga.org). "It is our intention
to continue the vigil until violent acts cease and peace is
achieved," he said.
  In response, the sheikh said, "It is well-known that we want
international legitimacy."  That would include full implementation of
the U.N. resolutions that say Jerusalem is occupied territory.  "We
want full implementation, based on justice and truth."  Yet it is not
clear, he said, what kind of solution the Israelis want.  "Sometimes
it seems hopeless."
  He said, "Our people will live side by side with the Israelis,
but only with dignity."  He asked for help in pressuring the American
Administration "to allow us to live with dignity as Palestinians."
  As the conversation ended, he took the group through Dome of
the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque, offering historical and theological
commentary.  He took the delegation on a dramatic walk, showing the
path where Sharon and Israeli troops had crossed through the area,
arguing that "only Prime Minister Barak could have stopped this
provocation."  Only outside support would prevent what he called "an
ethnic cleansing."
  The delegation presented a crystal plate in the form of a dove,
a symbol of peace in both religions. The sheikh expressed his
gratitude for the visit and pointed to a large print on the wall of
his office, expressing his hope that the dove and the peace that it
represents would fly over the city of Jerusalem.

Schedule
  The delegation will scatter Sunday morning to a variety of
worship services in the area including indigenous Palestinian
parishes.  In the afternoon a meeting is scheduled with Faisal
Husseini, representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization in
Jerusalem, and later Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert and the apostolic
delegate for the Vatican in the Holy Land.
  The day will conclude with a candle-light procession in
Bethlehem.
* * *

  *Jim Solheim is director of the Episcopal Church's Office of
News and Information and is serving as press officer for the peace
delegation. To follow the stories and photos check the Web site of
the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA): www.loga.org.

For photos, check:  United Methodist Photos - Delegation to Jerusalem

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html